Life, 1905-10-26 · page 16 of 26
Life — October 26, 1905 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page reviews George Bernard Shaw's play "John Bull's Other Island," performed at the Garrick Theatre with Arnold Daly. The accompanying photograph shows a scene from the production. The text explains Shaw's satirical characters: a pompous, self-satisfied Englishman (representing British imperial confidence) contrasted with a cynical Irish character who serves as a Greek chorus—essentially Shaw himself. The Irish figure critiques English hypocrisy and colonial attitudes. A third Irish character appears as background. The review notes the play is less a traditional drama than a series of dialogues about Anglo-Irish political relations and Irish land questions. The critic suggests general theater audiences find it too political and intellectual. Dodson Mitchell receives praise for maintaining the Irish character throughout the lengthy argument-driven piece, while Daly competently embodies Shaw's skeptical Englishman.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Shakespeare’s Superior Again to the Front. HE appended picture is not only a correct likeness of the two leading characters of Mr, George Bernard Shaw's * John Bull's Other Island,” “yas done at the Garrick by Mr, Arnold Daly and the clever company he has gathered about him, but it is also illus- trative of the whole spirit of Mr. Shaw's latest valuable contribution to the inter- e of Shaw In the center we have the pompous and self-satisfied Englishman, thoroughly con- tent with everything national stage and the litera h, perfectly as- sured that God created the entire universe for the purpose of committing it and its destinies to the care and incidental profit of the English people. This is a favorite creature of Mr. Shaw, and is only a continuation of the same Englishman described by Napoleon in he Man of Destiny.” Individually the ‘LIFE Briton is quite ready to undertake any branch of the task committed to him by the Al- mighty, whether it lie in South Africa or Ire- land, quite sure that he is competent to bring it to a successful issue, and incidentally en- tirely ready to exact and collect the generous mself as vicegerent of Nothing feazes him, because in his cocksureness of his own importance in the general plan of the universe, no happening toll which he allows Providence. can arise so unexpected or unusual that he cannot at once explain it and utilize it as, being especially intended for the furtherance of his own plans and interests. On the left is the clever, cynical, always discontented and disapproving Irishman, who may be taken to be in a way representative of and to personify Mr, Shaw himself, He isa sort of Greek chorus, who explains and helps along the argument with his own unhappy view of the world and everything in it, Naturally he is an excellent foil to the Briton, and in his own vindictive way of enjoyment has a great deal of pleasure with him, show- ing off and bringing to notice his foibles, his, cant and his constitutional hypocrisy. Two things make this Anglo-Irishman of Mr. Shaw's a possibility with the public, One is his biting cleverness of speech, which is, of course, Mr. Shaw's own, and the other is the universal pleasure which humanity takes in seeing some one else badgered, some one's else faults and weaknesses adroitly ridiculed, In more brutal days this took the form of bull-baiting, which was a favorite sport, and Mr. Shaw, in this dramatic essay, revives it in an intellectual form of John-Bull-baiting, The third figure in the picture is of less con sequence, being only one of the Irish natives that Mr. Shaw uses as living pictures in his sarcastic portrayal of life in Ireland, Asa play “John Bull's Other Island" is like “Sal's” face in the song: ‘In fact, her face is not a face." In fact, it is not a play but a series of dialogues, monologues and discussions, all largely bearing on the political relations between Ireland and Eng- land and the present status of the Irish land question, This makes the piece caviare to the general theatre-going public, which either doesn't know much about those questions, or if it does know, doesn’t care, especially to the point of having practically six acts of it. ‘The cast is excellent. Mr, Daly has little acting to do, but is the embodiment of Mr Shaw's skepticism and caustic discontent The acting honors go to Mr, Dodson Mitchell, who keeps up through the entire long argu- ment, without skip or break, an admirable personification of the Englishman Mr. Shaw despises, yet lives among. A simply delight- ful piece of work and one which makes one MR, DALY AS LARRY DOYLE, MK. MITCHELL AS THOMAS BROADBENT, AND MR. TYLER AS PATST FARRELL, 1N “ JOUN BULL'S OTHER ISLAND.” comicbooks.com