A heavy duty ego trip of Eugene O’Neil’s “A long day’s journey into the night”, a metaphorical nightmare not to be taken lightly, as cannibalism continues on the other side of theArabian peninsula.
Charlie Chaplin’s father in la, (married O’Neil’s daughter Oona )in searching for top billing got his wish thru Henry Mencken and George Jean Nathan, the Bowery stage giving his plays thevision they deservedly sought.
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On the other hand his son in law,( Oona in her role as wife/daughter), never took his persona seriously so it seems.. the“Tramp” on Hollywood Boulevard ,West of Vine, Friday night bouts at the American Legion ring.
The New York Philharmonic giving Charlie top billing.”Modern Times” .Specifically “the Tramp” for two dates at Lincoln Center.
Is this poetic justice or is it? A divine intervention or what?
How could the son in law get top billing when both relatives were geniuses in and out of disguise. Yet the son in law’spersona realizes himself as the Tramp. While the father in law “Long Day’s Journey ” seems dwarfed, doesn’t it?
Henry Mencken and George Jean Nathan gave props to thefather in law’s one act plays when they finally lit up the lights onBroadway.
The” Tramp” had to sweat it out as the son in law’s persona. O’Neil’s daughter bound to raise a family with her second father–husband… aka her father’s son in law.
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No matter how you swing the” Long Day’s Night” and the”Tramp”, Chaplin’s persona seems to have the universal touch. Surely not a fictional rags to riches but empathy and sensitivity,interpreting the “Tramp’s” pilgrimage as contrasted with the “Long Day’s” nightmarish bonding of a family’s self destructiveness.
Charlie’s “Tramp” accepts his role in a perilous journey, while his father in law seemingly sets his legacy. A 180 degree taking himself seriously. A dissection of a family living under one roof, with vultures ,drugs, and womanizing voodoo.
Anyone with a light touch, can see why the New York Philharmonic gave kudos to the son in law’s “Tramp”. Whatever word one uses: empathy, the light touch, odyssey, pilgrimage, this corner sees Charlie Chaplin ‘s alter ego and persona as a hero. While the father in law’s dissection islike a surgeon discovering his own Achilles heel.
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When the aficionados gather around the Oracle at Delphi andbeg the question “The Tramp” or “Long Day’s Night” gets top billing?
September 4, 2014. The City that never sleeps.
