The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-09-17
NEW BLOOD"

IL WIS hard to realize that the pIny-
wright who showed such exquisite pa
thos and such dainty humor in "AIa-
pama could produce such tiresome
meaningless and artificial affair ms
new Blood" the play of American
ire (alas! for American life), that
opened the season at Palmers Theatre
Saturday night. Yet Augustus Thomas
made no bones about admitting his au-
thorship of the play, and he responded
to the call that the cruelty Of the audi
ence insisted upon.
In New Blood" Mr.. Thomns has
given us play that is absolutely with.
out FORM and void. He has been an I'M
happy In the little love episodes as in
| the labored and technical references to
the labor question, and his play is stud
ded with impossible people While 1t is
not necessary for a play to prove any
thing In particular-theatre-go going being
more OF n pastime than lesson-we
certainly expected. after being dragged
through an act that dealt with monopo-
lies and trusts, and percentages, and
master mechanics. to hear something
that might settle some disputed point
But Mr. Thomas settled nothing. He
even unsettled his audience, for he made
| them distinctly uncomfortable They
tried hard to follow him through his lit
tie financial technicalties. but their eff
fort was useless one. The game was
| not worth the candle.
The father was a monopolist. and the
son was Socialist. The father was
| haggard, emaciated and at deaths door
for three acts, while the son enjoyed
rude health and ate a spendid breakfast
on the stage, Perhaps the play was
meant to show that monopolists cannot
live. while Socialists can eat and drink
and be merry. Who knows? don't,
and am sure that the audience didn't.
The father had n wife who loved n
minister. who proposed to his daughter.
who loved somebody else, who didn't
Know that she loved him-as per usual
The minister was very terrible person,
but there was not enough subtlety
about him to render him Interesting.
He was distinctly tame. though naughty.
As for the wife. she was so utterly
bad that the audience couldn't get up
any interest in her There was not a
vestige OF humanity about her consttu-
ton. though l rather fancy uIat Mr..
Thomas planned a dashing, reckless siren
or the class known as "ladles with A
past Her present. however, was so
CHASTITY that we didn't care hang about
her past, and-thank goodness that we
shall not be asked to peer into her fu-
ture. The role OF Barstow Adams, OF
Chicago, who loved the pure young girl,
was an utterly impossible affair. Such
over would have disgusted any pure
young girl, and any Impure one, too,
And when you are cooly asked 10 SYM
pathiZe with the silly complcat lions In
which this stupid Lotharlo got himself
involved. you had an Internal rebellion
that wore you out. Van Buren, Gran
| dall, the Socia!istic son, who had such
good appetite, was perhaps the most
entertaining person in the play, because
he was so kind to his dying popper.
The pepper himself took such a long
time dying that you felt downright vexed
| with him for trifing with you. To add
| to 1t al. his corpse responded to a cur
tain call. which was unseemiy.
| New Blood was well acted in most
OF Its parts, Wilton Lackaye was "con-
scientious." and he Is better when he
isn't. E, NJ. Holland tried hard to make
| the pepper Interesting, and Miss Kath-
crime Grey was very effective. C. w.
| Couldock preached a sermon with all
due impressiveness. We admired Mr..
Coildock. even II we wearied OF his ser.
mon Maurice barrymore delivered his
lines with the sing-song intonation that
passes, with him. for man-of- the-world-
ism' and Miss Elita Proctor Otis was ad-
mirable, This actress possesses a mag
netism, an infectious cheeriness, and A
refinement that are rare NOWADAYS
She is cut out for star. and she was
not swamped in the dreariness OF New
n'oou' ALAN DALE.