The Daily Worker Newspaper, April 14, 1928, Page 4

( IBSEN ASSAILANT OF | BOURGEOIS PHILOSOPHY 8 Page Four By LEWIS WYNNE, HERE is, I pr ef unblushing centenary eleb: bring out a vast amount g about th ” which per literary jour the nals in a rash of large type adula- tion. How, for instance, would Henrik behold the flap- nery that is be- s posthumous honor th and breadth of Ybsen’s grim s doodle and the ing piled up to | throughout the | Burope and forbear an_ ironical chuckle? w He wore out his flesh trying to teach men not to be dull brutes; his ¢ountrymen and practically: all the world united in crying him down, and | only after long poverty when grudging recognition was forth- coming, flung him a pittance to save his aged body from the gutter. His Unforgivable Sin. Ibsen today is a gi tradition: not so long ago, well within living memory, he was a andal and an outrage. He committed the unfor. givable sin of rending and exposing | bourgeois morali Therefore, o course, Ibsen ins y became ever thing that was foul. To mention name in polite soc was indise: te read his plays w laring, to s them acted was t. Me. G; Bernard Shaw a highly im-} proper person h f, who-ran n risk of the ca on which has befallen him su wrote a brilliantly impudent boo! ed “The Quintessence of Ibse which made the bourgeois intel uals sit up and take no But no matt Philistines like Mr. might say, Ibsen w: atic . .. a crazy not only con: berately dull, elared through “Truth.” Tabooed. Thus, for a co Tbsen was absolut not “quate nace. what abandoned i, Bernard Shaw fan- y, but deli- ble y taboo. But all this is ancient history now and Ibsen has entered the sacred limbo of the Im-| period, He wa: mortals. longer the cherished Baed =militant feminist eeonomic ensle eker of a novement, Woman’s ement is gradually passing and post-war political emancipation has set a “date” upon the purpose of Ibsen’s iconoclasm. “Nora” no longer prophetic study—a bold character sketch of the new woman, She is with us in her millions, alive and forg- ing further ahead than ever Ibsen's Speciaciles saw. ‘Fhe outworn moral sede which “Nora” flung on the fire * “with” such magnificent bravado has almost disappeared in the quivering flame of a new social morality with which revolutionary-minded man and womankind. are .lighting up their world. Iil-Requited Genius. Ibsen was born in Skien, in Nor- way. His early years were spent in poverty and neglect. Attached to a Small theatre in Bergen he was forced to work as a hack playwright and general maid of all work in the theatre. His first great historical ‘plays were laughed at, his work won mo recognition, and finally in 1864 “he fled abroad, working in Italy and Germany for twenty-seven years, pro- ducing the materpieces which have made him immortal. In some ways Ibsen’s subjects may be said to date, the world has passed ‘on beyond the struggles of the Noras the ‘self-tortures of the Hedda Gab- lers. But his people do not date. They are as alive and as passionate today as ever, only the conditions of their struggles have changed, “Great Vision.” To us the importance and interest of Thsen’s work lies in his great imaginative vision of the forces of rising capitalism. Such plays as the idden years, | faster Builder” are magnificent as nictures of those half erazy genuises of capitalist individualism, Men such |as Leverhulme or Heary Ford, whe their mark upon one phase, of apitalist society, are characters made for an Ibsen. In “Pillars of Society” and “An Enemy of the People” his criticism of society hesitates on the verge of | plunging deep inte the future, of recognizing the force which in time was to sweep away all the folly and hypocrisy he flayed and hated so, But the time was too early. He drew back unable to see the constructive apart from the destructive genius of |the working class. | ““M. | Ibsen’s Achievement. | Nevertheless the real greatness of Ibsen is in that he, first of all. the | prophets ofthe nineteenth century, | recognized the trernendous signifi- |cance of the changes wrought by the new monster of capitalism. He saw }that with its coming humanity was jon the march to a tremendous future. ‘he agomies and passions of this anging society are the stuff of his plays: He lives in our remembrance today 2s one of the most damaging assail- s of the bourgeois philosophy that last century produced; as a past- er of the playwright’s art, and a fundamentally honest man whom her scorn nor misery nor cani }could hound into silence, ‘$500,000 SUIT OF KLAN DISMISSED PITTSBURGH, April 13.—Federal Judge W. H. §. Thomson this after- noon dismissed _the $500,000 damage suit of the Ku Klux Klan against five ished Pennsylvania members, pla- cing the costs of the cases on the Klan, Hiram A, Evans, imperial wizard The “Doll’s House” is no|of the Klan, had testified earlier in| |the day that as the head of “a pa-| triotie organization, military in form,” |he never made anti-Catholie speeches, |nor inspired the riot at Carnegie, Pa., | several years ago in which one man |lost his life. constitutes a} =—=Screen Notes=== “Love Hungry,” a new Fox produc- tion, is the screen headliner at the Roxy Theatre this week, Lois Moran is the featured player. Universal has purchased Jacques Futrelle’s mystery story, “The Diamond Master,” for production as a chapter play, Production is sched- uled to commence May 1 under the direction of Jack Nelson. A cinematic study of reincarnation is “Beyond the Wall,” a UFA film, which features the program at, the 55th Street Playhouse beginning this Saturday. The picture was directed |by Fritz Lang, with the rote por- | trayed by Lil Dagovor, the German actress and Rudolph Klein-Rogge. | The film version of Anne Nichols’ “Abie’s Irish Rose,” will have its premier at the 44th Street Theatre Thursday, April 19. Nancy Carroll and Buddy Rogers who play import- {ant roles in the picture will appear in person at the opening, Leonora Sparkes, soprano, will in- clude the Jewel Song from Faust in her Steinway Hall program Thurs- day évening, April 26. A Merry C ircus Group ¥ Highlights of the four ring circus now holding forth at the big arena on Highth Avenue. Madison Square Garden has been crowded all of this week, due no doubt, tanmvelate—and of io se gan fm 4 “compelled” to “escort” the youngsters to see ti n a the animals. ‘ 4 to the many errnes who were e antics of the acro- oa THE DAILY WORKER, NEW YORK, SATURDAY, APRIL 14, 1928 J. C. NUGENT. Co-author and principal player in “The Breaks,” a new play deal- ing with greedy and grasping land- owners of Texas, opening Monday night at the Klaw Theatre. Shaw Ranks IbsenAbove \Moliere andShakespeare | | PEAKING before a large audience in London during the recent cele- |bration of the Ibsen centenary, |George Bernard Shaw gave his opin- ion of Henrik Ib- _sen’s work as a jramatist in com- parison with Moliere} and Shakespeare Tn his lecture he pointed out that Shakespeare and Moliere were far! helow Thsen in dra- matic art. Bernard Shaw y 8 without hesitation that Shakespeare and | Moliere were always like beginners, compared with Ibsen, in valuation of | the human mind, in faculty of insight ‘and in the fundamental genius of the | story teller,” said Mr, Shaw, | He compared the pre-Ibsen woman , with the ‘post-Ibsen woman, and said {that Jane Auten, George Eliot and} |Charlotte Bronte were not real wo- | men, but only stage women, playing; jparts and living up to the ideal of womanhood. Continuing Shaw said: “T have my dreams of the past and when I think of the women I loved I see nothing like the present-day young person with legs, but I see a woman with long skirts and ample bodice. But we knew the real animal was there all the time. “Tbsen broke the Jane Austen spell end amashed the stage figurine, with the result that the next. generation of women came up as real. They came un alraost exactly like new.” | Eva Clark with Dan Caslar and |the Croonaders form the chief fea- , ture on the vaudeville bill at the Broadway Theatre beginning Monday. | The Colleanos featuring Maurice Col- leanos; Russ Brown and Jean Whitak- er; Gilbert and French; Frank Wheeler and Dorothy Sands, and | Palermo’s trained dogs are other acts on the program. “The Crimson City,” \a drama of the China coast, featur- ing Myrna Loy and John Miljan is the screen feature. “Take the Air,” Gene Buck’s musi- eal comedy, will move from the Wal- dorf to the Earl Carroll Theatre Monday night. “The Ladder’ will omit its Monday and Tuesday night performances next week, and reopen next Wednesday evening at the Cort Theatre, where it will move over from its present quar- ters in the Belmont. The policy of free seats will be continued at the Cort. Edith Wynne Matthison, Walter Hampden, George Abbott and Louis K. Auspacher will be the speakers at the Augustin Duncan tribute Monday night at the: Klaw Theatre. The tribute will be held at the close of the opening performance of “The Breakers,” J. C. and Elliott Nugent’s new play, which Duncan has directed, Remo Bufano will give an extra performance of his Marionettes at the Laboratory Theatre this Saturday morning. =—Music Note====| Tamaki Muira, Japanese soprano will make her only local appearance Saturday evening, April 28 in Car- negie Hall. Her program will include. Puccini, Mozart, Grieg, Schubert, ANCTERS play “by one of those Englishmen,” this time a dead one, “Rare Ben Jonson,” talked about for centuries but not acted very much in recent years. Now his “Volpone” is be- ing done in a rather remarkable way at the Guild Theatre. A certain Herr Zweig wrote a very good play, on the modern style, for presentation in Cen- tral Europe, in Ger- man, of course, and called it “An Un- charitable Comedy.” “freely adapted from Ben Jonson.” The Guild has this German comedy, “clawed back into English,” with the Jonson title restored, but other al- terations remaining—much to its im- provement, Jonson’s production was a morality play, rank and filth as are always the preachments of most effective preachers. It was the story of a clique of Venetians scrabbling for the chance to inherit the wealth of a supposedly dying Levantine, Volpone (the Fox). Those squabbling for Vol- pone’s probably ill-gotten gold, jewels and houses include representatives of most of the ruling classes of Repub- lican Rennaissance Venice, and there- fore have their counterparts in mod- ern capitalist society. Voltore (the Vulture) is an advo- cate, rich in ways and means of evad- ing the law. His black cloak and bird-like chatter and croak were most successful parts of the play. Corvino (the Crow) is a capitalist, fat as his money bags, but with desires unlim- ited for further wealth. His jealousy over his pretty wife, Colomba (the Dove) is something amazing, but not greater than his eagerness to sell her to Velpone for a chance at the in- heritance. Corbaccio (the Raven) cheerfully disinherits his son, Leone, for a chance to inherit Volpone’s wealth. Canina (Italian dictionaries needed!) is willing to marry either Volpone or Corbaecio—her intentions are on the inheritance. All ‘shower Volpone with gifts, to win his affections and get the inherit- ance, while Volpone, fox-like, pretends to be on the point of death, in order to, stimulate them. Such a groaning wheezing, gasping bed-ridden old in- valid when any of the givers are around, and such a fleeful, skipping hard drinking and heavy eating vil- lian” when they go out! How he gloats and smacks his lips over the way he is looting his anticipating friends, cheating and deluding them Alfred Lunt ;and gaining more and more from them. It is a grewsome drama of the rich man’s death bed. Mosea (the Gadfly) bond slave of Volpone, is one of the most unusual characters ever produced. His origin seems to be related to that of the Shakespearean clown, but his phil- osophy is that of the latter day cynic, He is jolly and misanthropic at once. the cleverest adviser of his master and his greatest enemy—willing to ruin him but too timid to have him killed. It is probably in character that he should have contempt for money. Most of the Fox’s tricks are suggested by the Gadfly, and in the end he leads Volpone, with impudent warnings meanwhile, to enjoy a last huge joke, that of pretending to die and having his will read to the greedy friends—with Mosca entered as bene- ficiary instead of any of them. However, first of all there is a little trial. A lewd scene in Volpone’s “VOLPONE” WELL DONE BY THEATRE GUILD Zweig’s renamed characters, Leone (the Lion), the son of the Raven, who calls the Sbiri, These Venetian styic cops, dressed in blood red garments are nevertheless acting naturally enough like the modern bluecoats They are guzzling in a tavern when Leone begins to yell. Leone, captain of the fleet, is disgusted at the at- tack on Colomba, and still more at being disinherited. In court he is ab- solutely at the mercy of Voltaro, and loses his case. Volpone is acquitted. and Leone placed in the stocks, The greedy rivals give the game away when they rage at Mosca after the pretended death of Volpone, and the judge, called in as witness, de- clares that if the Fox were still alive he would have him skinned and nailed to the gallows. So Mosca gets the inheritance, for Volpone can’t. come to life in Venice and must flee the country. Mosca hurls Volpone’s treasure to the multi- tude, the police and the clerk of the court join the rabble and grovel for chance gold pieces as Mosca showers them out. Fine lines’ abound throughout the play, notably in: the court scene, where justice is particularly warped The honest but low-browed judge him- self sets the tune when he thunders at the abashed and weeping Colombe that “Justice knows no shame.” It is also made clear by the lawyer in the beginning that “A rich man is generally innocent.” Alfred Lunt as Mosca and Dudley Digges as Volpone carry off the honors, but the rest of the cast is good. The whole of the action is in a blatant, rip-roaring, clownish tone something of the free and easy wide- ness of gesture that seems typica’ of the modern German stage is pre served here, and is in keeping with the plot. V. 8S. ‘J 54 PICS EUGENE EUGENE GUILD THEATRE =—=THEATRE GUILD PRODUCTIONS: STRANGE INTERLUDE JOHN GOLDEN THEA., 58th St. B. of B'way. Dinner Intermission at 7:30. BEGINNING MONDAY, APRIL 16 MARCO MILLIONS WEST 52nd ST. Evenings 8:30. Mats. Thurs. and Sat. 2:30. Week of April 23: “VOLPONE” Week of April 30: “MARCO MILLIONS” Sade Coot O'NEILL'S Evenings only at 5:30 sharp. O'NEILL'S 4 DRAMA OF it R ROAD WAY “5! MONDAY | Bg CRIMGON CITY: NA IE CHINA COAST &- SOJIN BEGINNING EVA CLARK @ CO. BROWHING | EAMILY BROWN & WHITAKER AND OTHERS 4200 ST. & B'WAY NEVER ANYTHING Lit | PAUL FEJOS WEIRD, WONDER ve HAST MOME, [Fuss aan as CAMEO NOW: E IT BEFORE 7 FUL MASTERPIECE ” (OST STIMULATIN« PERIMENT IN’ MOV HISTORY - Cohen, Eve. $un. ERLANGER WW. 44 8. = Mats. Wed, & S: GEO, M. COHAN (HIMSELF) “outeoy~s MERRY MALONES COMEDIANS IN THE Theatre, West 44th Street, HUDSON Evs. 8:30, Mats, Wed.& Sat. THE ABSOLUTE HIT of the TOWN WHISPERING FRIENDS 8:30 2:30 “THE LAST MOMENT” TO BE SHOWN ON CAMEO SCREEN Paul Fejos’ “The Last Moment,” which comes to the Cameo Theatre this Saturday has received high praise from the National Board of Review, national film bodies, who have enthusiastically endorsed the first screen effort of Dr. Paul Fejos. “The Last Moment” is unique in theme and in treatment. It brings psychology and the most advanced motion picture technique together. The picture is made without sub- titles, it shows the thoughts that flash through the life of man in the last moment before death. Emil Jarnings is almost finished on his latest film, “The Patriot,” 2 story based on Ivan, the mad czar o< Russia. The Paramount organizaticw is turning its attention to Janning’s next, scheduled to follow “The Street of Sin.” This will be “The Man Who Never Missed,” adapted from Mildred Gram’s magazine story, “The Feeder.” The star will play a veteran trouper in four-a-day vaudeville. Lothar Mendes will direct. MUSIC AND CONCERTS Schubert Centenary 1828-1928 oan BACON Remaining Recitals at TOWN HALL SUNDAY AFPT.,, APRIL , at 3:00. Sat, Aft., April 21; ™ + April 30 Steinwa: Town Hall, Tues. Eve. Apr. 17, at 8:30 PIANO RECITAL Belle Friedman | bedroam is interrupted by one of! DANIEL MAYER, Inc., Mgrs. Mason & Hamlin Piano. LECTURES AND FORUMS AT COOPER UNION (8th ST, and ASTOR PLACE) At 8 o'Clock SUNDAY, APRIL 15th DR. DAVID SNEDDIN “Herd-Mindedness and Cofvention- alities Among the Younger Gencra- tion.” TUESDAY, APRIL 17th DR. JOHN B. WATSON “Behaviorism Freudianism.” FRIDAY, APRIL 20th MR. EVERETT DEAN MARTIN The Psychology of the American Public—*What Is the Matter With Individualism in 20th Century America?” ADMISSION FREE. Open Forum Discussion. THE PEOPLE’S INSTITUTE _ | Muhlenberg Branch Library (209 WEST 23rd STREET) { At 8:30 o’Clock. MONDAY, APRIL 16th MR. HOUSTON PETERSON William Blake—“The Marriage of Heaven and Hell.” WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18th DR, PAUL REZNIFOFF “Medical Applications of Cellular Knowledge: Nephritis, Tuberculosis.” THURSDAY, APRIL 19th DR. E. G. SPAULDING Fundamental Philosophical Prob- lems—*What In Matter?” SATURDAY, APRIL 21st DR. HORACE M. KALLEN Fate and Freedom—*What Is Real and What Is Hlusory in Human Freedom,” Schumann, Debussy, and also a num- ber of Japanese folk songs. Doris Humphrey and Charles Weid- man, both formerly connected with the Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn troupe of dancers, are giving a dance recital at the John Golden Theatre this Sunday evening. They will be assisted by dancers of the Denishawn School, by three pianists and an or- chestral ensemble. The program ranges from Bach to Scriabin and in- cludes a novelty “Color Harmony,” a symbolic dance by Clifford Vaughn. Sigismond Stojowski, pianist, and Paul Kochanski, violinist, will give a joint recital next Thursday evening in Town Hall. yy TOMORROW NIGHT 8 o'clock At the WORKERS SCHOOL FORUM 108 EAST 14th STREET William W. Weinstone Will speak on “The New Tammany Hall” The Tammany Hall of Tweed, Croker and Small Business con- trasted with that of Olvany, Smith and Finance Capital, by the New York District Organizer of the Workers (Communist) Party. Admission 250. NEXT SUNDAY: Joseph Freeman will speak on “Some Recent As- pects of American Literature,” EAST SIDE OPEN FORUM ‘At the Church of All Nations ® Second Avenue (near Houston) SUNDAY, APRIL 15 7:30 P. M. Ceefl Headrick, on “IKel- logge and World Peace,” 8:30 P. M. Roger Baldwin on “Bol- sheviam and Fascism.” Admission Free. Everyone Welcome. Phyllis Kraeuter, cellist, and Kay Kraeuter, violinist, will apear in joint recital at Town Hall Monday eve- ning, April 23. Martha Graham, assisted by Louis By GEORGE M. COHAN. Nati Theatre, 41 St. wW. of B'wa: National Eye 'se0. mts Wed.agectae “The Trial of Mary Dugan” By Bayard Veiller, with Amn Harding-Rex Cherryman 30th WEEK DRAcw Biway, 46 St. Ev FULTON Mats. Wed. &Sat. 2,; “Blithely Blood-curdling.” —Herald-Tribune, Thurs.,Fri.,Sat. & Sun., Apr, 12-18-14-15 Ralph Whitehead & Co,, Herbert Faye & Co.—Other Acts ~ Richard Barthelmess in “The Noose.” Madison Sq. Garden 49 & 50 ‘sts. at 8th Ave, TWICE DAILY (except Sun. 2 and 8 RINGING BROS- BARNUM BAILEY Incl. umong 10,000 Marvels GOLIATH 2 ers Sea Elephant The first of its kind ever captured Greatest Feature of All Time MORE PEOPLE—MORE ACTS AND NOVELTIES—MORE ZOOLOGICAL RARITIES — MORE FREAKS — MORE OF EVERYTHING THAN EVER BEFORE, Admission to All {2° $1 to $3.50 seats) (Incl. Tax). Children under 12 at half price at all matinee perform- ances except Saturday. Tickets at Garden Box Offices and Branch Ticket Offices: GIMBEL BROS. and ABRAHAM & STRAUS, BKLYN, Belle Friedman, pianiste, will make: her bow to a New York audience. Tuesday evening, April 17, in a pro- gram of Bach, Scarlatti, Paderewski, Chopin, Debussy, Medtner and Rach- maininoff. SOVIET All tours: include a 10-day tional interest May 25 “Carmania” May 30 “Aquitania” VIA—London, Kiel Canal, Hel- ALGONQUIN 6900 VISIT THIS SUMMER LENINGRAD where places of historical and educa- INDIVIDUAL VISAS GRANTED (Privileging one to travel all over the U. S. S, R.) Groups Sailing on the Following Cunard Steamers: singfors. VIA—Paris, Berlin, Riga. RETURN—Warsaw, Berlin, RETURN—Warsaw, Rotterdam, Paris. London, $450 AND UP. $500 AND UP INQUIRE: WORLD TOURISTS, Ine. 69 FIFTH AVE. RUSSIA stayover in MOSCOW and will be visited. July 6 “Caronia” July 9 “Aquitania” NEW YORK, N. ¥. ‘ Loeffler, “FORBIDDEN ROADS,” a play and Betty Lawrence. incetown Playhouse. NEW PLAYS | si BREAKS,” a new play by J. C. Nugent’ and Hlliott Nugent, bes Ebene by Richard Herndon Monday night at the Klaw Theatre. The cast, headed by the two Nugents, also includes Frederic Burt, Claude Cooper, Malcolm Williams, Serena Dale, Helen Carew, Conrad Cantzen, Harry Blekemore and Edward Penillos, at the Liberty Theatre Monday night. Among those in the cast will be Alan Birmingham and Judith Vosselli. “A LADY FOR A NIGHT,” a mystery play by Hutcheson Boyd, will . have its premiére at the 49th Street Theatre Monday. Among those in the cast are Esther Howard, Helen Lowell, Dorothy Hall, “THE FATHER,” a drama by August Strindberg, will be presented by Robert Whittier Tuesday night at the Eltinge Theatre. The - leading role will be played by Mr, Whittier. Others in the cast are, Kate Mayhew, Peggy Keenan, Albert Reed, Robert Le Sueur, Edward Everett Hale, 8rd, and Richard Terry, “HIM,” by E. FE. Cummings, will open Wednesday night at the Prov- from the Spanish of Jose Lopez afternoon. The program: Horst, will give an entirely new pro- gram of dance at the Little Theatre ; Sunday evening, April 22. viel ae asiteints ‘4 i ) Faith Unisex i jor, Op. 120; Four Impromptus, Op. ie ‘ Katherine Bacon will give her sec- ond recital of pianoforte music of farewell dance program: announced Schubert at Town Hail this Sunday) ¢,, the 48th Street Theatre on April 15. It will be given instead at the — i oy Theatre, Sunday evening, Ane Sonata in C minor, Op. Posth.; Sonata in A ma- Anna Robenne has postponed her