The billboard (Sept 1910)

SEPTEMBER 24, 1910. Xlie Billboard 13 THE ABUSE OF DRAMATIC CRITICISM Abominable System that PeFmits the Publication of Pompous and Prejudiced Views of Egotistical Reviewers in Powerful Newspapers—Practice Costs Managers Large Losses in Receipts—A Plea for Criticism from Viewpoint o As « specific Instance of the counterfeit pool- tton assumed by dramatic reviewera In this couBtrjr, as deplored on tbe opposite page, ref- erence may be made to a cirenmstance tbat came under oar obaerratlon dAirlnc the past week In Cincinnati. LEWIS HILLHOUSE, Dramatic Editor or Tbe Cincinnati TImei-Star, wbo took exception to some of tbe lines to 'xue City. Tbe Cltr. a plar bj Clyde FItcb, that has raJoTed the hlc&est desreo ot popular fSTOr in New Xork and other cities, was nneqalToeaUy chaiacterixed as weak and conTentlonal, and am- bifnooalr, tbonch lumlstakably, clasalfled ansons the meretricious by tbe leadlus newspaper «( the Queen City. The pewie ot Cincinnati bellere Unnlleltiy In The Enquirer as a newspaper, and toelr eonfl- dence Is not misplaced. The Enquirer censerreB tbe Interests of tbe people about as doaelj aa It la possible tor a newspaper to do. On ques- tions ot politics. The Enquirer Is unprejudiced and tree from tne party taToritlam tbat is to be found in ■ so many newspapera tbe world over. . Its news la of the quality furnished b7 the leading press associations. Ita. local sages are filled with tbe news ot greatest Intatest and ad- vantage to tbe cltlsena ot the Ohio laetiapoUa. The Ibqulrer Is a powerful organ. Consequently, tbe readCTS of tbe Enquirer, and by tbat we mean the pationa ot tbe flrst-clBss theatres In Cincinnati and the surrounding terri- tory hare learned to accept reporta on sll mat- ten and condltlims printed In tbls Journal, with- out the proTerblal grain of salt. What tbe Enquirer ssya la to them, not the <HiInIon ot any one member of lu atalt. but the miectloa ot conditions and oplnlona of the people ss ■ whole truthfully presented. So, wbeu the Enquirer says of a play that It Is good OT bad or indifferent, the reader postu- latea the opinion as that of tbe paper as a me- RU8SELL WI.I.SON, dlum for reflecting tbe Tiews of their neighbors, associates and contemporaries, and upon the fa- Torablenesa or otherwise of the criticism depends the arrangemeat of the plans for amusement of Clnclnnatl-s best cltlxens from week to week. But, In the case of at least one o.' the Srst- class productions offered In Cincinnati each week, and la both cases where tbe week's new offerings are not presented on the same night, the criticisms appearing In tbe Enquirer ire the work of a selt-constltnted expert, who reports not what the auuience among which be has sat thought ot tbe production lu questton, bat glvea bis own opinion of lt» worth. Now through Just what process J. Herman Tbu- man baa tMM.-uaie qnallfled to pass upon the play tor tbe wbole people, or aa tbe voice of the pow- erful Euquir.-r. lii not a matter of great con- aequence. inasmuch as his opinion wonld in any cane be a one-man opinion and therefore Indl- Tldual rather than representative. Behind him la tbe Iniltience and the reputation of tbe Enquirer. On aecotint of that, the people accept bla Judg- ment of the olTeringB tor their amusement, rec- reation and edification and they see the play or beautifully written speech made by Eleanor Vor- bees, the sweetheart of the hero, after tbe latter taaa delivered himself of his egotistic preachment regarding the city and what it de- mands of tbe Individual. Had this final act, which baa but little dramatic connection with what has gone beftve. but which really contains what essence of dramatic value tbe story can lay claim to. been tbe first act of another play and tbe development of tbe heroic yonng man then proceeded from, that promise there would have lieett a much, deeper significance, both'mor- ally and dramatically, to attach to the drama. As It Is, The City Is a play of sitnatlons pure and simple, a play of the theatre, made to catch the appalnse of the Qnwary and to excite the gallery. It has all been contrived by a man wbo knew bow to bold tbe interest ot his au- ditors by sheer extrinsic means, who knew tbe tricks of his trade completely and who knew how to employ them most effectively. There Is an effort made throughout the play to fashion the story into an arraignment of the city verstis the country. The truth ot the matter—tbe dramatic truth—Is that all that TULLY MARSHALL. nramalle Critic, Cincinnati Post, ctsm ot The City was favorable. all eritl- Ills Tvork as the degenerate dope fiend In The City marks an epoch In acting. stay away from the theatre where It Is tiolng presented according as be has prai!>ed or depre- ciated its qualltleti. Tbe City did not meet with Mr. J. Herman Tbnman's approval. The toUowins review, writ- ten by bim and published In the Bnqnlrer ot Sept. -13, shows tbat: Without any discourtesy to the dead, the sln- cerest sentiment engendered by The City, which waa presented at the Lyric last night and which opened the regiilar aeason at that house. Is that it la Clyde Fitch's laat. No playwright the American stage has ever produced and nstered baa been so aggravating as Pitch. With his little talk, his keen appreciation of the foibles ot mankind, especially tbe feminine portion, and bis occasional hint at iiomethlng like a real dramatic Idea, he has presented the most ex- asperating mixture of conventionality, whimsi- cality, merit and mediocrity an audience has ever been called npon to appreciate. The City, less sentimental and ten nteUan than Her Own way or Nathan Rale or some ot hia other mawk- ish eoncoctlona, baa a sennlne Idea, but. like all prcviona efforta ot the writer, this Idea Is hidden beneath such a mass ot Insignificant de- tail, ot misplaced humor and ot ordinary stags trickery -that Ita effect Is almost entirely lost. This idea Is voiced by one ot the colorless character* ot the play, within the laat mlnuta ot the atoiy's ran. It I* contained la th* vny happens In the "big" second act could have occurred Just as well If the scene had been laid In Mlddlebunr as in New York. an-< tbat the city had nothing whatever to do with the catastrophe which brought out the skeleton from the Rand family closet and suddenly chastlxed all Its members and made them extraordinarily good. The really good idea of the piece lay in this: tbat George Band. Jr., having becii brought up to regard his father and hIa fath- er's business methods as strictly In accord with honor and bonesty, fashioned his own career along similar lines, only to find out by an nn- usual train ot events, tbat they are all wrong, determines to make restltntlon as best lies within bla power and start all over again. His sweetheart sums up tbe right idea ot a good man In her Uttle, bat very germane speech about « truly good man and brave man. All the rest Is twaddle. That moment Is the only one which rings true and which. will meet with the response of those who stop to eepsr- ate the chaff of stage claptrap ftoin the wheat of actual dramatic conflict. In the construction ot his* play Fitch has evol. ved some very Intense scenes. They are tbe play cariienter's build, to be sure, but they hold and Interest. Tbe second act is tbe most bril- liant example of this kind of stage writing Fitch haa ever turned ont and one of the moat taselaatlns.attempted io yean. Jnst u a mat- ter of playing, and nothing more, however. In addition to this there are the usual types of polite comrily characters Fitch knew so well bow to Inject Into his plays. They ate a relief from the morbidity of the stoiy as a whde. the iwlpable effort ot mixing Fltchian anperflclallty J. HERMAN THUMAN, Dramatic Editor. Cincinnati Enquirer. with Ibsenesque dissection. And incidentally there is more protsnlty in the dialogue than wonld be heard In three burlesque shows. A splendid cast gives The City an excep- tionally fine presentation. Wilson M.lroae as George Band, Jr., doing the best be can with an impertinently egotistic character, one which has at least a tbonsand I's in It. gives an inter- esting study and suggests what the character might bave become bad It been developed by a dramatist instead ot a playmaker. Tolly Mar- shall as the dope Send otters a rare and marvcl- ously built op chaiaeterlsatlon. It la not a new figure. - Baonl Berton In Xeah Kleaehna. Is bis brother. Bat Matshsll has elaborated the character so tbat It atanda ont as a remarkable Slece of work. Mary Nash as the hapless Cicely land Is excellent, a very marked personality. George BoweU handles the conventiona] char- acter of Bert Vorhees well and A. H. Stuart Is splendid as the old man In the first act. Typi- cal Fltchlaa characters, all. engaging and laugh- able miniatures in their way. are played Ity Edward Emery as Gordon, Eva Tlncent as the mother, and I.uclllc Watson as the older sister. Mary Servoss as Eleanor Torhees has but little to do. but her colorless role Is nevertheless the one most lasting one on account of the speech referred to above, wherein lies the germ ot the drams, a seed which Is given no opportunity to blossom. Bat against this are-the opinion ot several ot the New York papers and critics: (Continued, on page 40l) CLYDE FITCH, Author of The City.