Life — November 9, 1905 — page 14: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

562 Ah! AYS dramatist David Belasco, S Who never nas known a fiasco, ‘0 more call me martyr; With Warfield, Bates, Carter. To vanquish the Trust's no hard task O 1” A Misnomer. IRST PLAYWRIGHT: of my play is laid on field. title. Seconp PLavwricut: Why not call it * The Survivors * «* But there are none. The scene a football But I cannot think of a good « What Came Ye Out for to See ?”” HERE'S a fool born every minute and fools live long. Hence the preponderance of fools in the liv- ing population, And hence the silly to-do made about the pre- sentation of ‘Mrs. Warren's Profession.” Mr. George Bernard Shaw is not a fool, Mr, Araold Daly is not a fool, Mr. Anthony Com- stock is not a fool, Mr. Shaw is a clever writer, who doesn't care much what his topic is so long as it attracts atten tion, and who is one of the shrewdest adver- tisers of his literary wares that this generation has known, Mr, Daly is not only an actor of merit, but is also a clever showman who has found material gain and loss in the exploita- tion of the Shaw cult, Mr, Anthony Com- stock is a person who delights in making a living from an unsavory business, and who must make himself conspicuous at times to convince his confiding employers that he is worthy of his hire. Far be it from Lire to suggest that there was any concert in the ac- tion of these three men, each moving in his respective sphere, but there is no doubt the production of Mr. Shaw’s play by Mr. Daly gave Mr. Comstock an opportu his personality into the lime-light and attract an undue amount of attention from that vast majority of the livi tion (mentioned above) to a theatrical incident which other- wise would have attracted no more than pass- ing notice, and probably only slender patron- age. Among those of the living population stirred up by Mr, Comstock’s desire to justily his existence was the Mayor of New Haven who, without any personal knowledge of the y to project 1g popul play, prohibited a repetition of it in his virtu- ous city. As we write, Commissioner Mc- Adoo may be taking the same steps to protect the morals of virtuous New York. *LIFE- N° Lire doesn’t stand for the produc- tion of Mrs, Warren's Profession. There is pleaty of other dramatic material to be had which is far more interesting to the ajority of the living population, But we are forced into a sort of defence of the pro- duction by the public hypocrisy which upholds and applauds so many things in the theatres which are much more demoralizing to the public taste and the morals of the young than this frank and rather solema discussion of problem which is continually thrust befote the eyes of young every city and in almost every issue of every newspaper in the country. Within a few hundred yards of the theatre where Shaw's play was produced, there is presented nightly and old, man and maid, in another play which is far more explicit in act and language than " Mrs, Warren's Profes- sion.” But Mr, Comstock has made no “gallery play” to attract to it the attention of the majority of the living population, and it goes on its way exerting a considerably worse influence than Mrs, Warren” ever could by its continued performance on the stage or by the notice which bas been drawn to the printed version of the play. Nor have the ies of Mr. Comstock and his short- sighted and been directed against the host of vulgar and degrading shows which teach their nightly lessons of bad manners and bad morals with- n of the mental cleverness which marks ** Mrs, Warren.” The exaggerated importance of this pro- duction is sickening, more as an example of American hypocrisy and foolishness than for any effect, one way or the other, that it is likely to have on public morals. rrow-minded. supporters ever outa * . . “NARS. WARREN'S PROFESSION ” is simply one of Mr, Shaw's dramatic diatribes on questions which are as old as humanity, The doors of the theatre where it is performed might safely be thrown open as wide as those of the churches where the same questions are discussed almost as frankly, but certainly not so cleverly. The young person is not likely to take any more harm from the long speeches Mr. Shaw assigns to his characters than from the long sermons preached on the same subjects. That the sins of the parents are frequently visited on the children and sometimes bound back to the parents, we are all aware, young and old, and that because a woman is clad in scarlet she is not, therefore, happy, we also know, The play settles no problem points no moral, It calls our attention, in a talky way for a play but in a brilliant way for a sermon, to conditions we are all aware of The acting of Mr. Daly and his company was very uneven, although always intelli- Miss Mary Shaw was the Mfrs. War- ren, and, up to the end of the second act, realized the part completely, In the crucial scene with her daughter she carried and gent. her audience with her in every word she spoke and every point she made, But in the con- cluding act she dropped from the convincing- ness of realism to.a very commonplace plane of staginess, which almost nullified the good work she had done before, Miss Chrystal Herne, as Vivie, was a bit too colorless—too womanly. the strenuous and clearly de- fined third wrangler Mr, Shaw intended. Mr, Daly, doubtless through the nervousness at- taching to the fool circumstances attending the first performance in New York, missed a good many of the points in his lines and A QUESTION OF THE FITTEST. situations, but in the main gave a clear-cut picture of the contradictory Frank Gardner, Mr. Tyler, Mr, Findlay and Mr. Farren gave excellent portrayals of their rather difficult characters. Mr. Tyler's personification of the British nobleman who is a partner in Afrs, Warren's delectable business was on a par with Mr, Findlay’s picture of the pompous British prelate. The first production of * Mrs, Warren's Profession” in New York was more than anything else notable as an illustration of the power of Mr. Anthony Comstock to stir up a fool public. MOOTED in the English press is, who is to be Henry Irving's successor ? Beerbohm Tree has been suggested, but from any. thing America has seen of Mr. Tree, either as manager or actor, the suggestion seems rather absurd, Sir Charles Wyndham’s and Mr. Forbes Robertson's names have also been suggested, and from considerations of their personal ability evi- dently with considerably more justification. But why raise the question ? Irving’s mantle, if it is to be worn at all, will find its place, not through any brief discussion or snap judg- ment, but by that consensus of opinion which comes with time and the gradual making-up of the public mind. Irving’s position in the opinion of the British and American public was one not to be conferred or taken as by right. It was one peculiarily his own, and question comicbooks.com