The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-09-26
LEM KETTLE

Henry Guy Carleton is a playwright OF
experience, lacking in that originality, or
that subtle something that pinnacles a
man. He can construct a play neatly,
and according to the most approved So;
Of rules. and he can also mt 1t with bright
and occasionally pointed dialogue. but he
never impresses or leads one to believe
that he has a single gleam OF creative
power
Lem Kettle" the play Mr.. Carleton
has written for Tim Murphy, ard now
running at the Bijou. is smooth ana tidy,
but II is lamentably tame. 1t Is written
around one of those imposslbly good
heroes. OF whom American pllywTights
seem to be so fond. All the interest is
supposed to centre In a highly virtuous
young man. who. unfortunately, doesn't
die. but who is perpetually struggling
for the sympathy of the audience in the
centre OF the stage; speaking rude words
to villains and kind words to worthy
folks: ready to sacrifice everything Tex
cept the centre OF the stageJ and con-
stantly making n bid for cheap applause.
The audiences Of New York are past that
sort OF thing. They have gone step
above II. They want a spice Of some
thing less .nfantine than once upon
time there was a good little boy, who
loved a good little girl bnt a naughty
villain came up. The good little boy
jumped upon the naughty villain and
married the good little girl, with whom
he lived happily ever afterwards"
Lem Kettle is n poor inventor who lives
on horrible farm. where shrill-volced.
nasal people say My Lands. and
Suffering Ginger, and where everything
Is squalld. unattractive and unpoetic. Mr..
Carleton. however. wants the audience
to like these country folks. FOR he
makes them all good. and contrasts them
vividly with the villainy OF the New
Workers. The poor inventor has some
troublous times in New York. The girl
| he loves is engaged to a heavy villain {;
| a bad man tries to reap the profits Of
| his invention. and II Is only in the last
act that he triumphs, as you knew he
/ would do. He Is not very human, for
he never errs, and he always says the
right thing at the right time. No won
! der that Bernard Shaw has tried TO
parody all this sort of thing In his clever
skit, Arms and the Man" These i'm
possible heroes do more harm than good.
for they make virtue so insipid. II they
had some redee ming evil. Look at Lord
Clivebrooke In The Bauble Shop" He
IL not a saint by any means, and hs
does good deal of unthinking wrong
but John Drew has never had a part
that Is so attractive. If Mr.. Carleton
had written the play, Clivebrooke could
have appeared In "A halo at the end OF
every act. Yet, Mr.. Carleton has thor
oughly mastered the b C OF his art
and Is. moreover, a man OF undisputed
literary ability. and enviable sincerity
OF purpose.
Mr.. Murphy as Lem Kettle is artistic
but highly uninteresting. You know ex'
actly what he is going to do and say
so that II Is perhaps not his fault II yot
can't admire the way in which he doe
II and says II. Miss Dorothy Sherrod Al
the heroine. is very pretty, but rather
awkward, and Miss Clara Thropp as
hoyden is fearfully loud and obtrusive
Such girls as BLindy may possibly exist
but we don't want to see or hear them
| There was day when vulgarity wa
| cute" but It has gone by. Samue
= Reed, as a country lout, follows the ira
ditions ruling such ro.eS, and Clarence
Handyside Is conventional william. !
. capital little character sketch is con
1 tributed by John l.. Ince, and 1t stand
: consplcuously forth from the duh leve
OF the other characters.
: ALLAN DALE.