St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-09-15
The PITOU OPENING.
1t Proves One Of the Most
Brilliant Of Recent
Successes.
The Play Put on With Re-
markable Smoothness for
a First Performance.
Great Crowds Of People Con-
tinue to See the EXPOSE
ton Sights.
Retail Grocers Prepare to Put
a Big Float in the
Parade.

When Clyde Fitch sat down to write
the play called "a Modern Match'' his
mind was not filed with the creatures
of fancy. Living, breathing. feeling
men and women were the subjects of
his pen. He put himselfin the position
of the photographers camera and the
monograph, adding to their powers of
faithful reproduction the pen of the
artist to embellish. The picture which
he drew in the quiet of his study Au-
gustus Pitou has transferred to the
stage in all its completeness of detail.
The result of this collaboration was
seen on the stage of the Grand opera
house last evening.
1t is commonly supposed that Amer
lea has no playwrights. Adapters there
are, and a few men who have turned out
perhaps one play. Dramatists are not
supposed to grow on Yankee soil. 1t is
pleasant to be able to contradict that
prevailing opinion, and to contradict it
with reason. Mr.. Fitch has written
other plays that have been accorded the
highest praises from both critic and
public. He has added to his reputation
in his latest composition. AS for the
man who has collected the company
that is presenting this play written by
an American, he has demonstrated that
it is possible to organize a dramatic
company that is capable of giving
perfect performance of a
good play. These opinions were
entertained by the people who
crowded the Grand last night. Their
opinions are worth considering. 1t was
not an ordinary audience. 1t repre-
scented the best social life and the cult
| ure of the city. The audience liked the
| play and it liked the players. What
more need be said?
1t is due the people who were not
| there to say why the play and the play
| erS were so well received. The plot of
! the play, its story. has been told in these
| columns. But it cannot be appreciated
as told in the plain matter of fact style
| of narration. 1t must be seen; the ac
| ton of the characters in the story must
be projected upon the eye. ga Modern
| Match' may not be great play. The
| claim of greatness is justified only by
the lapse of time. But it is strong,
consistent, thoroughly natural dramatic
play. The characters are intensely
human. That is SAYING a good
| deal, for the actions of man
The characters are not overdrawn.
They speak with the voices of the nine
teenth century and are actuated by
nineteenth century motives. The play
is a play of contrasts, the contrasts so
often seen in real life. Who has not
met the noble, high-Souled woman who
is joined to the crayen-hearted man.
The man may seem man while pros
perity smiles, but when adversely
strikes him the poltro0n is unmasked.
Such mau and such woman Mr..
Fitch has put into his play, Opposite
them he has set up the real man who
sees III trouble but reason for raising
his head still higher and triumphing
over the accidents of the world. and the
woman who marries for position and
whose heart is a stranger to the nobler
feeling and impulses of true womanbood.
These dissimilar characters are joined
in marriage. They meet those trials
that are calculated and that do bring
out the real qualities. The result is a
play that is absorbingly interesting
| and healthy in tone. There is no strain
ing for effect. 1t is society play, too.
| The language is such as one would eX-
1 pect TO hear III good society. There is
J not a harsh word, not loud tone, but
| some of the lines are terribly earnest.
| The characters are so accustomed to the
| restrictions of society that they do not
fall to cursing in the secrecy of their
own homes. They cannot forget that
they are gentlemen and ladies. nor can
they forget that they have feelings.
| They exhibit those feelings. but clothed
| in the garb of politeneSs that their long
use has rendered impo ssible to throw
| off.
1t is splendid company that Mr..
| Pitou has gathered here. There is not
a mediocre actor in thescaSt. All are art
lists, down 10 the little fve-year-old.
Nelson Wheatcroft won reputation in
the metropolis befor ever he was seen
in Minneapolis. Minneapolitans are
| ready to subscribe to anything good that
may be said of him and his work. He
is always the artist in that he conceals
his art, the highest achievement of the
artist. AS Robert Hunt, the man whom
trouble cannot cast down, he is the man,
not the actor Not whit behind him
in merit comes w. H. Thompson, as
George Synnott. in everything the OPP
poste of Hunt. His identity is lest
completely. One sees only the man
who is not superior to circumstances.
Miss Minnie Seligman is the heart
less woman of the world in
all that she does. AS VioleJ
Hunt, the wife of Robert. she
she reveals the woman who marries fol
money and position in society. Those
gone there is no tie that binds her to the
old life, not even her child. She mas
been poor, but is ashamed of it. After
ward she prefers shame to poverty. Ida
Vernon, the Mrs. Thompson of escast
is a fitting mother of such a woman
She even advises her TO play upon the
pocket of another man. These two
characters are played to the life. The
same is true of Miss Stanhope's charac
terization of Mrs. Synnott, the woman
who is made more womanly by trials
Miss Jane Stuart is delightfully."- girlist
as Sue Thompson. The balance de
serves individual mention, but space
fOrbids. Some of them make character.
of small parts. This is especially true
of Gus Frankel. The play went with {
smoothness that was remarkable for 6
first performance.
Finest Fur-Triinned Cloth Gar.