New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-11-21
THREE ENGLISH PLAYS.



managers habitually so to England or France or
Germany for their plays. instead Of ratronizing
home producers will have full and delightful OPP
portunities for finding fault this week. Pat
ronizng' is the right word in this case for that
IS just what a manager would be doing If he
bought q play Of al American because he was
an American rather than because he preferred
the play 10 that he could get elsewhere
The American author who asks that his play be
played because it made at home thereby
asks to Re patronZed But there is no danger
that the American author will not be able to
take care Of himself according to his deserts
though the three important productions of this
week I'm New-York will be of plays that have
already been seen in London
The Iyceun Theatre company will receive its
fri 9nds at home on Tuesday night and will per-
form for them A. w. Pineros play. THE
Princess and the Butterfly" which was done at
the St Jamess Theatre London. last spring
This play is likely to show what stuff there is in
the company fer the cast demands twenty
characters The story, from accounts which
have found their way acrogs the ocean. appears
to concern itself largely with the sorrows Of
persons of middle age. That is to say, with
those sorrows that come upon them directly and
SOlclN because lney are OF fhluuIc age. Inc per
sons whose mddle-agedness is brought most
conspicpOusly 10 view are Sir George Lamorant.
Bart and Princess Pannonia. He is a bachelor.
and she is widow. He is fortyfve. and she is
forty. and they both feel extremely cut up about
II. The theory seems to b, that. il it is unfortu-
nate to be forty-ive and forty years old at ALL it
Is much worse to be bachelor and a widow OF
those ages. The first the simple condition. is
abl IL. no second no 90
ton. there is a remedy. 1t IS remedy. too.
which is facilitated If two persons take It to-
gether 1t is proposed by Sic George that he
and the Princess take the remedy together. II
they marry. they will still be fortyfye and forty
years old but they will no longer be bachelor
and widow. 1t is proposed by the
Princess that they take month to think
about it. After fortyhve and forty years a
month more or less does not make much differ
ence Eut something may happen in month
when ii comes at the end Of forty -flve and
forty years and something does happen.
Some time ago Sir Georges brother Rupert
asked the Princess to be married to him and she
refused. He took a certain Miss Wentworth in
stead. They had daughter Later. but still
before the beginning Of the play. the mother
was married to Italian cello player named
Zuliani. From him Sir George gets the
custody Of a young girl called Fay Zuan.
whom he asks the Princess TO treat nicely
as his brothers daughter He then pro-
ceeds to fall in love with this girl. The most
notable scene Of the play IL said TO be the one
in which she comes from a ball in a harlequin
dress and encounters him. lie reproves her for
conduct which is not to his liking. and she ques-
tons his right to do so. lie then tells her that
he has discovered that she is really a gutter
child whom the INSCRIPTIONS Zuliani has palned
off on him, but that that will make no differ
ence to him. Then she says that she loves him
In the mean time young man named Oriel
makes real love to the Princess and she finds
that she no longer needs Sir Georges crank imi-
tation. Thus the bachelor and the widow are
saved from each other
The play is in five acts. The first passes in
the house OF the Princess in London. and the
second Is in another London house The third
and fourth acts are in the Prncess's house in
Paris, and the fifth is in an orchard in the out
skirts Of the same city
The big stage Of the Academy Of Music will
again have a melodrama cut to TT ii this week
1.-THE White Heather was produced at Drury
Lane a month ago and got the reputation OF
ever seen at that house. which is noted for them
1t is the intention to duplicate the Drury Lane
production here Evidently the authors Cecil
Raleigh and Henry Hamilton determined that
nobody should go away from the play saying
that he had not seen enough There Is a scene
on Scottish moor. there Is one in a draw