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The Spike: or, Victoria University College Review, June 1924

Mr. Trezise's Extravaganza

page 38

Mr. Trezise's Extravaganza

The greatest extravaganzas in the history of humanity are immortal. The father of the extravaganza, at his height in "The Acharnians" and "The Birds," has outworn the stage, though not the study; the greatest English production, "The Beggar's Opera," intensely topical as it was, has lasted to our own time. It is true that in the case of Gay's play even a close study of the history of the time could not bring us much nearer to appreciation, because though we knew ever so much of the love affairs of Miss Skerrett or the politics of Walpole, we could not recapture the mental attitude of the time towards them. The appeal of "The Beggar's Opera," on revival, I hazard, was in the main due to its quaintness, its old songs, the wit that outlives two hundred years, and its perfection in presentation.

In the case of this year's extravaganza we had production first, last, and all the time. Always the producer's hand was apparent, always the really well-judged handling of the performers by Mr. Trezise made one forget what they were there to represent. The author afforded the producer opportunities, of course, but he did nothing more. The theme was slender, badly thought out, and wholly poor philosophy. It was youth's plea for youth, no doubt, but its muddled intent was not made any clearer by a muddled preface. The solution propounded was no solution. It would need more than the piping of a gilded Pan and the dancing of a sylvan chorus to a latter-day and wholly sophisticated air to convince the critical that the moment had come for the proclamation:

God's in His heaven, all's right with the world.

Mr. Byrne, in fact, has tilted at the nature of things, and his shattered lance has no whit rocked the existing order. He was obviously very serious about his subject, so serious that he had to drag in so-called "comic relief" by the heels in a manner which made it appear both unnecessary and inartistic. He gave us no humour of situation and little of dialogue, and he was singularly ill-served by a caste almost entirely lacking in a sense of the comic. But he has a very real dramatic sense, an ability to visualise the possibilities of the stage, and it was this which saved the play. Poorly presented, "Pep" would have been intolerable.

The extravaganza began well, the first act being the best, though it suffered much from shocking scenery. In the Athenian setting the author was nearest to his subject, and his lyrics were not the stiffly articulated things which later they became. Youth here is sacrificed to save the State, and though the intervention of These was not entirely necessary, it was pardonable and part of the picture. The trio of gentlemen in semi-evening dress could have been omitted with profit. The second act, however, was wholly false, and the production failed to "put it over." A crowd in the act of rending a woman does not stop at her first word, nor are the canaille so easily (by which I mean so shortly) to be swayed as they are here depicted. But, more important, the author was most unfortunate in his choice of a subject. To represent Charlotte Corday, a fanatic and a murderess, as "one of the driving forces in the path of progress" was nothing but rank sentimentalism. Marat was nothing of the character that conventional histories have page 39 made him—the sort of histories now talking or Germany's unforgiveable crime." We now know that the famous John Brown was in reality a murderer, a notorious thief, and a thorough scoundrel, and that he cared nothing for the cause of the negroes. It will make no difference; his soul will still "go marching on." Even in the historically dark days fifty years ago, Flaubert was moved to protest that "on the stage Richlieu was always cruel, Louis XL always kneeling to the leaden figures in his hat." These things may go down with the multitude, but from a University man one expects more.

The second act was thoroughly artificial if crudely effective. If one did not suspect that the part of La Corday was written for Miss Mary Cooley one would feel inclined to thank heaven for her. It needed all her talent and personality to save the show from going on the rocks there and then. The connection of the second act with the theme of the extravaganza was dubious; but about the third act there could be no doubt. It had no connection whatever. The author's purpose can be understood; but by employing mechanical men he defeated it. The "abolition" of youth is merely relative; there must be someone for the Robots to labour for, and that someone must once have been young. The introduction of the "R.U.R." idea was largely due to a misunderstanding. The message of the Capek play is that men are at the mercy of the machinery which they themselves have invented; it deals with the trend of Western "Progress," "based on machinery and maximum production at the mercy of demand." You remember the reasons why it was impossible to stop making Robots even when it became clear that they were a menace. And there would be nothing against their production so long as the manager's idealism prevailed and the manufacture was aimed at removing the ills of mankind. It was when the folly of humanity turned the Robots into soldiers that the crash came.

Of the performers one can say little. Miss Mary Cooley deserved her headlines, and it was a pity that Miss Thyra Baldwin's parts were so colourless. With growing assurance she reveals real ability. Mr. Knell, who recited long lists of obscure jokes, was superfluous. The "dame" was first introduced in "Done to Death" and revived in "Luv." The only justification for his being forced upon us again would lie in his possessing unusual humour. Mr. Knell does not. To introduce Rampageous and Co. was playing to the gallery with a vengeance, while Mr. Priestley's good-humoured voice as Theseus quite undid the fearsome impression created by his knees. Mr. Baume acted the ruffian in a manner calculated to endear him to Baroness Orczy, and would have done better in something bigger. Will E. Robbem, the King of Industry, was played by Mr. T. Moses, who had to struggle with an accent before he was heard, while Captain Gussey (Mr. N. White-man) and Corporal Sparr (Mr. J. Lockie) were as safely mediocre as the gentlemen they burlesqued. The indefatigable Mr. Nicholls made three appearances, all with credit; Miss Marjorie Buckeridge danced with abandon; Mr. H. Gledstone piped tunefully as Pan; and, ensconced in the orchestral well, Miss E. Fair and Mr. Byrne sang the closing duet. The one genuine comedian was Mr. I. Wallace, whose legs were priceless; and the dancers this year were Misses M. Tracy, G. Barnsdale and J. White. These four I confess to having enjoyed unreservedly. The chorus did its part splendidly page 40 and was a pleasure to watch. Finally, one must mention Miss Molly Campbell, whose work was so important a factor, and congratulate the College on the possession of Mr. W. Kohn, the best conductor within post-war memory.

C.Q.P.