The Poetry of Mr. Fry
SIR,—The weakness of much dramatic criticism is that it is carried on at a level higher than the lowly boards of the stage, and it is clear that in Mr. Spender's article on Christopher Fry the stage is nowhere in sight. A few nights ago I went to see Venus Observed, and like Mr. Spender I am "encouraged to think that poetry is really about to take its place again upon the English stage." For that is the most promising feature of Venus Observed ; it belongs to the stage, and in such a way that the cast as well as the audience enjoys every minute of it. This kind of argument will doubtless fail to appeal to Mr. Spender, but it will appeal to actors, audiences and playwrights. The line of criticism Mr. Spender follows is one that leads directly from the stage to impractical literary speculation. The passages cited by Mr. Spender could possibly justify censure if considered only in print, but on the stage they are amply justified by the dramatic moment.
If Mr. Fry has done no more in a few plays than to revive in us responsiveness to the beauty of words and their delightful rhythms in combination, he has done enough to enjoy our unstinted praise. But in fact he has done more than that: he has stimulated the theatre into a ready and grateful acceptance of something it has not known, but has wanted, for years. Perhaps this level of writing may become really
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