The morning times., 1896-03-13
SOME SOCIOLOGICAL ROT
1.-THE Notorious Mrs. Ebbsmith"
Played by John Hare'8 Company.
The Setting Is suburb and the Book
Strong, but tho Subject Is
Beyond Pardon.

man IOii)!eS was gwen play IN Tour acts
by Arthur Wing Pinero, entitled The
Notorious Mrs. Ebhsmith." Mr.. Hares
idea in producing this latest sin or the
author OF The Second AIRS. Tdnquery''
was doubtless 10 satisfy The natural curl
osity OF those attentive to the pFogre s.
or the drama, ami incidentally to profit
on that same instinct. He did well.
There was a fine audience present.
As for the notorious lacy whose case
was laid bare to the bone by the scalpel
OF DR.. Pnero. the intuition OF the piebe tans
| of st. Lukes who heard her preach from
boxes and carts was correct when they
dubbed her Mad Agnes" As for her
| madness, LucaS Cieye described it in the
play when he said Ito be woman irving
not to be a woman is 10 be mad" Such
is Mrs. Ebbsmith.
Briefly, the conditions precedent to the
drama were these: Mrs. Ebbsmith's father
was lecturer on Socialism. She inner
tied his Tadicalism, and followed in his
| footsteps, rantlng TO the people of The low
regions OF London about real or fancicd
wrongs. Weary OF poverty, she married
| Mr.. Ebbsmith, but for the first year their
| home was as a harem. The succeeding
! two years she was beast Of burden. EhO-
smith died and his wife became hospital
nurse. In that capacity she met Lucas
! Glove al 50 matrimonial Inisfit. a way from
! between them. She became mis- mistress.
| and the play begins in their home In
/ Venice.
| 1t is really a gorgeous place, this palace
| or old marbles The setting Is worth
| moments OF study. A friend or the CleeEe
| family. the Duke Of st. Oliphant, comes from
| England TO separate them. Ciecve yields
/ and decides To- go back hcme. But this IS
! quickly followed by q reyGisiou OF feelmg
| and the notorious lady finGS hGr Sympa-
| tuetiC partner loving her Tor her own sake.
| 1t is gall and wormwDod 10 her; il i the
return or her cartier married lie, IL Is The
/ destruction OF her pIatonic ideal. She
wanted 10 go into the world with CIeeve
/ ana say, Here am / - woman, there Is
! Lucas Cleeve a man. We are partners. hat
/ not husband ana Wife. There - no pa a>sI0n,
1 NO obligation, NOS hing hut my ideal That's
/ ali, her ideal, tie ideal Of Hldu Agnes, Of
/ the woman trying not u be Il woman.
| a friend offers her Bible. The sight
/ OF il teTrifies her. She throws IT into the
I stove, bat quickly thrUSts her hand into
/ the burning C'aIS anu brings The ChaTTrd
j book to tier bosom. Finally The Mrs.
| Cleevc and Mrs EbiISmith meet. This as
! tOniShing wpman-AirS. CIceVc- proposes
| that they all 60 back t. England tOget her.
| That TO avoid q pubic Sc3BGal There be two
establishments; hers, where Lucas shall
i live, only oStensibIy rs husband; and Mrs.
| Ebbsmth's. where hU shall be husband in
| fact. Mrs. Ehlssmith agrees, but Mrs.
! Cleeyc promptly changes her mind Mrs.
| Ebbsmii1 finally decides to go with the
1 clergyman ana his sister.
! Wasn't the intuition Of the London
| Summers correct? The whole discussion
| IS a public airing of sOiIed linen. It's
/ filthy from fifSt TO last. The case OF
| Ebbsmuh'S notorious widow is abnormal
| and there is no excuse for il IN rational
| rational, or moral law.
| How different the accessories OF the
| idea OF the play. PinSrO has written up
| to hlS excellent STANDARD. he has con
! Structcd ard cmbenished with the tech
| nique that marks him one OF the few
| really expert English dramauStS. But
| it * all expended on q hopeless subject.
! The principals OF the Hare company
! acted with the inteui EcnCe and finish that
| has marked their earlier efforts this week.
| Mr.. Hare presented au admirably deVcl-
| oped portrait OF the old rpuC. the duke.
| 1t was distinct from any of MS other char
| acteriZatiuuS aud emphasizes his skill as
/ an actor of character old men.
] Fred. Terry was Just sufficiently lacking
4 in force to make Lucas CIeeve the weak
! man he WAS No one could do anything
| with such a part except To read the lines
! with care and meaning, and this be did
| The hOnorS OF he evening went 10 Miss
| Julia Nelson in the title part. This Wo-
| man has tbs. head and front of Juno her
| self. She is a physical triumph and might
well submit herself TO sculptor for the
| pattern of "a goddess. There is 10 ore
! strength than beauty i'll her features. hat
| there is character, distinction ana mentality
| in every lin eof her Countenauce. She
| brought 10 the pOitraiture OF this strangely
| impossible and repulSive woman all the
| possible resources or Il finished actress
| and though sympathy for mad Agnes WAS
| never for Il moment possible. admiration for
the splendid actress was at all times de
manded.
The brilliant writing, the superb acting,
| the magnificent setting was regretahly
! thrown 20 a bad cause II was Il pro-
| foundly and absorbingly interesting en-
| tertainment, and admirable in the points
| noted, but the subject matter perm eat ed
| il like the fumes of a black pool. Every
! Z Is
| well that the play is to be repeated Onl y
! once and it win be pleasant to have MF.
| Hare as Goldfinch, and Miss Nelson as
/ Clarice, again before they leave.
|
For great many people the real interest
in Rernhardts engagement ecntered in the
"Izeyr' stimulated curiosity as a new
piece, Camille" and La ToSca" have
| prestige of their Own, but SundeTman':
| peculiar heroine has been discussed so UUCh
| and with such varying results, that it has
| enlisted the attention of the other great
living actresses. 1t was supposed to be Sc
at variance with Bernhardt'S style that the
| OCCa sion became one of stimulated CuriOSit
to see a bit of auGacity which would triI
the french actress. Indeed, il is siriGi that
| nothing but pettiSh childiShneSS sug-
| gested to Sarah adding this play TO hel
| repert Cre. DuSe had done 81 an6! had beer
| praised fer it. She would SHOW them (thc
world and the critiCsl tiat she could, too
II was very amusing. And bow did it come
out2
''Magda'' was given last night. Now
that is evident what was not apparent be
fore. In this play it IS rot the heroine
but the drama Itself which IS ''ttc thing
IL is evidently mirror OF l;fc-not q
narrative OF events. \ discussion of priI,-
cipleS and the evolution OF a number OF
peoples ideas on certain domestic prob.
lens, not q panorama OF incidents. DuSe
and Modicska deceived US, tfey made be-
Iieve that things were going on instead OF
a mere discussion of them. BY force OF
the utter realism OF the one and the natural
dignity of the ether they made out q case.
With Sarah in the play it proved Il EoN@e
of cards and it fell all about her. She
walked ana talked, elaborated the ia RI with
all her technical skill, TcpTpSSe her Iurbid
| st vie, affected rCIoSe. But Sarah in re,
pose is as Artificial as other natural
actresses on the rant.
| However. one note IN tie strange EaTnut
she struck full and true. Her personality
under the subsection of Sundermans in
| active yerblage was the ideal ,mhOdimea
| of the madCap Magda, who had broken tn,
| home ties ard defied the moral law. anC
| with the virus OF unresirained freedom
| with the hot air of bohemia. she suffer,
and suffocates In tie stuffy old German
| home.
| DuSe's MagtIa seemed incapable OF tliC
life she confessed: Sarah's Magtia neve
| sprung from such puritaniC surroundings
In this regard MOdejSka'S 5 @agda was tbs
! most Tos>ihlc -of all
Tonight .Giismonda'' will he given.
4 s-
Different.
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