The times., 1898-05-22
THE TIMES. WASHINGTON SUNDAY, MAY o. 1898

and desirable pieces and a dozen other
signs show to what extremes things have
gone in this direction. Now, If ever. the
young playwright has his opportunity,
and yet he has so far failed signally in
showing himself worthy of it.
Impossible and nonsensical as II may |
seem, there were not six really good
plays produced in the country this sea-
son. This not only includes the number
offered by prominent members of the |
profession, but by those OF less repute. 1t
takes in the untold melodramas with
which the stage is at present infested, |
and even proves sufficiently elastic to ad-
NIT sundry operas, farces and musical
comedies the have been parading around |
the country with good paper accounts OF |
New York runs and drowsy audiences. All |
told, these could not possibly be exag- |
Grated into fifteen worthy offerings to |
dramatic literature. There have been fair |
contributions and passable ones, bat the |
play which absorbs and holds the interest
of the auditor with relentless rgidlty has
been conspicuous by reason OF its scare
ity,
An impartial if unexhaustiVe study OF
the plays used by different theatrical 4
luminaries during the year shows that
| frequently those vehicles have needed
| every particle of the ballast Afforded by
! the actors talent TO proceed over the
| rough roads OF newspaper and pubic
4 criticism Joseph Jefferson. MAI - PcSN-
i win. Sol Smith Russell, James A. Herne,
! Denman Thompson, Francis Wilson. De
| Wolf Hopper and many others had the
| discretion to stand by past successes,
| while Minnie Maddern Fiske and Henry
/ Miller We're among those who reserved
| their uptried offerings until the approach
| ing end of the season removed the chance
of failure having the result Of inactivity
| w. II. Crane put "A Virginia Court
! ship" rather late in the year. and while
IL had excellent material, its lack OF origi-
nality excluded it irremediably from the
charmed circle of artistic worth His
Honor the Mayor" which followed Mr..
Presbrey's initial effort. seems to have
been really bad and has already been re-
moved. Though excellent in many par
ticulars Stuart Robson's "Jucklins' has
many grave faults, and Fanny Daven-
ports Soldier of France" was utterly
without merit. Henry Millers Master
has no virtue which might entitle it TO be
called a good play. Wilton Lackaye
took some time TO discover the many de-
fects in "A Royal Secret" and finally
dropped it for Charley OMalley' a
piece that. though still untrimmed and
rough, gives great promise OF future ex-
| celIence.
H A. Du souchet wrote for May Irwin
a lamentably bad farce in The Swell
Miss FitzweIl' her personality and charm
| being Drought INTO instant Ielu3SAL4osl 70
save It from absolute failure. Z. IL. Soth-
ern needed little time TO
find that Change Alley" lacked
worth and while the sub
sequent Adventure If Lady Ursula Is
really an excellent example Of stage lit
erature il gave the star himself so little
| change that he was glad 10 present it 10
his wife 1t cannot be said 10 how great
an extent Richard Mansheld's oddity
carried his liking for The Devil's DiSci-
pie" but. though good In great many
ways, the piece was hardly above the ay-
erage From all accounts. including re-
marks from the actors press agent on
the number of his new productions. The
First Violin" has not pleased greatly,
Neither "A Marriage of Convenience nor
zone Summers Day had single re-
deeming trait, and John Drew's total lack
Of ability condemned both earlier than
would otherwise have been the case. E.
S. Wiilard's Physical fell into disre-
| pute early in its dareer. Mckee Rankin's
THAT Lass o. Lowrle's" showed the need
of much careful pruning, and "A Coat Of
| Many CoIors" had very little TO commend
! il to the intelligent thea tergOer.
Frederick Warde secured a piece Of
very little value in his Rise Of Iskland-
err" Robert Hiiiard's New Yorker won
few good opinions. and Annie Russell
| failed in her effort 10 get anything worthy
OF her both The Salt of the Earth" and
| THE Scenario" being severely criticised.
| Lewis Morrison purchased The PrfVa-
teer." and Andrew Mack engaged AN
Irish Gentleman" Sweet Inniscara" fell
into the hands Of Chauncey Olcott. and
| the Frohmans obtained 1.-The Conquer
ors'' and THE Tree of knowledge" for
! their respective companies-all without
result. Not one of the titles referred 10
belongs 10 a piece deserving the classif-
cation of good play. The gentlemen who
went to some trouble and expense in OBJ
tanning them are known to have had
years of experience in the theatrical pro-
fession. and should certainly be able to
tell a useful effort at sight. In the above
cases thear judgment was either paraI-
yzed or they were unable 10 secure
| anything better. Many OF the pieces
named were financial successes for
time but not one of them can be made
to live, even with judicious and elabo-
rate advertising. more than the single
year that should mark the minimum run
of clever production. Among them were
no lasting hits like I'm Mizzoura Held
! BY the Enemy" 1.-The Wife and two
hundred other past traumphs that might
be named. There were no parallels 10
"A Partisan Romance The Middle
| man." Beau Brummel.'' Lord Chum-
ley" or 'Arrah ma Pough."
The season brought forth number Of
| less prominent plays. few of which were
worthy of extended consldera ton. They
included ''The Princess and the Butter
fly" 1.-The Tarrytown Widow" His Lit
tie Dodge THE Ballet Girl Miss
Francis of Yale "A Ward of France
The Wedding Day" The Highway
man. The Bride Elect" THE Girl From
Paris" "A Stranger in New York" 4"
Cumberland '6l.' THE Circus Girl"
Never Again. The Man From Mexico" "
"ln Town" THE Indian "Bo Peep"
In the Name of the Car" THE Sun
shine of Paradise Alley, "A Bachelors
Honeymoon" and nearly all of the list of
the seasons failures given short time
ago in these columns. While many Of
these have succeeded and some have con-
siderable merit none is sufficiently well
off in that regard to permit of its be-
| ing set aside for general excellence.
| BY comparison with this long list the
roster of honor seems appalling. Without
being at all hypercriticai one can find
so few really good plays that he is as
tonished at the magnitude of the task be-
fore him in picking out ten. THE Idols
Eye" Jack and the Beanstalk' 1.-The
Belle of New York" and ''The Serenade"
will be found to about complete the num-
Der of desirable operas presented during
the year. Secret Service" and Under the
Red Robe" both excellent productions
only seen here a short time ago, belong to
last seasons successes. "A Royal Box
had rndoubted merit, and way Down
East deserves unstinted praise. both be-
ing included in the present roll. THE
Countess Valeska' might be termed a
good play, and the same may be said of
9sThe Little Minister and What Hap