New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-02-09
MIR. BERGH AS A DRAMATIST.
HIS PLAY OF LOVES ALTERNATIVE" TO BE PRO
pUcED sooN-THE AUTHOR MODEST oPlNlo

,,,o pr.v nv "IoyE,s ALTERNATIVE" TO BE PRO-
pUcED sooN-THE AUTHOR MODEST OPINION
OF ITS MERITS.
Henry Bergh. president of the Society lot tne
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. ls also p3et anu
a dramatlst. His play. entitled Loves AIerna-
tyeD is TO be produced at the Union League theatre
by a company of pupils from Professor troblshers
school of dramatic art. TRIBUNE reporter called
mon Mr. Bergh yesterday TO learn something about
tie nature of the play. Mr.. BcrGh said:
81 wish to tell YOU in the first place, and | hope
you Will perceive that am IN earnest thaI 'ne pro
duction of this play not due to any VANITY on my
part. / have been fairly besleged by Professor
Frobisher and bis pupils for the use OF my drama
and l consented to their using IL t 1nlv pei
work that is being accomplished in this
school of dramatic art You know. SIR,
and men in this great city, You know too, that
their insane desire to go upon the stage Is source OF
great grief to their parents Now there Is no pace
better fitted for keeping them oil The stage than TINS
school OF dramatic art. You see young woman
goes there 10 learn to act and, after studying Tor
ma be year. Professor Fr0bisher tells her that she
has no talent aud would never succeed upon the
stage. Do you see how the school worksI Many
young women who are stage-struck are thus SEM
back to their proper duties Oh Washing Gsnrs %
in this work and, therefore, have lent my play TO
Professor Frobsher to add new charms to his pupils
acting. Not that have any high opinion OF It's
merits for vanity has nothing to do with this mat
ter; but my play has been highly spoken OF by
Skilled dramatists in England; Yes. SIR Tom Taylor
very fine drama. But am not vain about 1t, and l
critics. criticised. / hope, however. that my
critics will remember that the play is to be acted
by company Of amateurs-persons whose teacher
may eventually tell them that they can wash dishes
better than they can act"
"Can you tell the readers Of THE TRIBUNE the
story of your playT
"Welf, briefly 1t is this was at Mavence some
years ago. and saw an old ruined castle on the
Rhine near that CITY, 1t offered TO ME for 500.
but had no particularly great neeu of ruined cas-
ties Just then, aud so did not buy it. Two years
afterward / went back. and found that an English
nobleman had purchased it, and had restored II 10
its pristine gores. Their the idea upon which my
play is founded came to me, and by the help OF q
little ina gination and great deal OF blank verse L
wrote Loves AlternatiVe' A Young woman, the
wife of the Engllshman living in the castle. has
previously been married to an Italian He goes into
the wars and to the best of her knowledge and De-
lief is killed In the end of my first act lie reap
pears at tie castle as a visitor armed with letter
of introduction to the nobeman. L have been
told. sir, by competent judges that the
end of this act is very fine. This Italian then pro-
ceeds to extor money from the young wife as the
price of his silence, and finally proposes 10 her TO
rob the treasure vault Of the castle. This she re-
fuses to do He then makes blank verse reSolu-
ton to do it alone. She watches hm, and, when he
has entered the vault. she shuts him Ill. There Is
the second grand climax OF the play. Afterward
the villain escapes ana still pulsues her. But retI-
girl whom he has betrayed arrives at the castle as
a visitor. Finding the Italian there. duel ensueS
and the villain is slain This s i'll brief the story
that animates my five acts. They are written III
vanity about this play, think told You but, If
Mr. Wallack or Mr.. DAILY would produces It, be-
leve it would have as much success a. some OF the
PLAYS which have made hits III Newly rK OF late.
AT any rate it will to assist Professor Fr"blsher
in his great work Of preparing pupils to remain off
the StappV