The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-26
WATER In TIE NEW A
PRETTF REALITY IN "THE PRIN-
CESS AND THE BUTTERFLY

Thc thrce nos plays OF the week are wntercd
more or less. and bcncGcinlly. Tho p%olitcst
md dnintiost of these pieces Is The Princess
and tho Butterfly of course, and it is so polite
and dainty that 1t gets on finely at the Lyceum
with no strongly dramatic quality. But with
all its unconventionnlity and its obvious dis.
dain OF thcatric devices, 1t finally has recourse
TO go old and familiar an cxpodicnt US II water.
fall. II Is no Niagara, either. but just a pretty
little flow that spntters and dribblcs nicely in
ono of those groves that Mr.. Unit paints 20
beautifully. Before this happens We have had
four acts Of fashionable people in imitation
scenes from modish life. These pcrsonagcs
havo been more numerous than are often
shown in any one play. their manners have been
moro refined than those of ordinary assem-.
blages Of wealth and assumed superiority in
real drawing rooms, and they have worn
clothes which, so far as the womcn's toilets are
concerned, represent n lavish outlay of money
and taste. by the time that tho curtain rises
on tho fifth act, however, the spectators have
seen all that they care to, and all that the
management can eusily devise, in the way of
seemly manners and slightly clothes. 1t is
then that eyes are cased, and at the same time
pleased, by the equally iridescent waterfall.
The brothers Frohman have done Ii great
deal for stage art in this country, and 1t may
DO that Charles is the more comprehensive op.
~ VI snO t"ot u ultC lo dlCu
when 1t comes to a representation of refined
society. Here in Arthur w. Pinero's natu.
ralistio comedy, where the repellent realism Of
Henrik Ibsen and the homely truth of James A.
Herne are equalled in fidelity by actualitics
more agreeable than the one and not 30 barren
as the other, the absence of dramatic strength
10 successfully atoned by the presence OF ornn.
the play are in ali particuiars ike perfect
Indies. and gentlemen in department and dress.
That is one of the hardest of theatrical achieve.
Ant N - II N nv ~ n IN tpnn th N IN t aGn
woman who steps directly from drawing room
to stage is usually unable to take her exquisite
airs and winsomo ways along. The right
effect OF what tho author of this piece had in
AT Mih tSe m hgesu naI H 10 se seali resSp t6 tb bru ntmostl out
'"The waters under tho Garth is tho phrase
In the playful that describes a novel scene of
'sThe White Heather the new melodrama at
tho Academy. 1t shows at first a sailboat an
ohored Off the coast of Scotland. Three faith.
oms below lies tho wreck of a yacht, the log of
which will prove the legality Of a marriage. The
villain and one of the heroes are there to get
the submerged record. The time is short, as
the men know of each others purpose. In the
floating boat, when it Is revealed to the spec
tators, arc the villain preparing to make the dive
and the men who are to help him. Presently voices
are heard which show that u craft with other
divers aboard is near. Closing his helmet and
receiving his final instructions. the villain steps
overheard. He is, indeed, immovable. but the
effect Of a descent Is indicated as the boat con-
tanning the two sailors slowly rises. The man
In the divers suit seems to be going down. Tho
: water extends to the top Of the stage, and takes
on an opalescent hue. Seawced floats around
the diver, who creates with remarkable fidelity
the illusion that he really is sinking to the bot
tom of the sea, whore the wreck OF the yacht
comes into view. In the water behind the
nafnrnlnphS Of motion TINT can come only from
the use of shadows from the real creatures.
How is the rival diver to get downf The
whole operation of the others descent cannot be
repeated, for the bottom has been reached. So
eyes strain eagerly to watch his entrance. His
The top Of the Academy's high proscenium arch,
he is let down by a rope while he bangles help
lessly. He carries a lantern. just as the villain
did. and when he reaches the ground beside the
yacht, his antagonist, who has been searching
w N men n slowly advance toward each other.
Finally, like great Holsters, they clinch. In the
struggle that follows knives are drawn. and the
champion of virtue gels the better Of 1t. Not only
does he seize the log book from tho others
clutches. but he cuts the ropes by. which he Is
hanging and the tube through which the air is
pumped down. Then he gives the sailors above
the signal TO pull him up to tho boat. AS he
iom OF the sea The victor, who thus saves the
honor of the girl who has never conGcsccnded TO
look at him, dies when he gets to land. Bnt ho
has rescued a heroine as no hero of melodrama
over did before, and the theatre resounds with
applause for him and the fishes.
The two new comedies at the Manhattan have
shown careful preparation in certain details.
"Miss Francis Of Yale" gave suggestions of a
thoroughneSs and an appreciation OF the value
of mail effects. One of these merits is in tho
FIRST act of His Little Dodge" when the win
dow at tho rear of the stage is opened and a
view of the Thames is disclosed. The moon
Light is reflected in the water, and the scene pro-
vides an agreeable picturesqueness. The audi
a -..l --l To- 81
acting there is little that rises above the gen.
eral level of the performance, although Henry
Bergman. who seems doomed to broken English
and violent jealousy, makes that familiar
effort with his usual success. But such roles
long since became tiresome, and the skill of the
actor does not serve to help them out much.
Anybody who can picture M. A. Kennedy as
q gallant Eay fancy how he is in such q part.
Harold Russell, who seems strange to Now
York. Is not likely to grow better acquainted
with 1t If the idea be gives of q flirting husband
IN a full measure of his talents. Mabel Amber
good looks do not ,diminish. even II her de-
meanor suggests such a complete lack of theatre
cal feeling that it is a wonder she ever took to
Justin Huntley Mccarthy is an ingenious
adapter. Whatever in the original play may
not appeal to his taste Is promptly eliminated.
OF course, it may have been necessary to pre-.
pare for situations that follow or have led up
those matters never trouble Mr., MCCARTHY.
The result may be confusion and feeblcness,
but 90 long as he has got rid of what he does
not like in the original Play, this naive worker
by the manner in which no adapted "IAiy Friend
from India, for London. 1t may BIO remem.
bered that the humor OF the play, turned, not
alone on the fact that a barber had gotten into
q fashionable household, but that he was
his clothes had been purloined. Otherwise,
he would have walked out OF the house. and
the motive would at the same time have walked
out Of the farce; Mr.. Mccarthy, when he altered
the Du Souchet play'and called IL MY Friend
the Prince" naming himself as the author at
tho same time, did not like the idea of a man
being suddenly deprived OF his trousers and un
able to recover them. So he got rid of all that
by simply dropping 1t entirely: That left the
farce without any reasonable theme. Mr.. Nc
Carthy takes no responsibility. He is not con
structive. His conception Of an adapter's
duty is to pose as the spirit that evcrmOre dc
MES With the liberaiity which prompted
him TO claim the authorship OF MY Friend the
Prince" he might have substituted something
for what he took away. from NJ. Du Souchet',
play. But he treated him just AZ he treated
MN. Fcydeau and Hcnncquin, authors of tn,