The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-07-17

The coming season MIR. James o'Neill
will revive "The Dead Heart and will
present 1t In this city during his annual
engagement, Mr. O'Nsill's revival of
this play several seasons ago was pro.
nounced the finest production Of its kind
ever seen on the stage; IL was duplicate
OF Sir Henry Irving's production of the
same piece, which had a run of 200 nights
at his LyceuIn Theator. London.
The history OF "The Dead Heart" has
boon an interesting one and has brought
into conflict many people OF whom the
world knows much. Charles Dickens
Tom Taylor. and Mime. Celeste, ranging
on the one side against the author,
Phillips. and his manager, the famed
Benjamin Webster. 1t was all on "a
charge of plagiarism-a charge 1t would
seem unsubstantiated on either side
Dickens story. IA Iale Of Two Cities, "
appeared In April, 1859. On the 18th OF
November Of tho same year The Dead
Heart" was produced and at once the
similarity was noticed in the sacrifice
made by each of the heroes. who, In tho
days Of the Bastile, offers up his own life
10 save friend. Nine. Celeste, revolving
from her associate manager, Webster. OF
the Adolphi, opened the Lyceum, and TO
strike still deeper in the wound Of rupture
January. 1860, Tom Iaylors ingenious
adaptation OF "a Tale OF Two Cities. "
Undoubtedly the force OF surface evidence
Was against Philips. And he suffering
under the unjust accusation, could not
well repeat what he had written TO
Webster six months before when alluding
20 the prospects OF drnmatizatlon OF
Dickens story, 'It's Very Heart Break
Ing" He, poor fellow, had written his
play three years and four months before
the first installment of The Tale OF Two
Cities appeared. A letter of Phillips,
dated 1857. establishes the fact. Wearied
then with the delay of bringing out the
work, he sought 60 buy back his drama.
The reason OF the delay was here, APP
paIently: About three years before Web
ster received 1.-THE Dead Heart" he him
self had acted in Boucicault's "Genevieve,
or tho Reign OF Terror. in which the
chiyalrous hero sacrifices his life TO
save that Of friend. and the early
repetition of this scene in another
play would naturally strike the astute
manager rs a false move To make. he
waited for the public to forget Gene
We've" Yot neither Dickens nor Phillips
can be accused OF stealing from Bouci-
cault since Boucicault's pay was only
an adaptation Of the revolutionary play
OF Dumas, the elder. lie Chevalier de la
Maison Rouge" (produoed in Paris,
Aug. 3. 1S47). While, as for Dumas, it
can be said that nearly five years before.
In January. 1912. had appeared Lord
Lytton's romance of "Zanoni," I'm which
the hero, during the Reign OF Terror.
lay down the gift OF perpetual youth and
immortal life TO save the woman he loves
from the guillotine Dickens never au-
mtted any further copying" in his
book than that he owed one of his Ideas
to Wilkie Collins play OF 1.-The Frozen
Deep - in which he had acted with
oongenial band of amateurs. Yet there
was bad blood stirred up on both sides,
and the contest was fought out with
vigor in the theater and in the press,
with no decision, however, that ever sat
isiied all parties. One result of the dual
production delighted Dickens that was
the receipt OF thousands OF pounds from
his book as we'll as from his play.
Phillips bad To content himself with
three hundi ed pounds, the sum stipulated
when his play was accepted. And yet,
"The Dead Heart" was more pro-
nounoed success than 1.-The Tale OF Two
Cities" on tho stage.