The evening world., 1895-08-31
SCENE THAT SHOCKED.
In Mr. Frohman's Production Of
1.-THE Sporting Duchess. +"
The Big Audience Held Its Breath
During the Incident.
Realism That Come Folks Say Went
q Little Too Far.

There was one scene in the magnifi-
cent big production OF THE Sporting
Duchess last night that proceeded amid
the most intense inquiring silence
Women looket at each other in OPEN
mouthed wonder and men watched the
stage with amazement pictured in their
faces. When the scene was at an end
there was deep-drawn breath and n
sigh OF relief went up all over the
house. 1t was ten seconds after the
lights were darkened before anybody
thought OF applauding, and then there
was only tentative tribute to the act
Ing OF the beautiful woman and hand
some man who were concerned in the
scene. 1t was one of the riskiest and
most suggestive incidents, in the esti-
nation Of some of the auditors, that
has ever been placed before the Ameri-
can public.
What did you think of it," one man
asked gaspingly as he came out into
the foyer tanning himself vigorously.
ITS too realistic entirely" was the
answer Of the gentleman addressed Il
never expected to see anything Ike it.
] am shocked"
women referred to 1t as that awfu,
scene" and one woman grew excited and
said 1t was "scandalous"
The beautiful actress and handsome
actor In the scene are Cora Tanner and
Francis Carlyle. The latter personatea
the villain in the play. Major Mostyn.
Miss Tanner has the role of Lady Dcs-
borough. wife Of the hero. Major Mos
tyn has mortgage on the Desborough
stables in which is Clipstone. the fav-
with Lady Desborough. By an ingeni14a
combination OF two letters written by
Lord Desborough. the Major makes it
appear to Lady Desbrough that her
husband has tai ken up again with a
former ev!. associate. one Niv!enne Dar-
vile, Emphasization Of the fact is
found IN the whsee Of hv at
sign she becomes the Cotillon partner
Of Lord Desborough. Major Mostyn leads
Lady Desborough to this scene, which SO
overwhelms her that she virtually
makes up her mind to leave her hus-
band forever. Major Mostyn takes her
away and they go to the Great Hotel.
London.
1t is in the hotel that the risky scene
takes place. When Mostyn finds himself
and the woman together in a room. lac
declares his love for her. He urges her
tells him she'd rather die. Then he
takes hold of her
tnat the tone, my lazy, l must
lower 1t a little" he said. in calm despe-
ration. Then he grows furious: You're
here as my wife. You've either got to
yielId! I!, me love ,d,, for love and kiss for kiss
He tries to force her towards a couch.
She resists and breaks away from him.
Running to the door she finds IT locked.
her. She .beseeches him to let her go,
but he only takes hold Of her again and
the struggle. Is resumed. For ten
and wrestle. Not word is spoken by
.ither. Nearer and nearer they draw
20 the couch and at last he, iings the
exhausted woman upon It. Holding her
wrist he bends over her kissing his tri-
amph into her ears. There is an inter
val A knock at the door breaks the
i.uns to another, door and escapes. leav-
Ing her cloak behind. In moment Mos
tyn is confronted by the woman's hus-
oand. A blow follows words words ard when
ioor, to which Lord Desborough's fist
Description into cold type does not be-
gin to suggest the meaning there is in
the scene, and as Charles Frohman has
a reputation for the cleanliness and
moral fawlessness of his productions,
great establishment was expressed by
the shocked ones that he should have
fathered such a suggestive stage picture.
particularly in a play which has Agnes
Booth and J. FL stoddard IN ne cast
i
Parisians Of joyful ty2e that *
scheduled to take place in The City Of
Pleasure" at the Empire Theatre, when
two more stage beauties. Elita Proctor
Otis and Annie Sutherland, cut and slash
At each other In bodiceless abandon were
part of THE Sporting Duchess" II
through the truly good than did the
wrestling seen. between Cora Tanner
and Francis Carlyle.
What will Mr.. Frohman do about II?
"rhose. scenes impress different people
differently" said Mr.. Fronman. 1T all
depends upon the way you look upon
them. .Honi soft qui NAL y pense' ap-
ohasis to things theatrical. This play.
lone in the sa ne way, was given at the
raising the slightest suspicion concsrn-
ng The character of the scene. The
Prince Of Wales was present the first
nEh nd nor ony 6H
Harris on its success. The same classes
Of people visit Drury Lane that patron
.ze the Academy of Music, the beat
people and the prosperous middle class,
whose wives and daughters are always
,n hand. and there Is no record Of any
blush or shudder on their part. There
was practically the same kind of
;cene in Bronson Howard's 'Aristoc-
racy,' which ran for so long time at
Palmer's Theatre. and nothing was said
eft in a room with another mans wife,
and she began by hating him and ended
up by saying that her hate had turned
10 love as she swooned in his tight en-
braces a me ment before the husbands
Knock was heard at the door. Then
there Is a similar scene in Nos lntimes.
which Mrg. Langtry presented under the
.itle of "A Wife's Peril Nobody said
that It was risky or suggestive.
'See the maids and matrons that went
in Thousands to witness 'Gismonda'
when Fanny Davenport did the Sardou
2lay at the Fifth Avepue." Mr.. Froh-
olushfng there, though l think for
iownright suggestiveness and open
faced immortality nothing like the dawn
tryst of Gismonda with the falconer at
his hut has ever been attempted on this
side of the Atlantic. The hotel scene In
THE Sporting Duchess has no such
force for evil. and really there Is moth
at 1t in that way