The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-20
VIEWS OF STAGE AFFAIRS.
IUTHoRS AND MANAGERS At ODDS
OYER CHINESE DRAMAS.

Of change Alley "-Notea OF the Actors.
Chinese play. "Tho First Born" was pro.
,uc,d in San Francisco last spring. II ocou.
risd an hour In a vaudeville entertainment.
The novelty Of it was that, instead Of holding
mn Cinnamon to ridiculo. 1t represented q
tragedy In Chinese life. 1t was Ibsenian in
realistic truth and simplicity. The expert.
mcpt was a positive success. The author,
rranci, Power. sold to Charles Frohman and
Dayid Bclasco the right TO uso 1t elsewhere,
and they announced it for the Garrick Theatre,
whore it is TO be acted In q month or two. An
other Chinese play of a closely similar nature,
'sTbe Cat and the Cherub." is to DO brought out
At the Olympia tomorrow night The author
~ this one is Charles Bailey Fernald, and 1t is
I, stage version OF a story of his own, which was
published in the Century Magazine several
reors ago. Mr.. Power and Mr.. Fernald accuse
,sch Ohio o. plagiarism. Mr.. Fcrnald. who Is
Journalist In San Francisco, m investigator
~, Cb,rcsr life there, and q writer OF mucn truth
,ri 'ic'ipn concerning them, says that Mr.
Power, who Is an actor and not q professional
author. took the idea and some matter from
rThe Cat and the Uherub" in making THE
attention to the fact that the theme, q mans
nurder q the nidnspRer q bis child, Is tho
,,SsNt Mr.. Fernald's decentralization of .'The Cat
story, and that these variations consist OF
The closest likeness is at tho end Of the SEQ
ond act. Then a man in The First Born, )" who
has been robbed OF his wife and Loot his child,
through the street. The one Is talking to q
woman, who leans out q window, The other
In Wow OF the audience. The assassin resumes
the smoking Of his pipe. and i. quietly puts nst away ,Sy
ese tsH SS a p ! mans seeS two ou ehi mar ana sm ele
Ing at a table. When he 10 out of sight one OF
them chokes the other, and as the officer re-
chair and the crime ia unsupported. The as
tailant then chokes the other to death by wrap
ping his queue, about his throat; and as no
tnues to smoke his pipe. This situation In Mr..
Fernald's play was not in his story.
The Chinese play.controversy between the
two managers concerned raises the question Of
courtesy in the business Of theatrical manage
ment. Charles Frohman Is 4 practicer Of amia-
bic and considerable methods. Although ener-
Retic, venturesome, and formidable as q rival
Of other operators, he Is noted for fairness and
lberality. Mr.. Hammerstein is famously
active and enterprising, too, but his wrestlings
With affairs OF the stage are at catch-as-catch-
can, and he seems ever willing TO risk tho
chances Of throwing or getting thrown with
Violence. He takes the ground In this encoun-
ter that Mr.. Frohman hasn't q shadow Of legal
claim to precedence in presenting a Chinese play
in New York, and as TO the point raised about
managerial courtesy, Oh, pshawl Mr.. Ham
merstein's attitude seems to have provoked
Mr.. Frohman to assume one OF equal belliger-
ency. The law which permits the Mayor to
license the sale OF alcoholic beverages in con-
cert halls positively restricts them to un:
dramatic performances, without changes Of
scenery or the wearing OF characteristic cos
tunes, or the use of a curtain. This provision
given in concert halls the same as in avowedly
dramatic theatres. Mr.. Frohman declares
that i the traffic in in59Tican,s aGsompenis
will endeavor to have one or the other stopped.
Indeed. now that he has called attention TO the
violation of the law, the police are inclined to
take action. That means serious trouble for
the concert halls, because the statute Is dis
regarded in all of them. No doubt the man.
ayers of legitimate theatres would be glad OF
such q movement: They are not permitted to
sell drinks TO their audiences. and it is pleas
sire to, but they do feel that the music halls
should not be privileged to present dramas in
M aau SPp0SitTiPhn s 'h froh snpP n,Hsm% M sssfnns an arS%
onisn is almost sure to make an upheaval in
music hall affairs.
Important alterations have been made in
Change Alley at the Lyceum, and they tend
to render tho play itself worthy OF the beauti-
tul scenery. One OF the more striking OF the
added matters is in the fourth act, and has the
advantage Of putting Virginia Harmed into
breeches during half Of the new scene. This
episode might readily have been taken from
Farquhar. or Mrs. Centlivro, SO completely
does it resemble tho old comedies of intrigue.
When the characters come to Change alley in
the early morning, to zee what can be done for
the affairs of Kit Hedrturf0ht. the Ancient
throws the documents out of the window, and
Celia gets possession of them. She regrets that as
GvOman it is not In her power to sell them. A
merchant hangs out a mans coat in his booth
u the other side Of the stage, and her eyes
Hight on it significantly. II is then that the
spectators detect her purpose. and when she re-
AppeaI, wearing a scarlet coat, high boots, and
hrtecnes, they are prepared for the change.
Taking the papers she runs of with them to the
broker. In her absence Vesto comes to Gold
storm to sell her jewels, and, later In the inter.
view between her and Kit, Celia returns to
Parchment's house. She becomes involved
with KIT in a quarrel, He fails to recognize
gpent scene between them. she keeps h~ersface
hidden and It naturally happens that she ulti,
Treatment Of him after the supposed loss Of for.
tune IN the preceding act, Whom Yesta ~returns
to the scene Celia hides in tho t%ailor's shop and
clear that they are not lovers. But she stays
N hreeches until tho end Of the act. and when
lsVesls GntM0t te f tRsn the md dn she%. H tSs %oa asS
WHICH has come from the sale OF thu bonds, :,
bo Miss o harmed ned y a charming figure IL her high
80 SNu "a o Ou oHp Cbo
with q great deal Of righteousness and q
natural stimulation Of girlish embarrassment
and awkwardness. 1t may BIO sntiquated
and imDrobable In Change Alley" az well al
Inconsistent IN the character OF. Celia, who has
fondness for white mualin and playa the
harp. Maybe the seem was written In for Miss
Harmed, who has no particular sympathy fol
eher OF those weaknesses in the roles she has
70 play. She was pretty, dashing, and graceful
q the youth. 1t Is In the love scenes. how
ever, that she and Mr.. Sothern are seen in the
oeet light, The one at tho harp and the othei
81 ssdier's Wells give TO Mr.. Sothern oppOr
iianiiIiies OF wooing in the self contained. yel
ifYid manner which has gained most Of hi
popularity. Mr.. Parker has written these pas
tases, especially the former, with delicacy anc
poetry, and they make the same admirable mo
mmeAis in Mr.. SOthern's acting that they do ir
me play, They are the best features OF both.
The German company engaged by Mr.. Con
ned for tho Irving Place arrived on Saturday
ihe audiences at that theatre will find the or
ganization changed this winter in many i'm
porlant particulars. Both Hubert Reused
and Max Bra, the two leading men OF the com
pahy, have returned to Germany. and thsi
places will be taken by Bernhard Yorwerksant
EdwArd Posansky, formerly Of the LessinI
~ theatre In Berlin. Mr.. Rausch was an aDraa