The Daily Worker Newspaper, October 9, 1926, Page 8

By RUTH .EPPERSON KENNELL, T the. Dramatic Theater of the Trade Unions appeared early in the season the first of two successful historical plays, by the playwright, Bill-Belotserkovsky, who is known as a chronicler of revolution- ary events. “Storm,” gives an inti- mate and sympathetic: picture of ma Russian Communist Party during the bitter days of civil war. In the eight- een episodes are developed the strug: | gles of the local Communist group in a small town at the time when Denig| kin was operating and typhus raged. Here we find some of.the Meierhold stagecraft: a single set which is inge- niously reversed and altered to form a dozen rapidly changing scenes—two walls forming an angle with a large window thru which action can be seen outside, and the walls hinged so that they can be Nfted to form a larger room. The lighting is an im- portant feature, a scene being shifted to another section of the stage simply by transfering the light, the spotlight The Théester ‘Seasati in Moscow best || Kamerny Theater Moscow. Scene from Phedre, by Racine. : the Kamerny Theater, the first production of Eugene O’Neill’s “The Hairy Ape” was given a few weeks ago. The play does not seem to appeal greatly to the Russiams, but this is probably due to great extent to the poor interpretation and bad production. The first scene when the “stokers are drinking and singing has that sympathetic realism, to a lesser de- gree, which the Russian theater cre- ates in scenes among the workers, but the second scene on the upper deck is the usual Meierhold burlesque of bourgeois society. Like every oth- er impersonation of American girls on the Moscow stage, this girl wears an amazing red wig, is sensuous and altogether a carricature of the frivol- ous society girl, The scene in the hold on the first instant holds the audience spellbound by the striking picture: the stokers stand before the a 4 A PEEK EACH WEEK AT MOTION PICTURES “MEN OP STEEL.” ‘We are sure that Gary. will pro- T last it is here: the classic of/mounce tle film (showing at the Olass-Collaboration. One view of} Roosevelt Theater) a masterpiece, But this “thunderous drama from the fire-} we are not interested.- This column, bosom of the steel-mills” and you will kiss your boss good” morning and bring flowers for his wife. Here is the class propaganda picture in all its glory—glorifying the boss, damning the Reds, preaching to the workers that their interests are the same 4s the bosses. ‘ The story fs old-fashioned melo-|» , drama overloaded with absurd plot. we But it moves swiftly and on this hook, calculated to catch the interest of the gullible worker, is hung the bait of the boss. A poor foreign-born steel worker thru “human heroism, hu- man sacrifice and superhuman strength,” proves by study, devotion and damnation of the Reds that one can rise in America to the very pin- nacle ef success which includes mar- riage to the owner’s daughter and the management of the works. It takes the hero all of six reels to prove to thé men in the mills and to the kind- hearted steel-master.that the dirty, dirty Reds and revolution are un- necessary in this land of glorious op- portunity. “It is not a question of wages as the Reds would have you be- lievet” No sir. And no siree! It is “only a question of a share in ‘the management!” There you are! Noth- ing less will our hero have and he has| }OWever, will reserve space for 1,000 it, by George! He wins the daughter, Words or less (and furnish the price the men in the mills come to his wed-|°f admission) to any steel workers of ding and receive stotk that makes Gary, Pittsburgh or Birmingham who them partners in the concern , (not| Will tell us what they think of it. Milton’ Sills ix Men of Steet slowing ovens and shovel in unison; above the sing-song of their voices, the machinery grinds and the whistle shrieks. But later one is irritated by the absence of a realistic touch—the stokers are all so clean and cool, not Ts a trace of coal black on their chests * PLETNEV and smooth faces. One is willing to President of the Moscow Proletcult pores eka Ge Ming mene, werful; w! est an es! ce and Workers’ Theater. of the “Hairy Ape,” but at least he ; might have been a little dirty. In the is also generously applied and the/iull, when the apparition of the red- titles of the episodes are cleverly an-| haired fashion plate appears on the nounced by throwing the words along|stairs, it is difficult to understand wage slaves!) and the violence-advo- Speak up brother steet workers! eating Reds are forced to slink off in disgrace. was necessary. What good is organ- ization of labor when God is good and sends us good bosses! Is this vicious boss propaganda? Brother— it "has never been equalled in this country. Scat a ’ The photography is quite splendid. The majestic steel mills hold a spell over you it seems. There is fire and motion and POWER—hard, unbending power—STEEL. The men that make it in their —W. C, I should add that m0 wmicn, | mg 4A DOZEN. MORE THE PASSAIC STRIKE—A’ picture that wit make you proud of your class. To be shown. October at— . VARIETY—A splendid.- > r# semen splendid picture. (Bel-.. MARE NOSTRUM—Stale war pro: aganda. : , THE ROAD TO MANDALAY—Save your money. MANTRAP—Good and bad. a beam of light so that they race all why such a sophisticated young dady about the walls and ceiling of the theater, thus distracting the atten- tion of the audience from the dark- should be terrified at the Russian Swear words and appearance of this ing man. steel must surely feel bones. What a magnificent theme SON OF THE SHEIK— Valentino again, this will make some day for a picture on the desert med 8 % Ree tts pag ted ane The scene on Broadway with its Here is no sentimental idealization | ¥¥irling electric signs and the par- of the characters, or melodramatic e of degenerate society men and portrayal of heroic deeds, but just the |¥°men is very, picturesque, but here simple, everyday trials of this hetero-|#84in the Russian conception of bour- genous little group of workers and in-|S®%8 society cannot be applied en- tellectuals. A wholesome character-|tirely to the United States, which is istic of the Russians és their ability |®% yet saved by its youth from the with such insight to stand aside and|%eseneracy of Europe. Judging from make fun of themselves—in this play the scene in the I,"W. W. hall, the are humorously portrayed the human} Producer is wholly ignorant of this frailties found in Communists as well|litant labor organization and pre- as other human beings: there is the ,S®@ts @ characterless picture. The ‘ commissar who thought his position|!oSing act is very weak .and leaves gave him the right to desert his wife,|°®¢ with a feeling. of uncertainty and the girl who thought she wanted to|"2reality. The Russians, of course, join the party, but who ran away do much better in their own new when the secretary assigned her for|4?ama than in foreign plays, which party duty to the typhus hospital, the |5®°™ Weak and futile in comparison. secretary himself, their leader, one of et ie x ee those simple, self-effecting men whom fee Kamerny is presenting a new history records as heroes, his right- melodrama, “Rosita,” apparently hand man, a one-legged sailor, the|a political satire on King Alfonso of doctor, the school mistress, the fac-|Spain. Rosita is a beautiful gypsy tory girls and young men, and the|street singer; the idol of the people, girl soldier who overhears a non-party | with whom the king is eo infatuated man in a high military post plotting|that he grants a pardon to her lover a counter-revolution. The counter-|who had been condemned to death. revolution occurs; in the party head-| When the play reaches what woe eup- quarters the ill and exhausted secre-|pose is the climax—the unexpected tary sticks to his post while thru the|execution of the lover—it continues window ‘the glow of conflagration can|in two more exciting ects. Rosita be seen and the sound of firing can|leads an uprising, gains edmission to be heard. Finally, he too joins in the|the palace and kills the king. The street fighting, and his body is car-j|anti-climax occurs when the lover ried in and laid upon the table at|comes to life, just as the people storm which for months he had worked un-|the palace. Altho so similar in plot ceasingly day and night. As the grief-/to the old French melodrama “Mar- stricken sailor stands beside the body,|ion de Lorm” (which 4s much better’ he hears his comrade call from the]acted at the Arbat Studie), and so window: “We are winning!” Lifting|long drawn out, it makes an absorb- in his arms the lifeless body, he tries |ing spectacle. The stage settings are frantically to rouse him: “Dadushka,|simple and beautiful, following the listen—ours have won, ours have |present custom of altering by decora won!” But his leader is at last be-jtions a single set; the e@inging and yond responding to words of hope or|dancing are charming and the cari- of despair, cature of the king very elever, when labor, will produce it! The pic- tures were taken in the mills of Ala- bama. A scene of the burial of a steel worker in the cauldron of steel into which he fell is beautifully im- pressive. A battle between ‘two cranes conveying .moulten metal is an un- usual bit. Milton Sills (remember his “Sea Hawk"?) gives more evidenca of his ability. Doris Kenyon and Mae Alli- son are both beautiful and gifted. Ability, beauty, time and expenditure have been lavishly given to this vic- ious production. If labor-hating Judge Gary did not pay for this picture he surely ought to. THE AMATEUR GENTLEMAN — Early England nicely photo- graphed. TIN GODS—Not bad. UP IN MABEL’S ROOM—Funny capers in chemise, ; ; LA BOHEME—A better movie. ACROSS THE PACIFIC—Title sug- gests where they should take this (Orpheum) ALOMA OF THE SOUTH SEAS— Gilda Grey wearing only a bras- een) get awfully sunburned. (Ti- voli). Only Chicago theaters show- Note: a At the etate cirous, @ troupe of American Negroes are appearing in an operetta, “The Chocolate Chii- dren.” A Negro in Moscow is still a curiosity to be wondered and langh- - ed at in a friendly, child-like way, but | Moscovites are just as charming to foreigners of the black as any other race, being completely free from race judice, More than that, the Negro has become the medd of the hour—a fashionable millinery shop window on Tverskaya is displaying its hats on a black model. Of course, the jazz band is a feature of the performances