Zyklus
box 9/4
4.9. Anatol

.
les
The Christmas Present Scene From the Revival of "Anatol.
Being Joseph Schildkraut and Patricia
Collinge, With a bit of Vienna as the Background.



. . .
AVING recently attended both
the first and fourth perform¬
ances of Schnitzlers Anatol,
by petition of the management, I am
reminded of the high practical value
of a good first-night audience. By
the time of the fourth performance
Walter Connolly had recovered from
laryngitis and Joseph Schildkraut
had recovered from nervous indiges¬
tion and première paralysis; and
although there were two intermis¬
sions instead of one, the acceleration
in the pace of the performance
brought the curtain down at a more
reasonable hour. Despite these sey-
eral improvements, the comparative
tameness of an indiscriminately as¬
sembled audience made it more
apparent than ever that Schnitzlers
processional of sentimental, droll and
ironic studies in philandering be¬
longs to a more elegant era tan
ours; and that Schildkraut's acting
wants the resilience and subtlety of
perception that are necessary to
maintain an interest in Anatol's suc¬
cession of crises. Anatole France
once observed that religion had done
love a great service by making it a
sin. Alas, this irreligious era has
lost a source of constant pleasure.
T is a pity to have "Anatol sink
into pleasant enervation. The pro¬
duction is enchanting. Jo Miel¬
ziner has designed a splendid series
of highly ornamental settings; the
costumes fairly glow and the entr'acte
music caresses the ear with Viennese
magic. Some of the acting is extraor¬