Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-04-16
A NEW WOMAN
PLAYWRIGHT

Jane Mauldln- Felgl Is the rather Pc
culiar name Of the latest recruit to the
ranks of woman playwrights of Ameri-
ca, but to many people this hyphenatee
cognomen conveys the Information that
she is a daughter of a distinguished
Texas family and wife of one of the
most successful young newspaper men
of New York city, Colonel Fred Feigl.
editor and proprietor OF The Tammany
Times. Mrs. Feigl has been known, both
in her native state and in her adopted
home. as a writer OF clever verse and
good literary matter. She even tried
her hand at editorial work on her hus-
bands paper, with such success that
the desk she usurped one day in splr-
it of fun remained her undisputed pos
session for over year, for she belongs
TO the type of fearless, independent
Texas woman who does not hesitate to
tackle anything from bucking broncho
TO a typewriter.
1t was in much the same spirit that
she first attempted playwriting. As is
usual with young writer's, her first ef-
fort was problem play of almost melo-
dramatic cast. This she submitted TO
a. NJ. Palmer, who, as was to be ex-
pected, returned IL. But his lreasons for
declining 1t were rather complimentary
and encouraging than otherwise. They
were that two plays. one by Sardou and
the other Dumas Denise" which Mrs.
Feigl's piece somewhat resembled in
style, had failed in America. and he
feared that the public did not care for
any more in the same line. However,
he liked the comedy of the piece and
asked that. IL Mrs. Feigl should ever
turn her hand to lighter playwriting,
III.
This gave her the suggestion of "A
Paris Model
The comedy was written amid many
Interruptions from an infant son, who
claims even more of Mrs. Feigl's atten-
ton than her literary work. and every
evening she awaited the receipt OF a
telegram from his nurse announcing
his good health with more interest and
anxiety than she did the rising of the
curtain on her comedy. on the night
that the play was produced the telegram
was delayed. and the mother-author
was on the point of taking the train
| for New York to see II her son was all
right. leaving the baby OF her brain TO
its fate. And when, in response to calls
| for the author from the audience, the
actors went to hunt for her they found
her hidden back OF a piano reading and
rereading the dispatch announcing that
the son and heir OF the Feigls was all
right.
| Moreover. this new dramatist has not
advanced beyond the point where she
thinks nobody can teach her anything.
on the other hand, she is constantly
counting criticisms and seeking sugges-
| tons. As result the play was con-
| siderably improved in several minor de-
| tails during its stay here. Bright bits
| of business were introduced and SUPER
nuous dialogue was eliminated, all tend
| ing TO knit together still more compact.
! ly a very cleverly constructed comedy
! The principal change was that Of the
! nationality Of the ubiquitous janitor
from German to Hiberniau this being
more In keeping with the true condition
of affairs in metropolitan flatdom, which
is SO cleverly caricatured In this COM
edy.
II was also decided that Leo DIETRICH.
stein, as the broken down French tenor
was too good to keep, so an entrance
was devised for him in the first act
Nine. Pillar NORM is also given morf
opportuniEy for the display OF her pan.
tomimic talents. which are remarkable
and Miss Haslam, whose performance
of the Leading comedy role was excel.
lent from the outset, has even improved
upon that by experience, which goes &c
prove the dictum that plays, comedies
especially, are constructed rather thar
written, and few of them are as com.
plcte at their first performance as was
"A Paris Model