The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-10-26
THINGS IN NEW DRAMAS.
an AsfN UNDfHe Episode FROM SHR
cSMFDIE FRANCAIsR

anma from the Amedie Francaise 81 we'll ~
am, any other fap playhouse. There IL ono
!. Henri Lave tsn'SQsthcrine," which Is be-
a. performe A at theN 4ick this week. AZ
~ pausinR 10 say thatIharles Frohman has
.,simed e Eeptionally clyer ana nt actors to
,hIs repre- fsntation Of the aece IN English and
M. most, Of them do deligkfully an that is
,,oulreE ~ them. the critical Siter must pass
~ ne u ner impressive thing fhShe affair. and
MI /, the ASSAULT made by a wdNan upon the
..LvI virtue OF a man. DurtnAtwo previ.
~. ,ots the words and deeds hSke all been
s'rasly sentimental. Frank WothlnR has
,sr,tsd and married Annie Russell circum-
S.aly. though he is o rich Duke aid abe q
~, music teacher. Sarah Cowell LsMoyno
". n. noble mother OF the BRIDEGROOM, and
TuIi,u J. LIE Moyne as the doddering Nther
,stbs bride, have talked irreproachably lbout
y, ethics OF love and wedlock betWeenSrep-
..,ntntiyes OF titled and untitled socety.
V,h,l Barrymore and May Buckley = lave
,S0rn pure amiability as sisters OF the Aew
tr.hand and his new wife. The action has
Nan allow and quiet. Elsie De Wolfe has
,hovn that she Is enamored Of Mr.. WorthinE,
"a certain symptoms In her case should havS
v,med him and the audience to look cut for
S,r. but her break ava from GOOD behavior
si,oouick and violent that 1t astounds him,and
dsnbfounds those people across the footlights
nj have no foreknowledGe Of what IL Going
n h.poen. Miss De Wolfe comes in faint and
p,ryous from q horseback ride with Mr..
Vorthlng. She retreats TO her room and soon
.merres in q gown that has no sleeves and not
much bodice. This IL in the daytime. and
there Is no ordinary. reason for such q toilet.
Tho man should SEQ that It means mischief.
But no has no suspicion Of deviltry In the cost
IL and modish contriyance OF partial conceal
msut and liberal exposure. The passion In
the wearer's gentle breast becomes usually
and then vocally turbulent. The common con.
he woman here who im~petuonsly declares her
wish. implores the man TO give her one hour OF
his life, and appoints 6o'clock the next morn
ing In her chamber as the time and the place.
The husband a~ssents. clasps the reckless wo-
man in his arms and kisses her madly. The
wife enters. Presumably her discovery of the
trSly clear. After this amazing exhibition OF
a loye-crazed woman's abAsement, Giyon at the
iiarrick with the stamp OF Coincide FRANCHISE
Miss De Wolfe is seen nc more. and Miss Rus
bined elorts:of, Mr.; WorthinE. Mr.. Holland.
Mr. Sayille and the LIE Moynes TO q reconeilla-
ton with her %repentant husband.
FayWrights who used apologetically to al
tsrnate the fat and the lean belonged to an
karlier and more modest age. Those who
write melodramas to-day for the popular
priced theatres have NO scruples. They mix
the latest they can find with the leanest, and
beyond occasional anonymity are fearless,
"On Land and Sea- at the Star is O typical APP
peal to a century-end audience that wants its
serious moments to curdle with intensity
while its diversions come hot from the vaude-
vile Eriddle. What Is the perplexed n I'M
rereAled author TO do but meet that compii-
Gated demand2 How courageously he did 1t
was . question answered by the spectators
last night whenever the curtain fell. The as
the music halls are mot bereft OF sensations
most plays OF this class will exist. The thir-
ty-SS valuations OF human emotion available
tfne that nobody searches for freshness in
them. But vaudeville Is more elastic. 1t
to insure eternal novelty in plays of the
genus to which On Land and Sea" belongs.
That has an innocent heroine loved by n
wicked man. who is pursued by q woman he
has yronEed; 30 has nearly every other Of
'ruttner details. There is an honest lover
f9iled by the accomplices OF the evil. Those
elements Of the piece are the common proD-
have Irish comedians with songs more or less
appropriate 70 the occasion; Germans with
handy Rotations available in any act. In ad-
- NtAA'Nh -Nii1t hONCt Ill . u
comedian with the last coon son and "A black
chorus TO accompany him., and a woman who
caG throw doEn anybody With the same yo-
push her purDose. These made NJ the fat of
the play at the Star last night. The lean came
IN condensed slices toward the close OF every
aci; IhenA Il was necessary to tighten tho
Strings and draw the attention OF the audience
from the diversions that were supposedly
. ,Rs but In reality made up four-ffths Of
Lrniunded in this way. So is popular farce. ,
ne prevalence OF vaudeville can be noted out
1,de tre music halls and the Waldorf-Astorla.
theHtres.
Brooklyn audiences are now seeing what
Augustin DAILY had lone to Edmond Rostand's
tyrano de Bergerac." Whatever may be the
diversity OF feeling as to the qualification al
iorded, there could have been no d~isappoint-
ment Mr.. DAILY has been so violently assailed
W me author for using the play without his
autnorization and by the newspaper critics for
huilaung it. that the people who handsomely
occupy the Montauk Theatre know what to
Expect The hand OF the fearless manager has
zone well in shortening the text to bring it
wthln a limit OF three hours in the delivery.
None Of the English TRANSACTIONS of the French
masterpiece has preserved its verbal beauties
suuiclently TO warrant It's presentation at full
VA ptdko' III tuaJ one particular
ne DAILY performance is preferable to Mans
neds. but not in any other. though che ever
ss2dent vogue and artistic charm Of Ada Rehan
us not iaIi to get recognition and give salts
,,Suoh. The part Of QVrdn0 is a third longer
vnAh mat OF Hamlet. IL our people are FESTIVE
ruvst long stretches OF Sh~akespeare's best
taaneI as, spoken by any actor since Booth,
Az ~ ian thsY be expected to sit In comfort I'M
y ue sui more prOtracted ones OF CVTdnO,
ssiy a, ~ Rostand's diction and CoQuelin's
siiNOsuuont 30 Mr.. DAILY had made q Judi
N " condensation OF that role. his blue pencil
M ~ nave marked an improvement. But he
bsSr p1stIy nearly, eliminated sthe singular
N ib,I % lmpersonate him. The plain purpose |
To WI mas been TO magnify the heroine TO pro
irsVcvvII9ns equal y Miss Hehan's abilities and
I~.tts stements. BY that process the two char
towvrns nave been unbalanced in their attitudes
eo gs each other. the man being belittled TO
iot.sPpfSistlve insigniflcance. aud the woman |
al Az mo an importance which the scheme
Sln %S pay forbade. Compensation for the
In 49, : done by the manager Is afforded by
nittsa' TESS however. In such scenes as per- |
~ ~ r 20 make an effectual use OF her
I'll WIN y Is true especially in the garden
en- a nm US episode Of the ~amAlRamated WOO
eouftsbb,nrh e willing recipient Of their deceptive
Ildsps5 ; ProsAically and c~olloquially con-
Noyhs edhoWs play on that deluded woman, hut.
hebts hehtimentaily and acted In the moon |
Ens tn MISS Rehsn posing pi~cturesquely
usHRhtful romance. ~"
one new playlet at Pastors yesterday a
80 ned the centre OF the stage az the cur |