The Brooklyn Daily Eagle from Brooklyn, New York • Page 67

BROOKLYN DAILY EAGLE, NEW YORK, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1935 4 Reviving the Somber Dramatist of Oslo Checking Up Tampering With the Law on Mr. Kaufman The unusual angle of "Night of sWW J4yrW1sMlkk 5N mm raw George S. Kaufman has already had twenty-four productions on Broadway and only two out and out "flops," a record unequalled by any modern American playwright. He is the co-author with Morris Ryskind of 'iOf Thee I Sing," the only musical show ever to win the Pulizter Prize. Born in Pittsburgh, upon graduation from high school he was.

Ibsen's 'Ghosts'' is bring acted these days at the Empire Theater, by a company including McKay Morris, Raymond O'Brien and Naadmova. Mr. and Mrs. hunt Annotate the Bard successively, rod-man for a city engineer, stenographer to the con troller of a coal company and a traveling salesman handling a line of "leather findings." At one time conducted a column on a Washington newspaper and was dramatic editor of the New York Times for many years. Kaufman has been called "the fin est living playwright-director" by the English critics and playwright.

St. John Ervine. He works better with a collaborator and has writ ten only one play alone, "The Butter and Egg Man." Reputedly he is one of -the best unpublicized bridge players In New York. He has been dubbed the First Wit of Our Time by no less an authority than Alex ander Woollcott, and has written considerable very amusing light verse, but doesn't brag about it-Kaufman formerly "died the death" at opening nights of his own plays, but is now quite philosophi- cally calm on such occasions. He directs all his own plays and musical shows and has directed only one play which he did not write, "The Front Page." He is co-partner with Sam H.

Harris in all productions of his own work. He loves New York City and London, but hasn't much use for Continental Europe and would probably comment "What of it?" if he knew this was being written about him. He is one of the founders and charter members of the Thanatopsis Inside Straight Club, probably the best known poker club in this coun-. try. He is inherently shy, and flys the interviewer as he would the plague.

He writes at least two plays or musical shows every year, consistently, and is never quite happy except when In the throes of pro duction. He loves Mark Twain and abhors the "symbolist drama." Once Kaufman ated for nearly a whole season in his own play. "Once in a Lifetime," playing the role of a playwright. His friends confidently expect that he will make at least one more appearance. At one time he was loosely connected with Metro-Goldwyn and spent all last Summer in Hollywood, but says he will never give up writing for the stage.

Marc Connelly, Morris Ryskind, Ring Lardner, Edna Ferber, Moss Hart, Alexander Woollcott and Katharine Dayton have all collaborated with Kaufman. PICTURES sen ted the comedy In modern dress, with Katherine in sports clothes and Petruchlo In striped sweater and derby hat. A dilapidated flivver was used for the wedding journey. All of these changes grew upon the script like so many barnacles, concealing the brilliant comedy that lay beneath. "When Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fon-tanne turned their eyes upon the play they managed to see through all these dusty accumulations.

They saw the comedy so they thought as Shakespeare intended It, and they decided to play it that way. It was no path of roses, however, that led to the production at the Guild Theater. The Lunts encountered many difficulties during the course of rehearsals, but the play Is so brilliantly written and contains so many comical situations that only Intelligence is required to find out what Shakespeare really had in mind in "The Taming of the Shrew." Many scenes in the Lunts' scheme of production seem to many who have witnessed the comedy to have been invented. On the contrary, they have simply followed what was suggested in the script. For instance, the famous wedding scene has always been played as a conventional one.

However, in examining the script the Lunts found that, immediately after the wedding there occurs this dialogue: Curtis: Who is it that calls so coldly? Grumio: A piece of ice. If you doubt it, thou mayst slide from my shoulder to my heel with no greater a run but my head and my neck. storm. It has never been done before but it is clearly indicated in the script. More important, however, is that Mr.

Lunt and Miss Fontanne's approach to the play reminds us that the story was written about a troupe of touring troubadours who give their performance at the request of a merry lord who sponsors the whole thing as a practical joke upon the town drunkard, Christopher Sly. And the entire play is performed in that spirit as a troupe of actors of the day would have played it. And when the play is over, when the troubadours take their final bow for their bibulous audience of one they set out for the road again, looking for a new audience, swinging along in the spirit of gay adventure. You have a feeling when you leave the theater that if you happen to be upstate the next night you may meet this same company, pitched on a vacant lot on the edge Of the town, giving the. same performance and naving just as good a time.

Ar u- Dance League Plans Solo Recital The New Dance League will give solo recital on Sunday, Dec. 22, at the Adelphi Theater. Featured on the program will be the following dancers and dances: Jane Dudley in 'Middle Class Portraits;" Blanche Evan in "The Meek, Not the Mill-tent, Will Inherit the Earth;" Merle Hirsch in "Georgia Prisoner" and "Valse Sentimentale;" Letitia Ide and Jose Limon in "Greeting" and "Nostalgic Fragments;" Sophie Maslow in "Into the Streets;" Lily Wehlman in "Fatherland," and Anna Sokolow in "Impressions of a Dance Hall and "Street Speaker." January 16" at the Ambassador Theater Is certainly not that it is a courtroom play. There have been many in the past "On Trial," "Madame "Trial of Mary Du-gan" (also produced by Woods), and others. The difference between the "Night of January 16" and it's forerunners is the fact that the evidence Is evenly balanced.

A Jury of twelve good men and true Is chosen from the audience (women on matinees), and allowed the vote for or against the defendant, Karen Andre, and the play ends according to the verdict. There have been plays before with vague endings. There never was a play, however, where the audience took an integral part In the devel opment and 1U ending. With an attractive and talented young actress. Doris Nolan, who portrays the leading part, on trial, the audience Jury is given the problem of decid ing her guilt or Innocence.

As they get their seats at the box office, they are given applications for jury duty. Never since the play has opened twelve weeks ago have there been less than 100 applicants. From these Barnes that are given to the clerk of the court, who places them in a drum, are drawn the twelve that are elected to serve. The clerk addresses the audience and explains that twelve of them will be called upon to come up the stage and decide upon the ver dict. One by one they step up on the platform and take their places in a regular Jury box Just as they would in a legitimate court trial, and listen to the testimony.

Between acts the jurors are led off the stage a small deliberation room that bas been specially constructed In the rear of the stage. Each act rep resents one day of the trial. Just before the ending of the third act the Jury retires for the last time to Tender a verdict. They vote after a short discussion and the majority vole is taken for the verdict. Opening night saw distinguished anen from many walks of life on the stjiKe.

such as Edward Re illy, former chief of the Hauptmann defense; Jack Dempsey, Col. James Fitzpat-rick, head of Madison Square Garden: Dr. Leo Michel, Dr. Nathaniel Lief and others. On succeeding nights the Juries have comprised sin notables as James Roosevelt, Attorney Samuel LeibowiU, Edward 6ullivan, Ricardo Cortez, Babe Ruth, Chester Morris, Dudley Field Ma-lone, Eddie Buzzell and a host of Others.

Only Gene Tunney, ex-neavy weight boxer, failed to respond, giving as excuse that he was a resident of Connecticut and could ot legally serve in New York State. When the play first came Into the hands of Mr. Woods, he was attracted by the idea first because it was a courtroom melodrama, and secondly, because it had a distinct novelty. Seldom does a novel idea creep into a dramatic work. First, the principal rule in dramaturgy, whether it be from the echool of the classics, or the more recent teachings of Professor Baker, Bays that the audience must be given cause to "root" for the hero or heroine of a play.

Therefore the testimony given in such a play as this should favor the leading actor or actress, as the case may be. The great problem in revising the manuscript of the "Night of January 16" was to balance the evidence so venly that either a "guilty" or "not guilt verdict could be plausibly reached. This defied the principal rule of the theater. However, Woods took the chance and on the opening tight of the play in Philadelphia, everyone concerned with It's presentation on the stage at the Chestnut Street Opera House, held his breath. ONE of the main topics of conversation in theater circles this -season, it seems, centers about the Lunts' treatment of Mr.

William Shakespeare's most hilarious comedy, "The Taming of the Shrew." Written In 1594, a great many things have happened to the comedy since that time. A great many things, that is, in the various interpretations that many famous producers and actors have given To begin with, it was easy for things to happen to a Shakesperean script in the early days. Shakespeare himself never bothered with stage directions, except for an "exit" or "entrance" here and there. As he is supposed to have played in many of his own plays, he did not have to bother writing notes for actors. As soon as a play was finished it was hustled off to the producer, and Shakespeare was always around to help with the details.

After his death his plays were acted by makeshift troupes that could not always do them justice. More often than not, complete roles were abandoned, simply because there was no actor in the company suitable to play the role. Scenery was used without discretion. Whether a particular scene was written to be played in an interior or an exterior made no difference to many of these companies. Entire plays were given in courtyards, many times without the benefit of a single backdrop.

It was not unusual for a company to be without a good director or without any director at all. When David Garrick presented "The Taming of the Shrew" he took his own liberties with it, rewriting the text and even changing the name to "Katherine and Petruchlo." Basil Sydney and Mary Ellis pre- MOTION There is every indication in these lines that the wedding of Katherine and Petruchlo was no affair of June but of a bitter cold day, with snow in the air. And so in this version the wedding is performed in a snow- PICTURES MOTION SJqWan't MIDNIGHT SHOW SATUKDAY tSc BaMfcflkwflflal.