In "The New Idol" there is some dialogue, real
dialogue, natural give-and-take, about the fear of death and the horror
of indestructibility (a variation on one of the finest of Coventry
Patmore's odes) which seemed to me admirable: it held the audience
because it was direct speech, expressing a universal human feeling in
the light of a vivid individual crisis. But such writing as this was
rare; for the most part it was the problem itself which insisted on
occupying our attention, or, distinct from this, the too theatrical
characters.
IV. "MRS. WARREN'S PROFESSION"
The Stage Society has shown the courage of its opinions by giving an
unlicensed play, "Mrs. Warren's Profession," one of the "unpleasant
plays" of Mr. George Bernard Shaw, at the theatre of the New Lyric Club.
It was well acted, with the exception of two of the characters, and the
part of Mrs. Warren was played by Miss Fanny Brough, one of the
cleverest actresses on the English stage, with remarkable ability. The
action was a little cramped by the smallness of the stage, but, for all
that, the play was seen under quite fair conditions, conditions under
which it could be judged as an acting play and as a work of art.
Pages:
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116