11. Reigen
box 19/2
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NEW-TORK-TINES
Eatroll de:
NEW-TORK
Adresse
12 MARS 1933
Dale:
Siqnafure ssse en un u
— Eaposition: #seesssene ur urreeeen
DRAMA NOTES OF LONDON AND PARIS
Lonpön, Feb. 27. Ithat scarcely tested an actor who
the actor is deprived of two of the
UTSIDE one of the thea¬
appeared to me to be of the first
principal instruments of acting.
tres in London is a placard
rank—I will say no more of the
But what the amateur critics of
subject.
containing quotations from
English acting have failed to ob¬
published criticisms of the en¬
But of French acting I do know
serve is that deprivation of these
tertainment within. Special promi¬
a little, and the present visit of
instruments has begotten, in the
nence is given to the words of a
Pitoëff and Mme. Ludmilla
best English stylists, an increased
critic who has lavished praise upon
Pitoéff has enabled me to learn
subtlety in the use of those that re¬
more. What impfesses me is not a
main, much as blindness often be¬
which he describes it as Better
superiority of the French over our
gets a quickened sense of hearing
than in Paris, better than in Ber¬
own actors but the differences be¬
or of touch. The range of voice is
lin' is particularly emphasized. The
tween their merits. Uncritical En¬
narrow but, within that range, thei
placard caught my eye and inter¬
glish audiences are inclined to take
voice is more sensitive and flexible
ested me because it is designed to
English merits for granted and to
than the French. Gestures are very
appeal to a strange snobbishness in
attach an exaggerated importance
few, but, in consequence, the leastt
the English people—the snobbish¬
to those aspects of the art of acting
movement of a hand on a table is
ness which leads them to believe
in which the French excel.
effective—much more effective than
*
that, in matters of art and particu¬
a corresponding gesture would bei
larly of musical and dramatic art,
in France.
For example, the French surpass
foreigners are always their su¬
us in the expressive use of the body
It is, moreover, too often forgot¬
periors.
ten by the English that the Frencht
and the hands. In private life the
So strong is this prejudice in the
performances they see are not thei
English employ few gestures. In
world of music that many English
such a piece ass Galsworthy’s“The
commercial average of the boule¬
performers assume Russian and
Skin Game'' they would be out of
vards. Obviously, the work of theit
German names, being assured that
place, and a French cast, using its
Pitoeffs is greatly above the aver¬
unless they do so they will not be
age. They have appeared hith¬
natural method, would give to the
taken serlously in London. Actors,
erto in Strindberg’s Mademoisellen
play a falsely exotic colcr. The
as far as I am aware, have not
same is true of Loyalties,“ though
Julie' and in Schnitzler’s Lei
been driven to the same act of
Ronde.“ Techmen
here the principal character, De
innocent deception; against them
though her performance is, Julie is
Levis, being a Jew, could be
the anti-native distrust is not so
treated and was magnificently
not Mme. Pitoéff’s part, for Julie,
powerful; but it is powerful
treated by Ernest Milton, with a
at the beginning, should be in
enough, and nothing is more com¬
freedom of gesture and a variety of
physical appearance more of a girl
mon than to hear people in the
intonation which formed a valu¬
than Mme. Pitoéff makes her.
theatre extravagantly praising the
able contrast with the other, purely
The whole emphasis of the evil that
French or the American stage at
English, performances.
Strindberg depicted in Julie was in
the expense of our own.
No one who has given more than
the contrast between the alluring
I confess to a regretted ignorance
passing consideration to the sub¬
youth of her body and the gnawing
of the American stage, for I have
depravity of her spirit.
ject is likely to deny that the habit
never crossed the Atlantic. My
of the English, in life, of using a
I am not suggesting that in the
knowledge of American acting is
very narrow range of voice and
ordinary sense Mme. Pitoéff is
limited to what one may see of it
gesture imposes a great difficulty
too old for the part; this would be
from time to time in London, and
and limitation upon actors in nat¬
unjust and untrue; but she has,
beyond saying that I wish I had
uralistic English plays, particularly
even at the outset, a hardness pecu¬
seen Alfred Lunt in a better part in those plays that have the upper
than was his in Caprice'—a part glasses as their subject, for here
Continued on Page Two.
box 19/2
Ne pk DEarT-
NEW-TORK-TINES
Eatroll de:
NEW-TORK
Adresse
12 MARS 1933
Dale:
Siqnafure ssse en un u
— Eaposition: #seesssene ur urreeeen
DRAMA NOTES OF LONDON AND PARIS
Lonpön, Feb. 27. Ithat scarcely tested an actor who
the actor is deprived of two of the
UTSIDE one of the thea¬
appeared to me to be of the first
principal instruments of acting.
tres in London is a placard
rank—I will say no more of the
But what the amateur critics of
subject.
containing quotations from
English acting have failed to ob¬
published criticisms of the en¬
But of French acting I do know
serve is that deprivation of these
tertainment within. Special promi¬
a little, and the present visit of
instruments has begotten, in the
nence is given to the words of a
Pitoëff and Mme. Ludmilla
best English stylists, an increased
critic who has lavished praise upon
Pitoéff has enabled me to learn
subtlety in the use of those that re¬
more. What impfesses me is not a
main, much as blindness often be¬
which he describes it as Better
superiority of the French over our
gets a quickened sense of hearing
than in Paris, better than in Ber¬
own actors but the differences be¬
or of touch. The range of voice is
lin' is particularly emphasized. The
tween their merits. Uncritical En¬
narrow but, within that range, thei
placard caught my eye and inter¬
glish audiences are inclined to take
voice is more sensitive and flexible
ested me because it is designed to
English merits for granted and to
than the French. Gestures are very
appeal to a strange snobbishness in
attach an exaggerated importance
few, but, in consequence, the leastt
the English people—the snobbish¬
to those aspects of the art of acting
movement of a hand on a table is
ness which leads them to believe
in which the French excel.
effective—much more effective than
*
that, in matters of art and particu¬
a corresponding gesture would bei
larly of musical and dramatic art,
in France.
For example, the French surpass
foreigners are always their su¬
us in the expressive use of the body
It is, moreover, too often forgot¬
periors.
ten by the English that the Frencht
and the hands. In private life the
So strong is this prejudice in the
performances they see are not thei
English employ few gestures. In
world of music that many English
such a piece ass Galsworthy’s“The
commercial average of the boule¬
performers assume Russian and
Skin Game'' they would be out of
vards. Obviously, the work of theit
German names, being assured that
place, and a French cast, using its
Pitoeffs is greatly above the aver¬
unless they do so they will not be
age. They have appeared hith¬
natural method, would give to the
taken serlously in London. Actors,
erto in Strindberg’s Mademoisellen
play a falsely exotic colcr. The
as far as I am aware, have not
same is true of Loyalties,“ though
Julie' and in Schnitzler’s Lei
been driven to the same act of
Ronde.“ Techmen
here the principal character, De
innocent deception; against them
though her performance is, Julie is
Levis, being a Jew, could be
the anti-native distrust is not so
treated and was magnificently
not Mme. Pitoéff’s part, for Julie,
powerful; but it is powerful
treated by Ernest Milton, with a
at the beginning, should be in
enough, and nothing is more com¬
freedom of gesture and a variety of
physical appearance more of a girl
mon than to hear people in the
intonation which formed a valu¬
than Mme. Pitoéff makes her.
theatre extravagantly praising the
able contrast with the other, purely
The whole emphasis of the evil that
French or the American stage at
English, performances.
Strindberg depicted in Julie was in
the expense of our own.
No one who has given more than
the contrast between the alluring
I confess to a regretted ignorance
passing consideration to the sub¬
youth of her body and the gnawing
of the American stage, for I have
depravity of her spirit.
ject is likely to deny that the habit
never crossed the Atlantic. My
of the English, in life, of using a
I am not suggesting that in the
knowledge of American acting is
very narrow range of voice and
ordinary sense Mme. Pitoéff is
limited to what one may see of it
gesture imposes a great difficulty
too old for the part; this would be
from time to time in London, and
and limitation upon actors in nat¬
unjust and untrue; but she has,
beyond saying that I wish I had
uralistic English plays, particularly
even at the outset, a hardness pecu¬
seen Alfred Lunt in a better part in those plays that have the upper
than was his in Caprice'—a part glasses as their subject, for here
Continued on Page Two.