The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-03-06
THREE AMERICANS PLAYS.
rnLrlM y. HoWELLs, LLorD BRYCE,
AND LINCOLN >. Carrier.


eleanor. In the Rois OF wo-.- with
B.a Ps.t-A- Ir,itation wIrsstor-.
,r,a,by william D. Howelis. entitled Bride
peas was performed at Days Theatre yes
,srdsy afternoon. The audience was very
ussors although the money taken in was to
% 10 unemployed actors. and the entertain
,r.nt included Shore Acres" Mr.. Howellss
r,sco was only halt an hour long. but seemed
ire whole tiresomo hour. at least so point
i.,s and pithless was II as compared with what
..rs willing to accept for the htrical diversion.
Tha scsne was in a flower shop. A woman
,.me in and held long conversation with the
sorist concerning n purchase OF roses with
rhicb TO decorate the table for an afternoon
a.. She described n fragile blond girl, who
"a. 10 serve out the tea. and discussed
,,dousy the hues Of the different roses with
,.fsrence 20 their harmony with the delicate
.olors OF the gentle maiden. The next cue
tanner was young man who had just arrived
from Europe. and who on his way from the
.tssmer to a hotel stopped In to have some
roses sent to his sweetheart.
Us Was long time about II. being bothered
"a nick out the kind OF rose ssxactly suitable to
,bs s.ntimsnt OF the sender and the personal
~, a, the receiver. IL became vaguely appar-
ant 10 the audience. bored into indifference
ara this fellow com plsted his purchase. that
mia eirl was the same girl who was under en-
aaeement to serve tea at the first customers
bouse. A third buyer OF roses was 4 woman
whose agitation. though extremely mild In
fact. seemed almost tumultuous after the pre-
,.dlnr ouietude. She was nearly as loquacious
AZ her predecessors. and like them her mean
incs we're in small ratio to her words. 1t
was left to be bali guessed that some
fri.nd. A girl. had died suddenly. and
in
10 be funereal. 1t was almost developed. yet
left largely to the Imagination. that this de-
ceased girl was the sweetheart girl and the
afternoon tea girl. The auditors could not
have been positive about It, and thoy did not
seem to appear to care at all. OF the two hun
dred persons present perhaps dozen clapped
their hands at tho fall OF the curtain. and that
was the last OF a ridiculously Ineffective repre-
sentatlon.
The failure was no fault Of the actors con-
esrned. The florist was I. +. Mackay. The
character was German. not wellideiined by
the language OF tho part. and with hardly any
thing assigned to him to do: but Mr.. hackay
was cleyerly graphic with the scant matter.
legitmately comic with the broken English.
and in every way thoroughly artistic. kathar-
inc Herne. adelightfully natural actress. was
one Of the feminine customers and Maude
Banks. imperfect in her lines. yet in other
respects excellent, was the other. Charles J.
Richman. a big and hands, stranger to our
stage. was the masculine buyer These four
the unexaggerated manner which. no doubt.
the author desired, hut they did not excite any
EXPRESSION Of genuine interest on the part OF
Mr.. nowelIs had written Bride Roses" In
the style Of his novels. and 1t would be as read
able as they are. but as . play to be acted II
proved utterly worthless. 1t was no more
worth listening TO than would be the same
ISIS shop. There was a dramatic idea In the
coincidence OF three persona. unknown to one
Intentions for the same girl. but the author has
used Y 80 family. o6seureiy, and unidssiiy
na tbus he fores 81 Wien msy
have been In Mr.. Howelrs mind. and possess:
Ing no piqpancy Q, 81 sp s or rs S Of
L:oof positive that com N onplace conversation
alone will not make a successful comedy.
The now play at the Fifth Avenue Theatre
last night was International In its scenes aud
characters aud exhibited persons OF different
astionalities among scenes as varied as the
Office OF a London physician. . hospital at
Alexandria. and the conservatory OF London
house during the progress Of a ball Some OF
its scenes occurred with the accom- pa nimsnt
Of excited action and all were adequately pre-
scented as far as their material requirements
were concerned. But the work was OF char
AC'eE ~ eFocuiiailJ tlht no
theatrical assistance could have made II
effective 1t was familiar In theme and
treated without originality excepting In
ons scene. That occurred In the second
act where a woman enhenxors to secure from
he TO marry her II viii 10 seen that the
siraation offers nothing new. Its novelty
expsdient the woman adopted. When
her her reTrssis are refused she runs
herself with him. AMI
tina: she has been insnl!ed. until the |
n-glscls no element OF the device and |
irons the GeT into the mans packet where Of
what Is known In our police courts as the |
badger same. which is undsniably new TO |
stag. stage Its value was not demonstrated |
The new play Is. the .wOrk, Of Lloyd $. Bryce
nsscot. it, Seroin. is a womsa who Alter
R.r q her guilty 10y. and demands hat
i.iu... Wnsn she has di"srsced si@ he f for.
eminent and ices 10 EGypt. The woman fol- |
ho @s am d, there wG1 as nurse IN the Army
sfs let there sH asrns &c ths Sf s.a
a nnS'r 6ya turFs uP with her family and her
arms Of the hero, and the woman who has
iav-d him, as she often repeats, Through all
rms II will lie seen, Is all very familiar ma
teflal AMI II was used asst night In a manner
mat made II Ineffective throughout. There |
vas vas some defines Of construction in certain
% the scenes. and in this respect the first act |
was the best OF the four. But the dia-
Iogne was tuIgid iG the serious moments
oiihe play. and the humor was simple 10 tho
POINT Of ehildlshness. 1t was the ordinary
.shAIter OF con mon place people at bsst and for |
ihs most part il was utterly trivial. Com
nehtlonalltlss ~ ordinary conversation were
presented with naive confidence In |
their smartnssS. The. scene OF the
homtardmsnt was dramatic until It became
lheoh-Tent and failed as the other situations
9la because the writer's had prepared the way
!oi Ihsm without skill or AdToitness. Each
~ closed with scene more or less stIik.
ME and IN this rather apparent method /
shs authors succeeded hest. There were no
momehs in which their failure was complies.
put lhsy never at any time reached a point /
soots the commonplace. and no touch OF |
sSnxiasl,ty IN thought or method was anywhere
n Inc play served to Introduce Miss Kathrius
Senmons In another role. She gave no more
sogrnes 81 her right to a position among the
narIiJ OF our actors than her first
performance afforded. She Is graceful
sith o. pleasing appearance and reads