Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-05-16

less Stlll has them lie became a writer of ''popular' plays for revenue only Tom Davis had to use a great deal of pCrSua- sion to induce him to write "On the Bow cry" Having made the plunge, he fol lowed it with another by hcEnming Davis general agent. On the Bowcry' was so great popular success that Davis imme- diatcly commissioned stephens to write farce comedy for Frank Bush to appear in at the head of company of funmakcrs. stephens had already taken BuSh's meas ure, and after some weeks of industry he turned out n farce comedy which will be brought out next season, tho title to be perhaps Tho Real Thing, "pcrhaps some tEing else
 Meanwhile 1t had occurred to Davis that an odd and striking title for n play would be "Thc White Rat" The Frank Bush piece being finished, Davis said to stephens one day. "You'd better start in and write n play to fit the title The White Rat. " What kind uf play do you want" asked stephens "Brttcr make it a New York mcludrama." " said Davis, adding, Put plenty nf comedy into it. Here was a nice order A New York mrlndrama about white rat, But stephens soon saw that a dramatic plot could easily he made dependent on just such specimen of the rodent family aS Mir. Davis had named. Exactly what mrludvlmatic purpose white r,lt can fill i> to k. left to the imag inatiun until the story of MT, stephens play k ma,!r known. Doubtless people | who have never read two uf Purs best tales | wonder what sort of q thrilling story could | be written about q" Black Cat or a"(iOld Bug " IL i> Said that The White Rat drale rxciliuGlv and HmuSingly with lower | New York life at night and contains much | that is novel tu the stagc.
 "Thr White Rat having been complct- ed, stephens thought he might take A rest from playwriting for Davis X kcogh for awhile. But Davis had formed the in | tcITtion of putting John kernrll in a now piece next season and there was nothing to do but to srt stephens at work again. A few weeks steady labor resulted in the manuscript of "Thc Alderman in which Kcrncll iS, of course, expected to make the | Init nf his life" Davis X keoyh will thus have four of Mir. stephens plays in | presentation the coming scaSon-'On the Bowrry, ''Thr White Rat" the Frank | Bush farce comedy and The Alderman.
 Having brcom" a playwright by sheer | force uf circumstances. stephens accepted | the situation and intends to remain one. | But he n>pir,> While he has been turning | out popular far,<' comedy and mcludrama during office hour> he has been working
 
 | town on q play O( a kind such as would havc been expected from him by those ac- quaintcd with his journalistic work and | his personal inciinatiUnS. It iS prose l romantic drama, its scene laid in France | in the sixteenth century, the period being not far from that of Stanley J. Weyman's s novel, A Gentleman of France" Ste phens thinks that the romantic play of in | cidcnt and character, availing Itself of pic | tureSque circumstances of mCrc romantic times, should have as prompt acceptance from the Iublic as the new romantic novel has found He has not allowed himself to be trammtlcd by historical fact. nor has he bothered muc h about archaeology. The main thing in his play is the story He has not yUt offered tho piece to anybody and he has read it to nobody but his wife She was a most enthusiastic audience. As she is a constant theatcr goer and as good a judge of tho popular qualities of play as of its artistic merit, and, moreover, as the successful plays arc tho plays that please women. stephens has the utmost confidence in his new drama.
 One might not expect romantic drama of the sixteenth century to como from tho author of "On thc }owcry, but then nci- ther would one have expected "On the Bowcry'' to como from the writer of such verses and stories by Stephens as have been published now and then.
 If have sinncd in writing hurrah plays for tho masses, " said Stephens to me the other day, II may atone som0 day by producing more ambitious plays for the classes. l am doing the ono thing tn order to get the means to do the other Did
 mind having 'On the B"wcry' slated by the critics? Not at all Ii is one of thoSG attractions whose prn,i"ri:y is aided by critical dislpprobation. Thore are many
 theater goerS who know thut aS rule wha'
 pleaScS thcm does n"t please tho critics
 and vice versa. l Q! cn wonder what
 would havo said about On the Bowery
 had some ono clSo written it and had
 still boon d dramatic rrvicwcg on a news
 paper when it was lr,'luccd. But wOult
 have had to admit ifs power to draw larg
 audiences and to please them immensely
 Its rattling good show, said a Chicag'
 critic to mo as he left tho thcatcr to go anC
 roast 1t from tho lofty point of view tha
 it was his custom to takc in his ncwspa
 per" OCrAvUs COHEN.
 Now York.