C.K. MUNRO’S THE RUMOUR

C. K. Munro (1889-1973) had two plays Wanderers (1915) and At Mrs. Bream’s (1921) successfully staged by London’s Stage Society (1899-1939). This group produced new and experimental plays with artistic merit.  Many of the plays produced by this organization were later successful in London’s commercial West End theatres. C. K. Munro was fortunate that this group recognized the merit of his early works. 

During this period of initial recognition as a playwright, Munro kept his day job as a Civil Servant in the Ministry of Labour. He eventually rose to the position of Under-Secretary at the British Ministry of Labour and National Service. Munro was born in Ulster, Ireland and educated at Cambridge. His surname was MacMullan, but he wrote under the name of Munro which was his grandmother’s maiden name. 

World War One had interrupted Munro’s playwriting career. After its Stage Society’s debut, At Mrs. Bream’s quickly became a commercial success in London and towns throughout the country as well as in New York when staged by the Theatre Guild, 1926.  His next play The Rumour is very different in style from his earlier plays. It is a serious piece concerned with the political, social and ethical problems of the era following the war. It has one-dimensional characters who work to manipulate each other. Their endeavors illustrate that war does not breakout spontaneously, but it is contrived by individuals who have a monetary interest in the resources controlled by another nation. The play is experimental in format and was frequently dubbed expressionistic. It borrows from expressionism, but it has its own individual style.

 The Rumour was staged in December, 1922 by the Stage Society. The Times (London) reviewer stated: “it is a clever piece of satire swamped by political oratory.” Later in the review he singled out young Claude Raines (1889-1967) for kudos. 

The Rumour was considered worthy of publication in 1923 by W. Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. of London.  A. Knopf of New York, in 1924, published another book edition of The Rumour. It was included in another publication titled Three Plays. By C.K. Munro. Victor Gollancz, Ltd. London: 1932.

The Rumour, a satire on international politics is designated by the playwright as “A Play in Two Parts.”  However, there is also a Prologue and an Epilogue. These two framing scenes are set in the London home of a man named Luke, who has major interest in financial operations in two small European countries—Przimia and Loria.  Luke’s greed is the trigger that sets the action of the play in motion, but he only appears in these two scenes.  This is a long play with many scenes and about fifty characters.  Part I, Act I has four scenes, Part I, Act II contains four scenes. Part II, Act I has three scenes while Part II, Act II also contains three scenes. 

The plot commences when a British diplomat in Przimia spreads a rumor that the poorer neighboring country of Loria is planning to start a war with Przimia in order to recover a territory taken from it fifty years before.  Many Lorians work in Przimia since they are less expensive laborers.  The impending war rumor accelerates when the daughter of a British workman is killed accidentally by a stray bullet while she is attending a meeting in Przimia with her Lorian boyfriend. This incident is magnified in the British press and a war ensues in which both small countries lose.  The peace treaties advantage the British and French business interests.  Munro used “England” and “France” to represent any powerful modern governments—he did not intend them to be specific references.

The Rumour is a script characterized by many, long speeches and lots of characters, but it clearly delineates the insincerity of political and diplomatic discussion because the outcome is determined long before the war begins. The two powerful countries support the outcome desired by their own rich commercial financiers. Munro wanted to delineate a realistic view of the world as it emerged following World War One.

The Rumour received a second major staging opportunity by Terence Gray in 1927 at the Festival Theatre in Cambridge, England.  This theatre founded in 1926 was experimental rather than following the more conventional West End theatres. Gray produced plays to provoke unexpected and unanticipated audience reactions. He wanted the plays to portray a readjustment of the accepted values to his audiences.  This production featured a young Maurice Evans (1901-1989) as the Honorable Algernon Moodie, British Attaché in Przimiprzak.

The Rumour eventually was successfully staged at the Court Theatre, London, opening during February, 1929 and it ran for sixty-seven performances. The cast included Jessica Tandy (1909-1994) in her first West End production.  The success at the Court helped to spread interest in this play throughout the United Kingdom. Also the script was reworked and shortened by the Court Theatre Company.  Numerous local productions of The Rumour were staged throughout Great Britain during the 1930s.  It was also adapted into a one hour radio play and broadcast on the National “wave” throughout 1930 and 1931. 

Another production of The Rumour was mounted in early 1930 by the English Players headed by Edward Stirling (1891-1948). This company toured Munro’s play to Frankfurt, Germany and Vienna, Austria. 

This is an unusual play with a topic that is still relevant.  It is worth one’s time to read The Rumour.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PRODUCTIONS of MIRACLE AT VERDUN

Miracle at Verdun suffered from various problems as it moved to theatres in different parts of the world during the 1930s.  Each culture related to the premise of the play differently since the political situations varied greatly from one country to another. The experimental script’s style as it mixed “isms” together was an unfamiliar mode of drama in many countries as was the unusual production values used by directors and designers.  This combination of experimentation was thought to make the new drama exciting as well as thought provoking, but it was often jarring to audiences’ expectations theatre. While “Miracle” is reputed to be the last antiwar play to be permitted on Germany stages in the early 1930s, it was met with neither the same sense of urgency for its message in the United States nor was there an appreciation of its provocative staging elements.

The Theatre Guild held its New York opening on March 16, 1931 and the performances ran into April for a total of forty-nine. The English translation used for this production was the work of Julian Leigh. Brooks Atkinson wrote in his New York Times review on March 17, 1931: “When Hans Chlumberg’s ‘Miracle at Verdun’ is published here it may be possible to form an opinion about this ghoulish war play that created a sensation when produced in Germany last autumn.” He also stated: “. . .trickery of the dynamic theatre has taken precedence over dramatic ideas.” That problem was noted by other reviewers who did not like the three motion picture screens with images they claimed were low quality, the blaring amplified sound and many staging problems. Director Herbert J. Biberman was highly criticized for the problems relating to the production style. Aaron Copeland created the incidental music for this production. However, Atkinson’s summary regarding the theme of the play discusses the significance of this theatrical piece: 

But the fantastic idea of bringing all the war dead to life again, and
then measuring their sacrifice against the brazen greed of the world
that has climbed up on their broken bodies is certainly a startling
theme for a play, and certainly ought to harrow us. 

Since the play requires many actors, the Theatre Guild cast actors in multiple roles. The only actor singled out for commendation in Brooks Atkinson’s review was young Claude Raines. “Claude Raines as the Prime Minister of Belgium, makes himself heard above the general din, and gives a splendid, potent performance.” Raines also played the role of Heydner, the German tourist who had the dream, plus several other minor parts.

Miracle at Verdun received stage and radio productions in European countries and Great Britain during the early 1930s. The script used in England was translated by Edward Crankshaw. The play appeared in London during the Fall of 1932 at the Embassy Theatre and then it moved to the Comedy Theatre. The newspaper reviews are mixed since some reviewers considered the play to be a masterpiece while others were less enthusiastic. The comments related to the production style seem to indicate it was less of an issue than the American production. Amateur productions of this play appeared in a number of British cities over the following years.

Miracle at Verdun had another type of recognition more than forty years after its premier. Eli Siegel, poet and founder of the philosophy known as Aesthetic Realism, delivered a lecture that was recorded on April 3, 1977. He began this lecture by saying:

The Miracle of Verdun I have come to feel, all in all, is the most
valuable play telling about contempt. I think the meaning of
contempt—its full meaning—is the most valuable information
the world needs to know. . . This play makes. . .the knowledge of
it clearer and greater. There are two kinds of contempt: the kind
you can see immediately accompanied with. . .a sneer of the lips,
and then the contempt which is very quiet.

Eli Siegel’s definition of contempt is “the addition to self through the lessening of something else.” It was gratifying to learn that this forgotten play was reintroduced to another generation of students. Hopefully some of them read it and tried to imagine it on stage.

While it is may take a bit of effort to find Julian Leigh’s translation of the play in a library or through a used book vender, it is possible to read the play in German as well as an English translation online. See http://gutenberg.spiegel.de/buch/wunder-um-verdun-747211. The title is translated as Wonders of Verdun.  This German edition was published in 1932 by S. Fischer in Berlin. I have not compared the on-line translation or the one by Edward Crankshaw with the one by Julian Leigh. 

Reference:

CHLUMBERG, HANS.  Miracle at Verdun. New York: Brentano’s, 1931. Translation by Julian Leigh.

Reference for Miracle of Verdun photo:
   Roy S. Waldau. Vintage Years of the Theatre Guild. 1928-1939. Cleveland: The Press of Case Western Reserve University. 109.

If you read this play in English or German, please share either your reaction to the play or provide a comparison of the scripts.