The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-09-01
HENRY GUY CARLETON.
The Author Of "A Gilded Fool" at
the Narragansett.
ADVICE ToyoUNG PLAywRIGHTS
He Says the Only Great Successes on the
Road To-Day are by American Au-
thors-The Demand Steadily Increas-
fng-A story from New York.

The register at the Narragansett Hotel
tolls that among others stopping there Is
Henry Guy Carleton, poet, author and
playwright. He has been In the city Swo
or three days attending to the final re-
hearsals Of "A Gilded FOOL" which will
have its first presentation at the PRovl
DENcE Opera House tonight by Nat
Goodwin and a carefully selected COM
pany.
Knowing that he had formerly been In
the harness OF newspaper work / called
yesterday TO extend to him the freedom
Of the city. lie said he had already al
lowed himself little liberty since his
arrival and had been as far as Roger viii
liams Park without being molested and
confessed 20 precipitating a family row
In the monkey department of Superin-
tendent Hathaway's charge by feeding
peanuts to the small ones and ignoring
the big fellow.
In speaking of "A Gilded Fool" Mr..
Carleton said: 1T would be hardly fair
to Mr.. Goodwin, the public or myself TO
give the plot in detail before hand, but,
As has been said. The play is laid at
Washington Square, New York City;
the hero Is a young fellow who, shortly
herited an enormous fortune and his fall
ing In love and his inexperience with the
ways of the world, and the modern meth
DDS of business lead to complications
that make the story. The plot is simple,
the story could be told in very few
plots; the interest of play does not lie
In theatric devices, but In the emotions
which must necessarily arise from the
dramatic complications of the story.
Inferior plavwrights resort to pistol
firing, tanks, fire engines, etc, to create
an artificial excitement at the end OF
their clumsy acts, while the skilled
writer will evoke strong pathos from
some little incident familiar in every
mans life and in every home"
Speaking of Mr.. Goodwin, he said: "In
all my career never have had an actor
as easy to write for as he; every detail OF
and Mr.. Goodwin wifi interpret the char
acter exactly as came from my pen with
out the introduction of single 'gag'n
Mr.. Carleton expressed In the strongest
terms his admiration for the artistic
methods OF Mr.. Goodwin and also for his
versatility which he considered would be
strongly brought out in the new play.
Another thing which he greatly ad
mired In the actor and which shows the
true artist, i do not want a one-part
play said Mr.. Goodwin; make each
and every character as strong as you
please and will get players to interpret
be- The result is" Mr.. Carlton re-
marked, "the company is one of the
strongest that has been seen on the road
and Mr.. Goodwin has engaged expert
enced people for even the small roles
which ordinarily are taken by cheap play
srs: he has recognized that the public
will no longer tolerate cheap barn-storm-
ara ia SuDnort of afarS "
Among other successful plays from Mr..
Carleton's pen are "The Lions MOUTH a
romantic drama of Venice in blank verse
which Frederick Ward played 1917 times |
last season and which will be the feature
of the Ward-James Company this sea
son: "Memnon" o tragedy in blank verse
which they will also produce, and Victor
Durand which ran all winter at the old |
Nyallack theatre New York, in 1856
Relative to the American drama, the
position it holds on the stage OF to-day,
and to its rapid growth, Mr.. Carleton
said: II am not one of those who believe
that the American drama is in its infancy,
there are only three persons who preach
that doctrine to-day and they are man
ayers who make annual trips to England
and who annually pay their heavy losses
on the British drama with the money
they have made on the works Of Ameri-
can play-wrights. The only great successes
on the road to-day are the American
plays. No English play has scored great
success In this country within the past
five years. while the American successes
have been many and great.
The American author Is no longer
peddler OF his small wares among play
Spectators, who do not know manu-,
script play when they see one. On the
contrary every American author of any |
repute has more orders and applications |
for his work than he can possibly fiji. and |
on better terms than foreign are easily |
secured.
1.-The American drama is very sturdy
and vigorous youth. and though still |
growing, Is able now TO "knock OUT In |
one round" the foreign. Moreover. the |
American public has learned that there |
are American plays to be had rejecting |
american scenes, American characters. |
customs and pecuiiarities. 1t has learned |
to like the flavor of American PLAYS bet |
ter than the foreign"
Speaking OF the difficulty of young au-
thors obtaining hearing, Mr.. Carleton
would advise them TO submit their work
TO an actor-manager. unless they are GER
lain their rules OF art are correct, and TO
accept in every detail the criticism they
will receive: and In writing not TO forget
that the audience is their equal In intelli-
gence.
Mr.. Carleton has a slight impediment
IN his speech that is not noticeable to any
extent, but bis friends use the fact when
hey tell a story OF which he is part. The
Dramatic NctCs is responsible Tor this
,ne: Mr. Carleton WAS walking on IRE
mont street. Boston, recently, when
here passed manager between whom
and the playwright has existed an Ant
arctic GOODNESS ever since the manager
did" play Of Carleton's in more ways
than one.
Your friend isn't looking werl,v OBJ
served Cartoons companion, IA little
pale about the gills"
He has tutt-wo good reasons for not
[uffeeling we'll, said Carleton.
And what are theyf"
why, his nun-new company can't act
and his old kuk-kidpeys won't"