The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-12-13
PLAYS OF ASSASSIN WIVES.
GRUNDY,s al ROOFS PARADTSE1 AND
ZOLA'S THEREsE"

eRUNDY,s a. ROOFS PARADrsE" AND
ZOLA'S THEREsE"
Mr.. willard and Mrs. Potter In Contra stlne
Displays OF Dramatic Art-The Actors
Dignity-The Actress's Presentation ofshe
Notorious scene orthe Bridal Bedchamber
L. S. Willard acted In d half. new comedy at
the Star Theatre last evening. Sydney Grundy
wrote " The Mouse Trap" for wallack's stage.
and it was performed there briefly 1--WE years
ago. 1t illustrated the evil passions OF a wo-
man who tried to poison her husband to
death so that she might marry former lover.
or interest OF its audiences.
Part Of the failure was due to the paucity OF
dramatic element. and the rest TO the assign
ment OF the roles to unfit actors. Mr.. Grundy
is perverse author. not given to the modiflca-
ton OF his schemes to please anything
save his own will. but In this case
he rewrote the piece. and. under the
title OF "A Fools Paradise" it was highly
regarded in London. A soft-hearted and
hard-mannered physician. who dlscov.
cred the wlfe's murderous intention and
thwartsd 1t. was the best Characterization
In tho original group OF personages and
the playwright elaborated him in the i'm
proved version 1t was this very familiar
but ever-captivatinG man OF the stage that Mr..
Willard portrayed last night. and he did It with
all his accustomed care. correctness. and dig
nifty OF art. He could do nothing astonishing
with the part. owing TO its conventional ma
turo. for we have had that same
doctor in plays for many and many
year. and even Mr.. Grundy's very
expert pen could not write much that was un.
expected for him to say. But in every utter
ance and motion tho actor was expressive in
tho best conceivable way. Tho lacking thing
in the admirable performance was the hardly
describable one which distinguishes genius
from talent. Mr.. Willard has abundant talent,
but not a particle OF genius.
The play in its present form Is very good
comedy in Mr.. Grundy's fluent STYLE but not
altogether reasonable in any OF its serious
motives. and especially the revese in the case
of n young woman who. on finding she Is tho
riGhtful hciress to an estate worth million
dollars. stubbornly refuses to take it because
to do so would impoverish the wrongful pos.
SCISSORS OF it. Tho author has bent his best
skill to the task OF making this freakish
creature normal. and at the Star she is
enEaGincly played by Marie Burroughs
so warm heartsdly imbued with feminine
charm as to be delGhtiul-yet her action
cannot be made to seem other than
prsIosterous. But the entertainment afforded
by A Fools Paradise is to he recommended
In other pieces. as we'll as to those who are
aEss 'G wn"e KIM Of hs M He
nor his participation in it amounts to much.
"Thcrcs.."
Emile Zola's story OF Therese Ra1uin." or
SO much OF 1t as the author had been able to
put into play. was enacted at the Union
Square Theatre last evening. Tho book Is
horrifying but whether fascinating or repul-
sive depends on the reader.
Tho question OF Xc,as realism. whether It
Is nasty and mertorious. or only nasty and
mcrctricious. need not DO discussed hero.
Nor is it essential. in considering the play. to
pass moral judgement on what was done with
it on the stage at the Union Square. Admirers
of ZoIa may be able to believe that q good
purpose was served.
Others may not hesitate to conclude that the
only object gained or desired was the repro.
sentation OF a woman in her bridal chamber
The actress was Mrs James Brown Potter. and
it was herself-not her art or Zola's heroine
that erGrossed the spectators during the
scene of the brides disrobing. This portion
OF tho show had been modified considerably bly,
however. since the first Boston performance
This was in tho third act. after the wife had
assassinated her husband and married her
lover The room was the brides bedcham-
Der. The Bostonians saw two comic fellows
come in and Jocosely put nettles between the
sheets of the bed joke about it. and withdraw.
Last night tho bod was curtaincd out OF sight
Mrs Potter entered. She wore u dress OF rad.
dish brown velvet with yellow sleeves. neat
AMI set about undressing tho bride at once.
talking almost modcstly. instead Of grossy
as before. about the nuptials, and investing her
aniastsnea the front Of the bodIcs And
turned it lack. then united the skirt down one
s' iS s to hem xs sna Pn sEt hs1e
what may he called Il moment Of dramatic
snspense. while the maid chartered on. and
taxing, OF Of tho, dress entirely. Per:
n drop and lift OF the curtain. or a MON entary
Inrse q tlme Was Mrs. Potter an Yn'aithiuI
to shirk some OF the truth ? When tho dress
VA gone she was disclosed at once in a
mink, about the hiatus The attendant
quickly put Mrs, Potter into long yellow
came Kyrr ,Bellew as the bridegroom. He
pulled of his r Soat and yGst and wanted
re sady ' to laugh ani at th naa p Sssa
the merriment broke ont. but only lightly and
briefly. for r., the ensuing remorse. dread. and
the disposition to be dcrisive disappeared
when Mr.; Bellew ceased to threaten the re-
moval OF his trousers.
:. IN the play Of Iherese." as in the book OF
Therese RaImin, man and woman.
s IG are depicted With unb!ushing iIdslty;
tho man tall in love with each other. :" If You
We're y only widow" says he; All, yos.,,,
Tho, wish leads to the. deed. She murders
her husband. and marries her lover and ac-
0f n Iran H.
fore the nuptial night. however. and the ghost
Of tho dead man is ever between them. Tho
remainder of the drama depicts their mental
terrors. then their cowardly fright upon learn !.
ing that their victims mother knows
t!is old woman,s paralysis, the change
smultnnco,is rcs"iVe 70 iii n.ch ntE.r 'nr n
finally their suicide; There would lie no deny;
crime Il 1t were not for. the rruriency Of the
bridal chamber show. That being eliminated.
the play wonld remain u tragedy OF modern
liz. teaching n lessor, with tremendous force:
Is mi S,,tt haH tad nj I,I