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Meteor
S. N. Behrman
New York:
Brentano’s, 1930
First edition in dust jacket |
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For those who expected
continuing comedy from Behrman, Meteor, produced in
1929, must have come as something of a shock; both the
playwright and the Lunts, whose deft playing of light comedy
had already become something of a legend, chose this
high-tensioned drama for their second joint venture. Under
the Guild’s patronage, Philip Moeller, who staged The
Second Man and who suited Behrman "perfectly," directed.
In Meteor, a chance reading of a book written by a
college professor brings Raphael Lord to the small New
England college where his self-assurance both fascinates and
infuriates. Claiming the powers of clairvoyance, Lord
insists that his destiny must be fulfilled as a businessman
in New York rather than as a scholar. Events during the next
five years have proven Lord correct; he has built a
multimillion-dollar empire on South American oil
speculation. Treachery exists within the temple, and owing
to his misinterpretation of one of his visions, the
structure collapses and Lord loses all, including his wife.
The drama concludes with Lord making his first move to crush
his enemies. Written in 1926, this third solo Behrman script
to reach Broadway marks his first attempt with a megalomanic
personality, Raphael Lord, whose close kin are recognized
later as Clay Rainier in Dunnigan’s Daughter (1945),
Alvin Connors in "Let Me Hear the Melody" (1951), and, to a
degree, Lord Pengo. Although actor Lunt crafted his
makeup to strongly resemble Serena Blandish’s
producer Jed Harris, Behrman continued to insist that an
egoist far greater than Harris provided the genesis for the
character of Raphael Lord. Perhaps Behrman had in mind famed
Boston swindler Charles Ponzi, whose nefarious career
fascinated the writer and whose name still denotes a scheme
involving a pyramid swindle. In any event, the late 1920s
provided scores of ersatz Napoleons of monetary greed and
their spawn as prototypes. Behrman, who would meet many more
of their kind in Hollywood, sensed a need to capture this
phenomenon. Meteor arrived on Broadway two months
following the stock market crash – a most inopportune
moment. The Guild advertisements promised "Even though you
were ruined in the recent Stock Exchange landslide, you will
still like this play." Production problems plagued the unit.
The Lunts had not expressed overwhelming enthusiasm for the
script when the Theatre Guild originally presented it to
them, proposing that the Guild request a major revision of
the text. Behrman later wrote: "Lynn Fontanne played the
daughter only to give her husband a chance to be meteoric.
She hated the part. Gentleness is not a satisfying attribute
for an actress as dynamic as Miss Fontanne." Lunt adds: "The
play wasn’t ready to be shown, and we wanted to postpone it,
but [Guild producer] Miss Helburn insisted that it had to go
on as planned. So on Monday, the day of the opening at the
Tremont [sic] Theatre (in Boston) about ten minutes of the
end of the play was not written and therefore unrehearsed,
as Mr. Moeller and Mr. Behrman had quarreled, and both had
left the theater. This was about 4:30 in the afternoon, so
we literally ‘ad libbed’ the end of the play." Reviewing the
New York opening, one critic concluded with "My guess is
that Mr. Behrman wrote the play the way he liked it best and
during rehearsals it got in places to be something else."
Just so. At the time of publication, Behrman offered a
reading text which differed from the playing version.
However, ninety-two Broadway performances must not be
considered a failure during an era in which the long
Broadway run had not established itself as a yardstick of
success, a time when troupers such as the Lunts regarded
Broadway (as did Mrs. Fisk) merely as "a stand." Further,
whatever responsibility must be borne by the production
team’s creative personalities – the stars, the director, the
producers – in altering the true course of the script, the
always accommodating Behrman could hardly have found himself
in top form. |
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