The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-09-25

end of the play. La Collier de la RENE,
or the Queens Necklace" lone by
Mrs. Potter and Mr.. Bellew at Days
theater, was also an adaptation of Mr..
Meltzer's, and the last season witness
ed the production of His Honor, the
Mayor" written in collaboration with
A. T.. Lancaster, and presented by w.
III. Crane at the Empire theater.
: For the coming season ulia Arthur
announces for production two plays in
which Mr.. Meltzer's busy pen has had
a part. One is an entirely new version of
Camille" in the preparation of which
j. j. c. Clark has assisted. The other
is an English version of ~"Infedele," the
work of the rising young Italian dram
atist, Roberto Bracco. Another produce
ton even more notable is promised by
, a young romantic star.
In addition to his other work. Mr..
Meltzer found time during the last sea-
son to be the moving spirit of the pro-
auctions of the Independent theater.
These productions were among the
most notable of the season, among the
plays given being Ibsen's "Borkmann"
Echegaray's masterpiece, "El Gran
Galeoto."
The American version of the latter
play was the work of Miss Maude
Banks, and was so admirably done that
1t takes easy precedence of all the other
versions made from the original Span
fsh. By judicious omissions Miss Banks
even improved upon the acting quail
tiles of Echegaray's play by permitting
a swifter sequence of events. Nothing
finer in the way of adaptation could
well be conceived. Miss Banks con-
fessed herself entirely under the spell
Of the play while the play was in prog
ress. Not only did Miss tank adapt
the play, but she created the part of
Christina when the piece was acted at
the RRTKlpV lNnpl1m Hero with 1nhn
Blair. who appeared as Ernest, she
did the most entirely satisfactory work
hat she had ever done upon the stage.
This production was without doubt the
most notable, from an artistic stand
point, seen in New York during the
past season.
Anita Vivanti Charities is one of the
most recent contributors to our drama,
her comedy, THAT Man" having been
produced by A. VI. Palmer in Washing
ton only two or thre weeks age. The
play is pronounced a success and will
be given a hearing in New York dur
ing the season.
Madame Chartres is an Italian. hav-
ing been born in Venice. Her father,
who took an important part in the
war for Italian independence. was an
intimate friend of Garibaldi. Her
mother was a sister of Paul Lindau, the
German dramatist. She began her ca
reer by writing poems which attract
ed much attention in Italy and which
were favorably reviewed in England.
Her novel, Marion" established her
reputation in Italy. where she was re-
ceived at court and made the recipient
Of many social distinctions. Upon the
death of her father she went to Eng
land. where she married Mr.. Charities.
Soon after her marriage business inter
ests brought her husband to America.
She accompanied him, and has since
made New York her home. Mrs. Char
tres writes fluent English. Her serious
drama. La Rosa Azure C"The Blue
ROse'D, has been produced in Europe
with much success. 1t is to be includ-
ed in the repertoire for her country
woman, Madame Duse.
Paul Wilstach is another Of the
newer contributors to our drama. He
inherits his fondness for the pen from
his father, the scholarly John Angus,
tine Wilstach. whose metrical transla-
tions of Virgil and Dante" rank with
the best English versions of the great
Italians. The sons first literary ven
ture was an historical tragedy explain
ing the life of the Spanish painter.
Alonzo Cano. This interesting work
was written at school and was actually
performed by Mr.. Wilstach's class,
mates at Bourbonnais. At about this
same time he made an arrangement OF
the thtl-oI-It mai HUN lIt4l
all the female characters were omitted
except Mrs. Willoughby. The ambitious
young author himself essayed the part
of Bob Briefly.
Bridget" a very clever one-act COM
edy of domestic life. was the first work
to receive a professional production.
1t was acted by the National Theater
stock company of Washington. 1t was
followed by another one-act play called
Bluff" which was presented by the
same company. Later the Columbia
stock company played a three-act
farce called "A First Offense." This was
followed by the production Of "A Gay
Deceiver," in which Anna Held appear
ed in all the principal cities from New
York to San Francisco. Mr.. Wilstach
has contributed to the magazines and
is the author of several little booklets
as well.
Chester Bailey Fernald is the son of
Naval Constructor Fernald, now re-
tired. who was assigned TO the duty of
supervising important stages of the
construction of the battleships Maine,
Oregon, Indiana and others.
Young Fernald first attracted the at
tention of the literary world by a story
which he sent to the Century magazine.
His admirable style, his Imagination,
and the fact that he had discovered a
new field for the fictionist gave him an
immediate success.
1t was THE Cat and the Cherub," a
short story of the Chinese quarter I'M
San Francisco, that accomplished this
enviable result. Several stories on this
line were ordered by the Century COM
But MIR. Fernald found ii diff
cult to confine himself to the Chinese
field. His pen would n OFF into
descriptions of other people and other
places. notably of the simple folk OF
the New England coast. with whom he
became acquainted during occasional
vacations spent along their rugged
shores with his father when the latter
had shore leave. 1t is not clearly es-
tablished whether Mr.. Fernald con-
ceived the idea of making a play of his
Chinese stories. or whether he took his
enc from the success OF the first play