Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-02-23
SMILES AND TEARS.

Margaret Mather in Her New Play, The
Egypiian-The Charity Bail-Ail the
Comforts OF Home-rhe sinbad Still
shining-lli the Plays in Town Criti.
cised.
1t is n mistake to preface so long and
heavy play as ''The Egyptian" with cur.
tain raiser, but one can pardon the error
and almost approve it in fact, because it
happens to reveal Margaret Mather In a
very pleasant, and for her, somewhat novel
role. In Nance Oldf1eld," Charles Reade's
version ofa Frenc piece which we have seen
here earlier in the season under the title OF
Tragedy and Comedy" by Mr.. Yardley.
Miss Mather plays the great actress of the
stage, who takes pity on the youthful adj
mircr with much vivacity and so as to re-
veal in very graceful fashion the woman's
heart. Tho whole piece was well played, but
surely the most effective termination to the
play, though, perhaps not So true to life as
Mr. Reade's, is MIR. Yardley's. The latter
makes the smitten youth and the actress
marry; Mr.. Reade makes him prefer the
dramatic muse to his more tempting mistress
OF flesh and blood Youth seldom chooses so.
The big play on the programme is "The
Egyptian"-safd to be new adaptation Of
Victor Hugo's "Hunchback of Notre Dame,"
by someone who is not named. 1t is kindly
IN the mnnagemens to withhold TIN sao the the
novel could imagine how defrly the dramatist
has contrived to demolish the intense inter
est of the story. 1t would be unkind
upon her new role, although she does
Esmera,da. The sooner ] she puts away
he x the better for hsr the xs ahs
scenery to be set up. The story of the play
begins ut the point in the novel where
Phebus meets Esmeraidd, and ends in the ap-
parent happy reunion OF the lovers after
Claude Frollo's death. But though the
scenery and several incidents are closely
ity of plot is entirely lacking, and the
observer, unless he know the novel
well and watch the play carefully, is con-
stantly befogged. For instance. how is the
audience to know that the excited female.
who watches Frotio's first attempt to capture
Esmerdldd from behind a barred window on
the right side of the stage, is the gypsy's
mother! This silent by-play OF the mother
the old lady's violent irruption in act ".
The language of the whole play is tawdry
and theatrical, and while some of the situa-
tlons are strong, not one of them nor the
play as whole has any deep human ap-
peal.
In the very fiimsy character of the heroine
Miss Mather's abilities are thrown away.
She has very few chances of showing her
tragic powers, though she is picturesque
always, and in the lighter passages very
charming. Otis Skinner is also unsufted u:-
eOiiy lOT Ctuuue rTOeO ne Ii IL SOOu aOooir
but not by any means II heavy viii
lain. The part which should be heroic
i'll size, as it is in nature, Cap
tain Pho5uS, for some reason or other
has been thrown into the background, SO
that the audience is only asked spasmodi-
cally to take any hearty interest in him. The
Htnchbdck is another very unpleasant char
acter at best, and the comedy ele ment So
called is very nearly tragic.
The scenery is the best part of the play.
The view of Paris and the Seine by MOON
light in act II. is very beautiful; and the
gypsy dance, quaint and colorful, gains from
having so quiet background. Miss Mather
deserves credit for doing her very best,
though suffering from very bad cold.