1933-03-15 — Page 3

Page

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 1933.

Art and Drama

As London Sees A New York Success

George Peele's Best Work

'DAVID AND BETHSABE”

my

WHERE MUSIC IS "SAFEST JOB"

Russian Conductor's Impression.

ART OF THE PEOPLE

London.

THE CHINA MAIL.

On False Dramatic Values

Common Defect Among Playwrights.

LOADING THE DICE.

I have seen three plays lately,

of present-day people in a quiet country town may provide a grim, exciting drama, but it cannot with justice claim to be, even in a general way, a truthful representation of the period.

Mr. Milne, in his intensely inter- "There is no anobbery about each written by a distinguished and esting and clever piece "Other music in Russia. Young and old, successful playwright, each marked- People's Lives," appears to have rich and poor, all flock to hear itly successful in a certain direction, I think the Revolution helped a

"In London and in most of the other capitals I have been visiting, music seems to be mostly for the cultured classes, but in Russia it is the art for all."

Or-

of the case.

This

1

are

gone out fully armed with hatchet, knife, and whip to attack the over-i great deal towards that state each possessing (by design or ac- amart, would-be clever young folk) affairs, and made music the safest jeldent) a more or less moral objec- of the present day, and in vitriolic. possible job.

tive, and each suffering from the mood to scourge a Church dignitary anme defect--viz., over-statement and a leading light of the medical profession. In the case of all his London. probably the highest practicing

targets he has provided excellent! "Since

to London methods employed in Shakespeare's return

particular weakness in entertainment, but only, I think, at] authority in the world on the stage from a holiday I have seen four

dramatists is a common once. Even the expense of fairness. His valucs, day.

These statements were made by Mr. Galsworthy, most equitable and where his dean and surgeon plays: An extremely good pro- "David and Bethsabe," though it Mr. Nikolai Malko, conductor of duction of Shakespeare's rarely is Pecle's best work, is not an easy the Leningrad Philharmonie

reasonable of men, suffers from it inconcerned, are both false, but per- haps one would sooner have Ave performed All's Well That Ends play to present to a modern chestra, who was in London to con- almost all his plays. Dramatista

Iminutes of Mr. Milne's brilliant Well,' under the direction of audience. It is so crowded with duct the Royal Philharmonic Or-who weight the scales, load the dice, antics at the expense of truth than Robert Atkins; an elaborate mual-action-the stories of David and chestra in a programme of modern and fake the photography are far two and a half hours of another cal piece. A Kies in Spring,' which Bethsabe, of Amnon and Tamar Russian music.

too common in the theatre. It is, man's dull and conscientious fair was chiefly remarkable for a love-and of Absalom's death being all

What impressed him most about

play. ly ballet led by Alicia Markova included in it-that it is always in America and Europe, he said, was of course, difficult to be absolutely

A Licensed Jester. and Harold Turner; a production danger of appearing rushed. and the number of unemployed musi-balanced and dramatic at the same

With Mr. Lonsdale the case is not by William Poel of George Pecle's so ridiculous, in the eyes of cians. He invited them to come to time. Such plays as "Strife," with such a serious one. As 'David and Bethanie' (1599); and moderns who accustomed to Russia where "a good job is wait-

аге

a play- Rose Franken's 'Another Lan- take little for granted and to ing for every qualified musician." perfect poise of conflict, are few wright he is a fester first, last and gange,' which appeared recently at make gradual approach to dramu He said he was also surprised that, and far between.

always, and we must not take his the Lyric Theatre," writes Charles [tle crisis. But spoken as Mr. in comparison with other branches

exaggerated lordlings too seriously. | Pocl's actors speak it, it preserves of music, the art of conducting

The author has taken a theme that i Morgan in the New York Times.

Before I write of Miss Franken's a splendid dignity and its vigour was

is rather an old favourite of his ini neglected in Europe,- piece, which, although it has long of attack appears as a merit. not Reuter.

attempting to prove that one decent-¦ been familiar to New York play a defect.

minded thief is worth a whole crew of second-rate lords and Indies. goera, is given exceptional interest by the circumstances of its London) Miss Franken's play has been production. I cannot refrain from transferred to an English setting. saying something of "David and The transference must have been Bethsabe," for though Mr. Pool in very difficult, for, though the 80 years old and it is, I am afraid,jdifferences of habit and custom in improbable that any of his future the upper ranks of English and lantic, he is, and has for so long the differences are much greater in

*

*

us

work will be seen across the Al-American society are great enough,

been, an unique and outstanding a the middle classes. The first act,

figure in England that no discus which shows the Hallam family sion of our theatre can afford to assembled in its mother's house in For years he has pur- Relajac Park, seemed to be delici- sued his own way as head of the ously skillful, and it was not until Elizabethan Stage Society and is Herbert Marshal and Edna Best

omit him.

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SOMETHING NEW IN

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2,000 YEARS-OLD ROMAN SKELETONS

Vienna.

Achau in lower Austria. were found by Karl Maier, a

farmer, while he was digging out two large sandstones on his land. Steps are being taken to preserve the grave.Reuter

•

Lords Trench and Redwood have their counterparts in high society. But to congregato all these typer again under the one roof argues

Fine Acting. The particular pieces I have under consideration at this moment are Somerset Maugham's latest and last piece, "For Services Rendered," Mr.

I must confess I would have re- A. A. Milne's "Other People's Hished his comedy much more keenly Lives," and Mr. Lonsdale's comedy, had he made his crook not quite such a noble person and his aristocrats "Never Come Back." The first Four 2,000 year-old skeletons,

a little less ridiculous. Idareany have been discovered in a field at of

Romans,piece is something of an indictment such a contemptible duke as believed to be those of

his the post-war generation; the grace of Bristol and such a miser- They second piece is also in the nature of able, mean-minded person as Lady

a castigation of the bright young

Moynton and such cada and idiots as; peuple of the present age; whilst the last seems to

be another of Mr. Lonsdale's

many pungent upon the aristocracy.

In each case the play is supported lack of balance that puts the comedy by acting of the finest order, and no

into the deeree of second class. undue emphasis upon any point can one must be grateful even for exas- When all has been said, however. Ba attributed to the performers. Max Reinhardt's production of The most superficial analysis of the

veration and misrepresentation on “Everyman” is one of the great plot, however, proves that in every

the stage when-it-is-accompanied-by-j- features of the Sulzburg festivals, instance the playwright concerned h wit, cleverness and human In- and it is understood that it will be has so dotted his "I's" and crossed fromatiels have here shown. Rare- sight as these three remarkable. seen in this year's Eisteddfod at his "t's" and underlined every other ly in one generation do we find the task of eveing Nature as it walks, und shooting folly as it flies, and catching the manners living as they rise, discharged in the theatre with unimpeachable justice. The abso-

REINHARDT AND THE EISTEDDFOD

Wrexham.

attacks

sentence that it becomes less

of life and

case

.

Д

un-

The Morality will not be directed realisation by Reinhardt himself. He is send true arraignment of the gec- ¦ding over one of his assistants, tion

of society concerned than Herr Hock, who will be guided by

BA prepared by Reinhardt's own prompt book. He scrapulous prosecuting counsel is not learning Welsh for the o-rendy to deal in false values, and for lute truth la almost non-existent.

the purpose of proving an argument quite misrepresenting the defen- dant's character and those witnesses.

casion!

and trans-

came in to represent Victor Stella that I realized the ference to English circumstances

was not flawless.

I think the real flaw in this as-

of hie

The Ritterness of Life. In "For Services Rendered" every pect of the play was this-that, in possible cause of embitterment with England, people of the class of the life as it is lived to-day is collected Hailama struggle desperately to under the same roof. A blinded and selfish military war hero le pair- keep servants. Servants аге An Englishman's most stubborn snob-ed up with a foolish and unprin- bery-besides, they cost less over cipled naval, war hero. There one normal person | in the whole establishment.

The eldest girl

never

is not

Crazy

here. There is one mention of some one called Lizzie, but aho appears. In fact, in Eng- land the Hallams would have been through having lost her flance. servant-ridden. They would have Her sister, led away by a uniform, talked of them much more than has been linked up to a drunken they do. Their behaviour-parti- sensualist, while at visitors to the cularly when scandal threatened family we have another sensualist would have been continually in old enough to know better, with his uenced by the question: "What stupid and hysterical wife, and the will the servants think?"

head of the family betrays a callous. I am sorry to confess it; your ness that is almost incredible, freedom is better, in this respect, It has been said with justice, that than ours; but the truth is that, every character requires a touch of in England, the Hallar family caricature to make it seem credible would have been pervaded by in on the stage. Mr. Maugham's fluences from the basement and so, characters, vastly interesting as in- to this extent, Miss Franken's pic-dividual studies, became for me. ture is out of drawing. A strange when viewed collectively as a group, point, but an interesting one. grotesque and impossible. Not I cannot think that the play will satisfied with allowing one of his enjoy here the outstanding young women to go into hysterica, Buccess that it has had in America, to be carried off the stage scream- but that it will be solidly success-fng, he must repeat his effect with a ful I do not doubt. It is a good, second similar outburst by another economical piece of writing and is one. extremely well performed.

This myople and jaundiced view

Dismal Drama Of

Greek Tragedy

i

Whatever delights Greek tragedy |Keeble) and Mr. Clifford Turner, may have offered over two thousand to be a perfect exposition of how years ago in the sun-bathed thes- English verse should not be spoken. The problem of the behaviour of tre of Dionyson at Athens, it is a the Greek chorus, for purposes of doubtful treat in a London theatre modern production, is admittedly a Lo-day.

difficult one. To throw oneself in- An audience composed very to frieze-like postures and to speak largely of elderly men and school-Professor Gilbert Murray's transla. girls conscientiously watched the tion at the same time takes a bit whole of the "Iphigenia in Taurls" of doing.

at the Haymarket recently. It was, But the dreary incantations had play with doc solemnity and with no light and shade. Although the out an interval.

play, strangely enough, has a hap- The play, produced under the 'py ending, these sarment young auspices of the English Verse-Indies kept up "the moanin' and the Speaking Association, seemed, with dronin'" even when they chanted the exception of the performances of their joy at being released from of Miss Lillah McCrthy (Ladybondage.

n

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