The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-10-22

EMMA EAMEs AS JULIET
necessary to give the details of the story.
which Is intensely interesting and will
long stand rs model of the modern play
wright's art.
1t seems that Pinero when he wrote it
had no idea that it would ever become n
great and popular success, for he feared
That the thenter going public would refuse
TO accept 1t seriously as Il thoroughly sim
'oere contribution to contemporaneous drn-
matte literature. He offered 1.-The Second
Mrs. Tanqueray" to Manager Daniel Froh-
man of the Lyceum, this city, but that as
tute manager was unwilling to serve it up
to the exotic palates of his patrons.
When it was produced some time after.
ward in London and really became the
reignng sensation, Mr.. Frohman was no
doubt greatly surprised and perhaps n
tfific rcgretful ut the apparently magnifl-
cent lost opportunity. He was afraid
that New York wouldn't "stand" 1t. but
this cosmopolitan city has not only stood"
1t, but it positively likes it, and that, too
despite the fact that most of the critics do
not. These gentlemen have suddenly de.
veloped didactic tendencies, and the theat-
rical columns Of the big New York dailies
may soon be expected to contain long SER
mons on morality. If this should prove to
w Vic Suoc, NndI d COuCThSU VIII thus ho
afforded with the other portions of most of
those papersl
The oifense in the case of 1.-THE Second
Mrs. TanQueray" seems to lie in the fact
that it deals with things as they really are
and not as they should be. The play shows
by means of strong dialogue, masterful
situations and adroit suggestions that n
misstep will be followed by retribution lust
as surely rs the sun rises and SETS This ia
done in such vigorous manner that to
many the treatment might appear at first
sight to be unnecessarily and even brutally
broad but this is not the case. The tbinr
that surprised me most was that an author
should be able to handle subject so nd
mittedly tender" with SO much skill and
comparative delicacy, and so little actual
statement OF the unsavory condition which
evt.yoody who sees the play thoroughly
understands without exactly knowing at
what particular point in the progress of the
drama he received the information.
People may discuss The Second Mrs.
Tanqueray" from tho moral or immoral
standpoint as much as they like, but no
one who makes the slightest pretensions
TO knowledge of the technique Of stage
writing will deny tina, from the literary and
artistic standpoints 20 play presented in
this city for inany year is its superior and
but few of them are it's equals
lwould not advise parents to take their
young daughters to see 1.-The Second Mrs.
Tanqueray," because the moral there
taught may be acquired in much more
quiet manner. But to grown persons, who
know and realize that the world is not I'M
sulliedlv pure, an evening with "The Sec
ond Mrs. Tanqueray" will prove literary
treat
Harrigan's new play, 1.-THE Wooden Stock
ing" has caught the fancy of his clientele,
just as most of its predecessors have done
The Wooden Stocking is the name Of n coal
Pline in Pennsylvania, the deed of which
has been lost by the rightful owner and
has been pasted in Il Bible belonging to a
colored family. This Bible is transferred
Tor debt and other causes from one person
TO another, and it is upon the efforts to re-
turn 1t to the owner that the main thread
of she plot-if the play can be said TO have
plot-really hangs. It's mighty slender
thread, but it does not require a very strong
one to hold up the story.
The scene is laid in New York. and
the characterization, though necessarily O
trihe exaggerated for the purposes of
runmaking, is in the main good, and
coupled with the really fine mounting
which Harrigan has given the piece will
almost certainly insure for it a long and
prosperous career. Dave Braham has
written six new songs, and there is not
one of them which the hand organs and the
street urchins will not soon have BY the
way, Mr.. Braham has in this company a
son, particularly conscientious lad OF
considerable ability, who is likely to make
bis mark in the linz of work which he has
mapped out for himself
"The Still Alarm" was and is q great
success. So also was and is ''Blue jeans
Joseph Arthur is the author of both. He
felt proud Of his literary offspring, as well
he might, for the former introduced the
fire engine, 'swith a pair of real live horses"
as dramatic star of the first magnitude.
which was only eclipsed, when "Blue
Jeans" was produced, by the buzzsaw. A
distinct advance in the direction of realism
had besH made, and that, too, to great
pecuniary advantage. Therefore when NJ. |
Arthur announced that be would produce
1.-THE Corncracker"-a third play from his
mechanically inventive pen-it was ex-
pectad that some wonderful new effect
would DO shown, especially as It was ostan.
tatiously ANNOUNCED that rehearsals were
alEays held behind closed doors.
Well, THE Corncracker" came, was seen
and waR EOn0unrad hava nat ynk ,.nA