The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-02-26
AFFAIRS OF THE THEATRE.
NEW PLAYS ACTED By STUDENTS
or THE EMPIRE SCHOOL.

tho ArtoFN-Ihe brntuntAnimG OF NOVELS
The sale or Crnwford's and Guntcr's Books
Mas Not Been Hurt by stage Failures.
The spectators at tho matinee Of the Empire
Dramatic School yesterday Afternoon furnished
. little exhibition OF humanity which. in It's
way. was more interesting than anything Nell
ron wheatoroft's weli-traincd pupils did on the
stage. In one Of the little plays which the
students acted. a young inventor was In love
with a girl who was halfway inclined TO accept
lim when his affairs should result prosperous
lv. They rcanhcd this event at tho close of the
play. and up TO that point the audience hsd
sympathized with tho struggling inventor, In
his ~lovomaklng. He went after tho news of
the decision over his sex While he was
absent an old lover Of the girl returned. BY ac-
oidenth he came to live at the same house in which
had been betrothed TO her for a long time. and
after their cstranrement she YVES rs ready to
thusissm over his success. came back TO. claim
the girl. Then she told him OF her old lover
and in,reduced thS Men; lie Iss accepted !, ed the E., sit ut
fered 10 lend them enough of TIC money he was
TO yet TO start. them in life. Tho spectators.
10 the inlay, for Il was q neat sketch and capa-
bly, played until. the old lover arrived. Then
They laughed aloud when he surrendered the
girl, and when he offered to help the young
people along ,hsy LAUGHED even more e. Ths
we'll. But;the sentiment Of the situation was
too much for tho audience. He had not upbraid-
the man. He had surrendered without a sttur-
gle. The women would not have him after
that. Thay Laughed at him derisiyely. and
serious during the rest Of the lay. The fringe
OF men about the back OF the theatre were
Archibald Hotchkiss. Laura ,vory. and Marie
More M1cre we're =, The as:ars IN The pay: which was
an agreeable piece. although its author. +. W.
Fowler. made IL difficult for the hero 10 DO
"Rappaceni's Daughter" was an adaptation
from. one OF Nathaniel Hawthorne's Moses
from..an Old Manse." and. unlike the usual rule
poetry OF the story was not seen in It's stage
form The girl who has been reared on poison
Gus flowers by her physician father until she
not a figure possible to the dt.tinctncss OF
the stare. There was u picturesque scene Of
ground. and tho stage was kept so dark most
Of the tim, that the actors faces were hardly
mysticism TO make y acpear very CONVINCING.
seymour George. Leland Webb. Z. l., Peck;
acted In the ARRANGEMENT which was made by
Annie. Levi and Alice Grant. The r.senta-
IL. A farce called "a Before Breakfast Rum
and written by Henry Stcbbins concluded the
programme.
Minnie Madden Fishes discussion Of novel
lets as playwrlghts and her practical conclu-
sion that IL doesn't matter whether a good
drama comes from q book or elsewhere have
brought many letters TO THE Sun on the sub
ject. and none OF them Expresses any sound re9-
son for prejudice against the diamat'zation OF
novels. Tess Of the D'Urbervilles" will not
suffer prejudgment because Thomas hardy
wrote It originally for publication. One man
makes the point. in a letter devoted to the as
..rtI,p that mn really preat Dlay griglt ever
took a drama from n book, and he names tho
late Dien Boucicault as proof: hut one OF Boucl-
cault's best pieces, THE Colleen Bawn," was
a brilliant play made out OF THE ColleRians."
a dull novel. The drama that made more
was "Tfii6y." The one that Welded tn. great.
est prot last season was The Prisoner OF
2 2sn ,S., T GnS o o,S.t that :.r, SS: d n,ss. , So.' r., rem ,n
New York this season Is Under the Red
Kobe" All thess are irrefutable evidences
for a popular play. F. Marion crswford is
going ON a lecture tour instead OF dcvotlnH his
i.iisre 20 e9s Cisadius" was q as positive in a
business way as IL was In artistic respects.
The trst audience wa: large, nearly 81 900 he.
that the receipts were only 81 800 Cor the en-
tire W elk, including the opening might. But
f SnSe h SSrt M Il eisySGsT1s gree great Nc" Vogue se' as 10 q
novelist. Booksellers say that the demand for
tor Ciaudius.' The same effect has been Oh
served in the case Of A. G; Gunter and "A
Florida EnehantmenI" The author los,
story. his persistence costing him. i is said;
more than $50. 900. But his books have sold
better since that venture than ever before.
The American Dramatists' Club will give n
dinner at Delmonico's on March 90 in honor
OF the Senators and Congressman who cham
pIoned The law TO punisi play pirates. The
leading theatrical managers will Join in the
celebration, which promises To be a note.
worthy affair.
The process followed by II. A. Barnet in
making such extravaganzas as "l4o2" and
Jack and the B.anstalk" 1. peculiar. lie
writes every year n piece for the Cadets. a
Bottom amateur dramatic society. and thesc
| productions pay for themselves, beside, serv'
ing to show TO managers what there Is In the
material. Then the piece is usually bought
BY parties. who develop II professionally. Mr..
Barnet's latest effort. '.Simple Simon" has
been acquired by klsw & Granger In that
way.
The annual matinee for the Actors Fund
will be given ut the Broadway on March 20.
that Iaa's ans iii viii Se made by drafting
from the COMPANIES which Will then DO IN or
James Ballard. ''.he Iowa Bard" who is to
succeed the Cherry sisters as an object OF rid
icuie at the Pleasure Palace. is making an In
QuhtrlOuS TDunu OF Tile HeWspupcr oIlCcr.- "
trying TO get listeners To his doggerel. He is
q wlld-looking man. In soggy. clothes. Pity Is
| the first feeling that he ipspires and aversion
next. lie has asked Mayor Strong to open
some public hall to him.
Ed ward Harriran may writo 4 farce for
May Irwin. Edwin Booths nephew. Junlus
Brutus Booth, has retired from the stage TO
go into mercantile business 4. l.. Daven'
ports son. Edgar l.. Davenport, will try his
fortune next winter with Fedora which
his sister Fanny will lend To nIm. Jessie
Bart EFT Davis and Walter Jones ARE among
~ .-lnll fnN n InRFIn IInnva
H.. A.. Roberts has stopped aetna 10 hesome
what he styles "a reali2er OF plays" which
means q stage director or new pieces.
One OF the forthcoming inelodrRmas Is to
contain. besides su>h other tritlil & scenes as
tho Senate chamber at Washington and n
ferryboat crossing New York hay. n great
spectacular representation OF the wrecking of
several wsrships in the memorable Samoa
hurricane
The Fourth Boston symphony Concert.
II seems difficult to believe that there actually
exist men and women to'day-and not old
ones, e~ither-who remember the time when
a naothnycn aymnhonv wns lacked uDon