IC-NRLF PS 3521 C f (r O 1 THE FLYING STAG PLAYS For The Little Theatre No. 8 THE PRODIGAL SON COPYRIGHT 1919, BY EGMONT ARENS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED The professional and amateur stage rights on this play are strictly reserved by the author. Ap plications for permission to produce the play should be made to Egmont Arens, 17 West 8th Street, New York. While it is hoped that the publication of the plays in this series will encourage their produc tion in all parts of the country, it is held that the interests of the New Theater movement can best be served by vigorous protection of the play wrights, without whom the movement cannot go forward. Therefore, any infringements of the author s rights will be punished by the penalties imposed under the United States Revised Statutes, Title 60, Chapter 3. THE PUBLISHER. The PRODIGAL SON A Comedy in One Act by Harry Kemp T T as played at the Little ThimHe Theatre Published by EGMONT ARENS at the Washington Square ^Bookshop > New York 1919 THE PRODIGAL SON was first produced by the Provincetown Players at the Playwrights Theatre, New York, on March 10, 1917, with the following cast: LEVI, the Prodigal Son - - Lucien Carey SIMEON, the Elder Brother - Hut chins Collins REUBEN, the Father - Don Corley MIRIAM, Simeon s Betrothed - - Ida Rauh The Play was also produced by the Harry Kemp Players at the Little Thimble Theatre, New York, on November 5, 1917, with the following cast: LEVI ----- Don O Connor SIMEON ----- Harry Kemp REUBEN - - - - - Charles May MIRIAM - - - - Florence von Wien RACHEL ----- Dorothy Irving THE PRODIGAL SON TIME: Sometime before the beginning of the Christian Era. PLACE : A Hill Town in Galilee, near Capernaum. The scene is the upper or guest room in the dwell ing house of the old homestead. A door in the back opens on a corridor. There is also a window that gives on a scene of distant hills, already rosy with the rays of the declining sun. On each side of windows is a curtain hung on rings. The room is furnished with a couch, a chair and a table. It grows dusk as the action proceeds. For a space the stage is vacant. Then enter SIMEON and REUBEN, in conversation. SIMEON so I can t help feeling a little bit hurt! REUBEN I don t see why, Simeon, my son. . . . He s your only brother . . . and he s been away and in hard luck. SIMEON Yes . . . and while he s been off running about the world, having a good time, what have / been doing? / haven t been away . . . I ve stuck right by you . . .I ve worked side by side with the servants when help was short . . .I ve repaired breaks in the fences . . . kept the men with plenty to do . . . seen that the crops were got in, watched over the flocks and herds ... in fact, I ve attended to everything. . . . Why, even to day, the very day before my wedding, I ve been off in the hills till sunrise, gathering in sheep for the shearing . . . 225 TI*E /PRODIGAL SON REUBEN I know, my son ... I don t know what I d do without you . . . but I, too, work hard. Here, on the very day of my youngest son s return, I ve had to go down to Capernaum to trade with a passing caravan . . . SIMEON Yes, we both work hard . . . [with renewed energy] but look at him! He digs all the shekels he can out of you calls it his portion . . . and the first thing we know he s down at Jerusalem, making a scandal of himself REUBEN Don t be too hard on him, Simeon. SIMEON He gets into disgrace everywhere he goes . . . Look at the things he did at Sidon, and at Alexan dria . . . And now he has the impudence to come home, expecting you to take him back again. REUBEN He s young, and SIMEON Young? . . . I m only five years older than he is suppose I ran off and let everything go to smash the worthless dog ! REUBEN [Breaking in angrily and raising his cane.] Don t you dare curse your brother ! SIMEON And now you take him back . . .and you ll make a big fuss over him, and spoil him all over again. REUBEN What is it makes you carry on so ? Surely you don t begrudge the feast I m naving tonight in honor of Levi s return? HARRY KEMP T SIMEON [After a brief wrestling with himself.] Yes, if you want to know, I do! I don t care if it does seem mean and small. When did you ever have a feast for me, I d like to know ? Why, even the wedding dinner that we are to have tomorrow night is at my own expense. And the feast you are giving in honor of Levi is coming so close on mine it ll spoil it entirely. Why, you ve never in all your life thought of a feast for me! REUBEN But you never went away to foreign lands ! You ve always been here at home with me ! SIMEON [Striking his staff en the floor impatiently.] There ! That s just it ! . . . You ve always taken me too much for granted. REUBEN My boy, you break my heart, carrying on this way! SIMEON I ve got to say what I think. I ve kept it in too long . . . [A pause.] And the calf that I ve been fattening how about that? [Angrily.] One of the servants just told me REUBEN [Floundering.] That calf? . . . why . . . why ... I ... I that was killed this morning for tonight s feast. SIMEON And I was going to butcher it tomorrow for my wedding dinner! . . . [Enter, with jaunty self-possession, the Prodi gal Son. For a moment he stands behind his father and brother s back, observing them. Then he speaks. 8 THE PRODIGAL SON LEVI Hello, dad! REUBEN My son ! My little boy ! Levi. SIMEON Yes, that s Levi, all right. LEVI [Embraces his father, and speaks over the old man s shoulder.] Hello, Simeon. SIMEON Home again, eh? [Levi carries a dapper walking stick on a wrist- strap, on his right arm. It is the last word in Roman fashion. It is in direct contrast with the long, crooked staffs the Elder Brother and Father hold.] LEVI [Slapping his father affectionately on the shoul der, his walking stick knocks on his father s baclt as he pats him.] How are you, Pop? REUBEN My son! My little son! And so you are home again? LEVI [Heartily.] Doesn t it look like it? . . .1 tell you what, it is good to see you again, Pop ! REUBEN And you never forgot me? LEVI Of course not. REUBEN How big you ve grown ! LEVI I ve been gone five years. HARRY KEMP 9 REUBEN It seems like five lifetimes. LEVI It s been like that to me, too. REUBEN Ah, then, you ve missed us LEVI [Not hearing his father . . . breaks in dreamily reminiscent.] Seems as if I d lived more than five lifetimes through . . . I ve seen and been through such an awful lot! [Sighing.] I m tired. It s a long trip from Caesarea to Galilee. [Seats himself.] REUBEN [With great concern.] I ll have the servants pre pare a nice warm bath for you . . . No, I ll see to it myself. And I ll lay out new white linen, and a purple robe. [Reuben goes out. Levi sits in sardonic silence. Simeon sulks.] LEVI [With sudden jocosity.]. Hello, Simeon! You haven t given me much of a welcome so far. [Simeon remains silent.] Aren t you glad to see me home again? SIMEON [Breathing heavily.] Ye-es! LEVI Well, then, you don t act like it, and you don t look like it. SIMEON Now, don t try to pick a quarrel with me the first thing, Levi. LEVI If we did we d only begin where we left off the last time, wouldn t we? 10 THE PRODIGAL SON SIMEON Oh, I ve put all that behind me long ago ! LEVI Well, so have I, for that matter. SIMEON [Mocking.] You might as well ... it wouldn t do you any good. LEVI I m five years older now. I could take care of myself better. SIMEON And I m still the best wrestler in Galilee. LEVI [Taking up what has really been in the under current of their thoughts.] I hear you and Miriam are going to get married, at last. SIMEON Where did you hear that? Didn t you just get here? LEVI No. I thought you and Dad knew. The camel- express made such good time that I ve been home ever since noon. And you can just bet I ve looked things over ever since I got here. In fact, I haven t even had time to sit down before this. I ve seen everybody, from the slaves up. It was Miriam herself who told me SIMEON [ Uneasily.] Yes, she s to become my wife tomor row, and you might as well know it. LEVI It doesn t mean anything to me any more. I got over all that long ago. HARRY KEMP 11 SIMEON It s just as well ... it wouldn t do you any good, even if you hadn t got over it. LEVI [Impudently.] If I still wanted her, I d ask your permission last of all. But I wouldn t have her now, not if all the wealth of the Temple at Jeru salem were coming with her. SIMEON [Angrily.] You d better hold your tongue. I won t have the woman who s going to be my wife talked about in such a way. LEVI I wasn t talking about her. SIMEON Then I d like to know what you were doing! LEVI Listen, Simeon! There are more women in the world than one: that s the first thing my experi ence in the world taught me. And there are cer tainly other women besides the peasant girls that live here in the hills of Galilee . . . [Dreaming.] When I sro away from here again! SIMEON [Brightening and relaxing.] When you go away from here again? ... I thought LEVI f Scornfully.] Yes, you thought I was going to stay, didn t you ? In this sleepy old village ? Well, I guess not ! You re all so dead here you can hear your own bones creak. I d die if I had to stay here more than a couple of weeks. SIMEON Why did you come back then ? , 12 THE PRODIGAL SON LEVI Away off there in Rome, I got sentimental about the old home. I actually thought that it might be the best thing, after all, to come back, marry a Galilean girl, and settle down. But now I see how hopeless everything here is ... how much behind the times you all are. Rome gets a lot of knocks, Simeon, and it may have its faults, but, at least, it s alive. I tell you what, I d rather be broke and on the bum in Rome than the richest sheep-owner in all Judea. Ah, Simeon, there are a thousand and one things you know nothing about and they will take me away again. SIMEON [Coming slyly over and sitting beside him.] But you were telling me about the women ! LEVI [Mocking.] Ah, yes the women! The women in -the world outside . . . you can t begin to imag ine how many beautiful women there are out there. There are so many beautiful women in Greece that it makes you dizzy turning around to look at them. They all have such beautiful, straight noses ! And the women of Egypt they re beautiful, too. Though they do get old and fat too soon, I must admit. But a fellow s through with them long before that happens, of course. And Cyprus, ah. ... SIMEON [Eagerly.] And Rome, Levi how about Rome? LEVI [Clasping his hands in ecstasy.] The women of Rome! [Looking off into space.] Brother, the finest woman here is nothing but dust and ugli ness compared to the least of them. They have little feet and little hands, and the whiteness of their bodies there s nothing like it in the world! HARRY KEMP 13 And their faces are all snow and sunlight . . . like the snow you see on the top of Carmel, when the sun rises behind it. ... Their cheeks arc like snow colored with dawn. SIMEON And their eyes? LEVI Ah, their eyes ! SIMEON What color are they? LEVI When you look into their eyes you forget what color they are. For there s something else there that our women haven t got ... a spirit . . . a freedom . . . [low and impressive]. The women of Rome belong to themselves . they re just as free as the men. SIMEON You mean to tell me the men don t own the wo men there? Traveling has turned your head, boy. LEVI If it has, I m glad [rising and pacing restlessly to and fro]. I never could be contented here any more. SIMEON You never were. LEVI So I ll just stay a little while and see everybody, and then I ll start out again. SIMEON [Hypocritically.] Father will expect you to stay for good. LEVI I love father, all right . . . but I can t stay here. 14 THE PRODIGAL SON SIMEON [Relieved.] Levi, you re not such a bad sort, after all. Suppose we shake hands and be decent to each other. LEVI Oh, I m willing to be friends again, if you are. [They shake hands after the Roman fashion.] REUBEN [At first from without.] Come, Levi, everything s ready for your bath. [Entering, and overcome with joy at sight of the reconciliation.] Simeon! Levi! . . . I m the happiest man in all Judea today ! [Going up to his sons, he puts an arm over the shoulder of each.] SIMEON I never did believe in holding a grudge. LEVI Neither did I. I m glad we made up. REUBEN [To Levi. Placing a large bath-towel over the latter s arm.] There, Levi ... go and take a nice warm bath. It will freshen you up for to night s feast. [Levi goes out.] REUBEN [To Simeon.] And now I must hurry down and see how the preparations for the feast are getting on. [Reuben goes OMt. For a space, Simeon grouches about the room. Then, suddenly, Levi comes in again, bath-towel over arm, as before. He throws it disdainfully across the couch.] SIMEON You ve taken a mighty quick bath. HARRY KEMP 15 LEVI I m out of the humor. I can t stand getting into an old wooden tub as we used to once a week . . . after those magnificent baths at Rome. You ought to see them, Simeon . . . great marble staircases leading down into a hundred pools . . . and each pool of a different temperature . . . and some of the waters have strange per fumes in them . . . and thousands of slaves wait on a fellow . . . and . . . SIMEON [Roughly.] The baths of Rome ! . . . I ve got to wash the sheep. It s shearing time. [Going.] . But make yourself at home, Levi. In a few hours we ll feast together. [Simeon goes out. Levi seats himself on the couch. Enter cautiously Rachel.] RACHEL [Seating herself at his side.] Levi, I thought I d come up and see you as soon as you were alone. LEVI And here you a.re. So you re the little tomboy I knew when I left home? You certainly have grown. . . . But tell me, why have you come to my room? Aren t you afraid my brother will have you whipped for this? RACHEL Don t worry. He won t catch me. LEVI But what do you want? RACHEL That s a nice question to ask! I want to set out for Rome with you when you go away, that s what I want. 16 THE PRODIGAL SON LEVI Well, a day in this place is about enough for me. I m leaving again tomorrow. RACHEL No matter when you leave, you must take me with you even if it s tonight. LEVI But how can I? I don t love you, and I don t want you in the way. RACHEL Oh, for that matter, I don t love you, either. LEVI [His egotism hurt.] No? Then why should I take you with me? RACHEL [Intensely.] Don t you think a woman can get tired of living in the same place with the same people all the time, just as well as a man? Don t you think a woman sometimes wants to go off and change her life till she s somebody else, too ! LEVI [Slowly turning half around and scrutinizing her.] Who s put all this into your head? RACHEL You! LEVI [Cautiously.] And you re sure you don t love me? RACHEL Tt seems that living in Rome has made you con ceited. LEVI H m! . . . Rachel, suppose I did take you with me to Rome what could you do there? HARRY KEMP 17 RACHEL Oh, take me, Levi and I ll promise you you won t have me on your hands . . . just take me with you, that s all I ask. Since you got here this noon I ve been thinking and thinking of all the great cities you ve talked about . . . and the life there . . . and the lights . . . and the dancing and play-acting and turning of night into day and I want to get away from here ! LEVI And I ask you again, what could you do for a living in Rome? RACHEL [Enthusiastically.] I want to become a great dancer ! LEVI [Bored.] Yah! . . . That s what they all want to be. ... In Rome, sooner or later, every mother springs a dancing daughter on her ac- qmintances. And the city is full of professional dancing-girls. They have Egyptian dancers . . . and Greek dancers . . . and Etruscan dancers . . . they even have dancing men and women from Hispania. . . . And so the craze has got here at last, too ! RACHEL [With impetuous eagerness.] I know a lot of Phoenician dances. I could try them. I learned them from a Phoenician concubine of your fath er s. Arlaj was her name. LEVI [Quickly.] Where is she? RACHEL Your father got angry with her and sold her to the master of a passing caravan. 18 THE PRODIGAL SON LEVI [Half musing.] So I can t count on her, then. Phoenician dances! . . . [Rising from the couch.] Phoenician dances! . . . That is some thing new something that Rome has never seen! RACHEL Well, what do you say? LEVI [Kindling to the possibilities of the idea.] What do I say? Rachel, I say that you ve struck a big idea! [Takes her by the arm.] RACHEL What are you doing? LEVI Never mind . . . get up ! Stand over there . . . now, pose ! . . . Move about a little ! You are graceful, and you ve got a good figure, there s no denying that. . . .Rachel, I think I will take you to Rome with me; but how I ll manage it I don t quite see. ... I haven t enough money to buy you from my brother, and I don t think he d let you go ... he s greedy that way. RACHEL [Determined.] I ll run away with you! LEVI But, as I ve hinted, you happen to be my brother s concubine. RACHEL [Intensely.] He marries Miriam tomorrow! LEVI Well, what of it, he still owns you, doesn t he? HARRY KEMP 19 RACHEL [With spirit.] He owns nothing. Like the women of Rome, I belong to no one but myself and the man I choose to give myself to. [Miriam knocks at the door without.] LEVI [Low.] Here. Get under the couch. RACHEL [Stubbornly.] No. I won t. Not till you swear me an oath to take me to Rome ! LEVI Simeon will almost kill you. RACHEL And you will you go blameless? Will you swear? LEVI Very well I swear. . . . RACHEL That you will surely take me to Rome with you? LEVI I swear by the altar at Jerusalem. [As Rachel gets under couch.] We ll steal two of my father s best camels . . . we ll go before dawn, this very night. . . . RACHEL [Her head thrust out, morally shocked.] What? You ll steal your father s camels? LEVI [With non-moral seriousness.] Why not? He won t pursue me. The laws are too severe on camel thieves. He loves me, you know . . . and my brother he ll be glad to get rid of me so soon. MIRIAM [Whispering without.] Levi ! Let me in. It s I! 20 THE PRODIGAL SON LEVI I? Who? MIRIAM Hush. Not so loud. Someone will hear. It s I, Miriam. LEVI [Peevishly.] Then go away! Taking a scroll of Scripture, he begins to intone monotonously.} In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth Oi ! Oi ! Oi ! . . . You are interrupting me at my devotions. MIRIAM [Opening door stealthily and coming in.} Levi, I have come to you at last. LEVI I see that plainly enough. MIRIAM [Calmly.} I have come to go away with you. We must go this very night . . . don t say no. The two best camels your father owns wait for us even now at the village caravansary. [Lower.} I stole them ! LEVI The devil you say ! [He shows a pleasure over this information which Miriam interprets in her fwvour.} But, Miriam, what do you mean by this? Don t you know that tomorrow you are to marry Simeon, my brother? MIRIAM [Seating herself uith an air of quiet and sure pos session by his side.} It is just that that I must now escape. Oh, Levi, since you ve been telling me about the women of Rome! . . . LEVI I wish I d kept my mouth shut. HARRY KEMP ZJ MIRIAM Levi, I m glad you came back for me. ... I somehow always felt you would. LEVI But, Miriam, I did not come back for you. MIRIAM You loved me once. LEVI That was long ago. And you didn t love me. And your people and my people had it all arranged be tween them that you were to marry Simeon so that was the end of it ! Then I went away . . . after I had a fight with my brother and got a pood beating at his hands. [He scrutinises her closely.] I always thought you loved him. MIRIAM I did. But now I feel that he has kept me waiting too long. LEVI That was to be expected. He couldn t afford mar riage at that time, and so he took a concubine. But now that father has deeded him a two-thirds share in the property MIRIAM To tell the truth, after you left I began to think more and more of you, and less and less of Si meon . . . and now I feel that Simeon and I are not really suited to each other. LEVI Where did you get that idea? It s not orthodox. MIRIAM I ve been thinking a lot about what you told me of the women of Rome LEVI Eh? 22 THE PRODIGAL SON MIRIAM Why should I marry this man, when I m not sure I love him. No [with determination], I am going with you. LEVI But you belong to my brother already, by be trothal. MIRIAM Levi, like the Roman woman, I belong to no one but myself and the man to Vvhom I choose to give myself. And I love you. I m sure I do. We ll leave for Rome before dawn. LEVI You re not asking much ! MIRIAM Tomorrow it will be too late forever. The wed ding . . . oh, Levi, if I stayed here I d go crazy. And I know I must love you, because ever since you ve come back everything has grown suddenly different. [Raienously she throzvs her arms around Levi s neck. In so doing she knocks over the candle and the room is filled unth darkness.} LEVI Stop, Miriam! . . . Don t! . . . I m only a weak man ! \A long silence.} LEVI [Resuming in a far-away voice.} Go now! [A sound of steps ivithout.] Go ! . . . [ hear some one coming. [The door is tried for entrance.} No . . . hide somewhere . . . it s too late. [A vigorous knocking.} SIMEON [Pounding on door ivithout.} Levi, if you don t open this door, as sure as there s a God in heaven, I ll kill you. HARRY KEMP 23 MIRIAM [Terror-stricken.] Hide me! LEVI Be quiet! [To Simeon, in a loud voice.] Go away! . . . This is a nice way to treat me on my first day home ! SIMEON I tell you, Miriam is in there with you I ll kill you both when I get in. [A fresh onslaught on the door.] LEVI [Hurriedly, to Miriam.] Hide somewhere! . . . No, not under the couch . . .my my trunk s there. Get behind the curtain, near the door. And be sure and slip out whenever I give you the first chance. MIRIAM [Getting behind the curtain.] Remember, the camels are ready. LEVI Shut up. Meet me behind the barn, just before dawn. [Battering on the door with redoubled fury.] Mir iam s here and I m going to get her. If it isn t so, why is your light out? [Levi flings the door open and the brothers con front each other Levi smiling sarcastically, Simeon grim and stern. After glaring search- ingly into Levi s face for a moment, Simeon brushes him aside, comes forward and puts the candle which he carries on the table.} 24 THE PRODIGAL SON SIMEON I heard a man and a woman s voices mixing as I was walking under the window . . . thtn I saw your light go out ... the voice sounded like Miriam s. I m quite sure ii was hers. Besides, Jacob, the old slave, tells me she s been talking rather queerly lately about you, and LEVI Don t make an ass of yourself . . . there s no one here. You only heard me at my prayers. . . . SIMEON [Scornfully.] You ve got mighty religious all of a sudden. [As this goes on, Levi insensibly backs toward the curtain, behind which Miriam stands con cealed. Noticing this, and seeing the curtain bulge, Simeon starts foncard.] SIMEON You don t act like a man who s alone. [Simeon makes a rush and grabs at the curtain oier Lett s shoulder. Miriam screams. Si meon tries to pull her out, but Levi leaps at him, breaks his hold and pushes him back to the center of the stage.] SIMEON [Furio,us.] Oh, the shamelessness of women! LEVI [Standing tense and waiting for a fresh attack.] It s only a slave girl since you must know ! SIMEON What slave girl? LEVI I won t tell you . . . and I ll keep you from find ing out, too. HARRY KEMP 25 LEVI [As he grapples again with Simeon.} You ll find me a different man now from what I was five years ago. SIMEON [Laughing exultingly as he takes Levi about the waist and lifts him off his feet.} And you ll find I m still the strongest man in Galilee. LEVI [Hooking Simeon s nose between the two first fingers of his left hand, pushing his head back and instantly striking Simeon across the windpipe with the stiffened edge of his right.] And I ve learned a trick or two from the wrestlers at Rome. [Simeon falls heavily to the floor and lies there groaning.] LEVI [Opening the door for Miriam.] Get out, quick! I hear the Old Man coming ! REUBEN [Without.] What s the matter? [Miriam rushes out. To save her face, escape being cut off by Reuben s approach, she turns abruptly in her tracks and begins to cry out, at the same time beating on the door.} MIRIAM [Without.} Help! Help! They re killing my hus band ! [The door is Hung open. Reuben appears, staff in hand, Miriam close behind.} REUBEN {Looking in a daze at Simeon, stretched on the floor by the couch, and Levi standing.] Levi! Simeon ! What has gone wrong ? 26 THE PRODIGAL SON SIMEON [Recovering, though still groggy, begins to get to his feet. As he rises he glimpses Rachel under couch.} Ha! Rachel . . . you! [With one hand he turns the couch completely over, uncovering the crouching concubine. With the other he seizes her and lifts her roughly to her feet, swinging her around to a kneeling position in the center of the group.] MIRIAM [With a great burst c,f indignant surprise, which all but Levi and Rachel interpret as the indignation of virtue.] My future handmaid playing us such tricks! [To Simeon.] Have her flogged till her hide peels off! [To Reuben.] It was she, my father, that caused all this trouble ! RACHEL [In a low, defiant tone.] If I was mean enough I could say a few things! [Levi gives her a glance full of meaning and she subsides.] REUBEN Come, my sons, I must have an explanation ! SIMEON [Pointing nith disgust to. Rachel.] Can t you see for yourself ! REUBEN [Looking severely at Rachel.] So that s it, is it? . . . [To Simeon.} The caravan which lies at Capernaum over night leaves for Baalbec tomor row. Take my advice, Simeon, and sell her off to the master of it. That s the way to deal with un faithful concubines. [They staff to go out, leaving Rachel and Levi alone. But Miriam drags back.] HARRY KEMP 27 SIMEON [Irritably, to Miriam.] What are you dragging behind for? MIRIAM [With concealed jealousy, pointing to Rachel.} Are you going to leave her here? [Levi makes signs to Miriam to. keep still.] SIMEON I have no further use for her. And I ll tend to her case tomorrow. [To Reuben.] There s no use raising a row, father. I ll take your advice. [Reuben, Miriam and Simeon go out.] RACHEL [Running up to, the door, then rushing back to Levi.] Now see what you ve got me into ! LEVI [Astonished.] What I ve got you into? RACHEL Yes, what you ve got me into ! LEVI Say, rather, what I ve got you out of! Cheer up, Rachel . . . we ll take those two camels RACHEL [Enthusiastically.] The camels Miriam stole? LEVI Yes . . . and we won t even wait for the feast. My brother can warm over the fatted calf for his wedding dinner. RACHEL [Ecstatically.] And you re really going to take me to Rome with you? 28 THE PRODIGAL SON LEVI Yes, and what s more, when we get to Rome you shall be Ra-chell, the great Phoenician dancer ! RACHEL And you ? LEVI [Mischievously.] And I why, I ll be your manager ! CURTAIN TO BE PUBLISHED MONTHLY Thirty-Five Cents Each. A Year s Subscription In cluding All Plays Already Published, Three Dollars It is the Aim of the Publisher to Include in this Series the Best One Act Plays Produced in the Little Theatres of America. THE CHESTER MYSTERIES, The Nativity and Adoration Cycle of, as performed on Christmas Eve at the Greenwich Village Theatre. With a prefatory note on the sources and method of playing, including the Sheapharde s Play, The Offering of the Sheaphardes and the Adoration of the Magi. Edited by Frank Conroy and Roy Mitchell. No. i. THE SANDBAR QUEEN, a Melodra matic Comedy, by George Cronyn, as played by the Washington Square Players. Portraying vividly the flow of swift passion and rugged life on the Frazer River, where civilization has not yet fully penetrated. No. 2. NIGHT, a Poetic Drama in One Act, by James Oppenheim, as played by the Provincetown Players. Everything is subdued to the poem. The scene is merely a concave sheet flooded from the back with violet light. A mound before this suggests a hilltop against night sky. The characters are silhouettes, and their few movements suggest something liquid and flowing. The verbal music of the poem is rendered with full value for every word, every rhythm, every tune and melody. The result is very moving, very poignant. No. 3. THE ANGEL INTRUDES, a Comedy in One Act and a Prologue, by Floyd Dell, as played by the Provincetown Players. The amusing story of Jimmy, whose Guardian Angel has come down from Heaven, only to elope with his (Jimmy s) sweetheart. No. 4. ENTER THE HERO. A Comedy in On t Act, by Theresa Helburn, as played by the St. Francis Players in San Francisco. Ruth Carey has conjured up a lover, who suddenly ap pears in the flesh, bringing with him amusing compti- No. 5. TWO BLIND BEGGARS AND ONE LESS BLIND. A Tragic Comedy in One Act, by Phillip Moeller, as played by the Washington Square Players. The scene is a rag picker s cellar. The characters move about in gloom, but their language is filled with im agery and poetic feeling as to suggest the best of the Irish writers. No. 6. THE SLAVE WITH TWO FACES. An Allegory in One Act, by Mary Carolyn Davies, as played by the Provincetown Players. Life is a slave, that may become a cruel master. The play is a poetic allegory concerning Life, and those who were afraid of him, as well as those who feared mm not. No. 7. BLIND. A Comedy in One Act, by SCUIIMM O Brien, as played by Wlntford Kane s In-n Players. Johnny Burts is not as blind as he seems, and he, to gether with his nephew Shawn, manage to see a great deal more, upon occasion, than that officer of the law, Patseen Corey. THE PRODIGAL SON, by Harrv Kemp, (Kemp Players at the Little Thimble Theatre, New York.) [AND OTHERS.] Subscriptions may be sent to the Publisher, EGMONT H. ARENS, at the Washington Square Book Shop, New York 17 West 8th Street THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE STAMPED BELOW AN INITIAL FINE OF 25 CENTS WILL BE ASSESSED FOR ILURE TO OVERDUE. 1932 1939 LD Ul- .i Ma Syrac PAT.JA 1923 JUL31 OCL2OJS2 22 402257 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY