The sun., 1897-02-25
THEMES OF THE THEATRE.
vpoMIs HABDY DRAMlTI1ED " TESS
or THE D,URBERVILLEs"

OF THE D'URBERYILLEsD
mn, Minnie Msddern Fiske VIII Use Mr.. stod-
ssrd'. yer.ior-Bowever, There IL No III
yelling Betwesn the Actress and tho
Novelist - Points In eat Pipcy Ridge"
Thomas Hardy dramatized his novel. "Tess OF
,As D'Urbervilles," In order TO have Minnie
M.ddern Fiskc enact the heroine. but It is play
made by Lorimer stoddard that is In rehearsal
the Fifth Avenue Theatre. A SUN reporter
,sked Mrs. Fiskc II there had been any trouble
,bout Il. In the English.speoking world"
AIRS. Fiske began with thoughtful pose,
"the great novelist assuredly Is tho intel
,eetual superior OF the great dramatist; and
IN preparing his work for stage repre-
,entation he naturally sezes upon the
moro intellectual and finer motives Of his work,
upmindful of tho practical needs Of the play.
which shall appeal to the popular taste OF
.modern English audiences. This was clearly
nuyen la the dramatIxation OF Tess OF the
pUtbervilles made by Mr.. Thomas Hardy. In
mi, stage version Of his novel Mr.. Hardy set
firth most powerfully the psychological part Of
the absorbing tale. but his dramatization was
utterly lacking In those qualities which mako
successful play. 'Trlby,' The Prisoner OF
zenda,' and Under the Rcd Robe have been. 1
understand, sucoessful plays, but mono Of these.
however, was dramstised by the author OF the
book from which It was taken. with re-
gard to the dramatisation OF Teas Of tho
DUrbervilles, felt upon reading Mr.. Hardy's
play that It would be necesssry to ,u secure the
very sracously consented that should do So.
selected Mr.. Lorimer stoddard to evolve tho
ciion sa mV was wise one viii soon te dstcrnined
sfaI years ago. was convinced that It would
Ssa sS central asurs wSoS were thrown s ' into
Sns ssss i'sf' s .ha. Of .Rs Rssi aslI
7., would appeal strongly to women. ins.mush m ,
snsr elemental tr.its % ot wemsDhood. n' That Il W
sna di aadminisS.d sSceess @ pof the D Dovei Tsss
se,a. PS.: pSS.:e.ssS ssi''S s:t es' al ,Sssl ossf
poysrins instincts Of love- devotion. and
I asSqtsa % 'is &. end end sn CD
father and mother, whose lack Of apprecia-
Ton discover. saS sSs :s: osss
sish sssa.ton ana and her aalef saS fof
ssst spark OF divinity, Tess soemS 10 b lsof.
w Witch we We are o won't to assooiat. With 1oipsp who
man :Sl and h iSv' iS5 Nm seem: a 2 ::
ismlnino character. and. as / have said before.
II Il one that will particularly appeal to
women"
Mrs Fiske Is an intellectual actrcss, with ideas
Of hsr own and the reporter asked her to talk fur
thG about novelists As playwrights. ave have
recently sem several valuable additions to stage
htGsture from tho field Of fiction while, on the
sAs hand, We have witnessed failures to sup
psnmt that literature from novels Of greater or
isppulArity. Perhaps the success Of somo of
tAss plays was due to the fact that they were
dramatssd BY playwrights, and the failure Of
otAsu may be Laid to the fact that they were
mAds By their authors. In tho light Of the latest
srperispoes u would seem 70 Be sstablished that
@ ow h Soof ehs s mot dS TO-
however. IN the faSY Of dramatic history. to
,h:. .hS ns Sas must :, nsss:y
Wnsn srsT.a,sn .ss o fails in
impossible Of one authorship; just a. It 10 said
whom . stage version of . novel succeeds that
po.sa to may Sn % lssdns II c
Speculation and assertion a. to the possibilities
q play ,NHihosshp vsGy wiih th::. slISin;
~So:s novels are dts%stiq, and Who Ai@.sl @ wss o'
.''S Ssna a.' s fsrhspp nS pAS s' sss sssh
sdss srs. S,i %ss tSi H.s
for him general and lasting reputation. wrote
; . a.a q ahsS s.ls sss gS fG5 !.
ss. q which sTer ea,oyed an Se; honest ,ssas. 1na
fSs The .. .:see: :tss :e; q
Oi fsssn Foa Ahs sE DsSi Sawss sa.
Who was Distinguished in varied and
6s..s. ds sF% v.-s 'i9f n. ssS'c s.S c.p.n The
.ss. s.P $SHly . .As :{aa,at yss h lsfi e sSs
gs.. drsmstlst T III: oo%sdy nss' fSs E asod sisG
ys L sna soop: asn
ne hs gTeenest spots IN the dramatic waSte Of
0 these are not
nmpossiele for novelist to be dramatist." "
The author of "At Piney Ridge" has made
good use In melodrama Of . situation By no
means new on the stage. There was general
similarity to Mr. Higgins's principal motive In
"A White Slave" Of BARLEY Campbell, a. well
a In tho earlier "octoroon" by Dion Bouci-
eault In "Pudd dnhead Wilson," as dramatized
nom Mark Twain's book by Frank Mayo, the
same Idea was the central one In the plot But
NJ. Higgins is boldor In his treatment Of the
subject To an octoroon was intrustod tho
care Of two children. and, like Little Butter
esp. she mixed those children up. She
lacked the conscience to lament until
most Of the damage had been done.
w, pltter was my cup, however could
sstSr. tnsw %,Isd thosf children up And pSt
t6sftfroup, revealed the trick only at tho end Of
sas Play. In the mean time she ispt hor own
5rtar,on, whom she had abandoned before a
Rooptnin cabin. This man. tainted With negro
asicps fanatic and unoouth mountalneer, Is
nh9 ,s1.n 10 Kill the rascal. Tho girl refuses to
asntity and that Is the fact that the GIRLS baby.
vMnich died soon aftor Its birth, showed strongly
WN.h VIZ one Of its parents was Of negro descent.
"nen the father learns the accusation made
ttnst white man who has known his daugh.
ne decides that this must be the guilty man.
M. nv serases 70 speak, oven TO save him, and the
SasI H0gntainsors are prepared to aid the
SrSss }n S nis plan q Eeyenss, Tho real criminal
pointed, whsn the lynchsrs consent 10 lei the
,sn which q the two men IL guilty. She
Iasoppt ppt ,ior, The two men stand on one
t.a, w " - seen coming down an incline at the
yn.ta o. the scene. She totters uncertainty. The
hall knlA tk.l.