The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-12-10
AMERICANS ABROAD
1t 10 the Title of sardou's Latest
Play,
From the Ne,O YORK Herald.

From the NetO York Herold
MIR. Frohman produced at the Lyceum
theater last night comedy by Sardou, new
to any stage, entitled Americans Abroad"
1t was written at Mr.. Frohman's REQUEST
and has been made over to suit the Ameri-
can stage under his direction. Such enter
prise deserves its reward, and it had it last
night in the shape of much laughter and
applause. So far as may be judged by the
manner in which the play was received by
the brilliant audience that filled the theater,
there can be little doubt that the play will
win large amount of popular approval.
But this will be due rather to the players
than Co the play. AS compared to Sardou
at his best, or even at his second best
Americans Abroad lacks almost every-
thing that makes his work notable-bril-
hancy, wit, ingenuity Of an exceptionable
type.
The story of the play is simplicity itself,
An American girl of fabulous wealth,
Florence Winthrop. is living in Paris with
her uncle, Richard Fairbanks, and her
cousin Jessie, his daughter. Florence has
known what 1t was to be poor and at one
time taught painting. The death Of an
uncle gave her millions. When the curtain
rises she is disguised and weary of the horde
Va phA noAtoc ny money anu
secretly yearns for a few hours of the simple
life of the New England village she came
from. One OF her most persistent admirers is
certain pr1ncely roue whose schemes are
aided by the Baroness de Beaumont. The
prince has become a nuisance. Florence
suggests ruse to rid themselves of the
prince and all his like If Florence should
lose her fortune the parasites would dissp>
pear.
The uncle and Jessie enter into the
scheme, and the curtain for the second ect
rises upon the poverty stricken studio in
which Florence paints all day in order TO
keep the wolf from the door, The ruse has
not quite convinced the willy baroness, but
the prince has disappeared and the baroness
can induce only one melancholy specimen
of the genus fortune hunter, a certain Casi-
mir LaJolly to accompany her when she
visits the attic to make sure that Florence
is really working for her living.
But the ruse has at least proved success
full with one young gentleman, an American
painter, who had ignored Florence's ads
Vances when she was rich, but now makes
up for lost time by desperate love making
de buys secretly the pictures that Florence
paints, and she buys secretly aud at high
prices the pictures that he paints. When
Gilbert Raymond, the American artist,
finally declares himself and Florence falls
into his arms with a sigh of happiness the
dropped, but the girl has found in it so much
happiness that be pleads with her uncle for
a little more time, and under pretext Of a
commission for the decoration of a country
chateau Raymond is enticed away from
Paris and preparations arc made for the
wedding. Only when the marriage con-
tract Is signed shall Raymond know that
his wife is an heiress.
The baroness has not yet given up the
game by which she hoped to get share of
the American millions. In order to cause a
rupture she causes Florence to believe that
Raymond, before proposing to her, knew
that her pretended loss Of fortune was all
sham. Florence charges him with being
no better than the other men who sought
her money, and worse than the prince, for be
at least made no pretense of love. There is
violent scene between the two low
ers, ending with Raymond's declara-
ton that he can never marry
woman capable of suspect
ing him of such baseness. The reconcilia-
tion is brought about in rather a clumsy
way-for Sardou-by friend of the fam
lily, who insults Florence and then insists
that II Raymond wishes TO avenge the in
suit he must first marry Florence in order
to have that right-a bit of explanation
that explains nothing, but which induces
Raymond to clasp Florence to his manly
bosom and demand an apology from her
traducer-which the traducer laughingy
grants. Whereupon Raymond naively rev
marks that he sees through the joke. He
has been so persistently and thoroughly
hoodwinked all through the play that no
stupidity upon mis- part need surprise any
one.
For SO great a master of plot and sit
uatlon Americans Abroad" is singularly
lacking In common ingenuity. The drift of
the play is seen by every one in the house
almost from the start, and at no time dur
ing the evening does any one feel the slight
est misgiving as to how the play and even
every scene of it was coming out. The dia,
loRue is not much more remarkable than
the plot. The fact that the antics aud alb
surditles Of @ male Malaprop in livery, not
line Of whose part can have been written
by Sardou. should furnish the most constant
laughter Of the evening is sufficient COM
mentary upon this point.