The Portland daily press., 1898-08-01
WOMEN PLaYWRlGHTs.
Their Success in this Country and in Eng
land.

The production CT Mrs. Cralgie's
comedy, "The Ambassador" at the st.
James Theater, says the London oKe'cn,
is probably the most important polh'
that the woman dramatist has reacneo III
London, for MIR. George Alexander IN
primatur undoubtedly carries weight with
it.
Mrs. Oscar Beringer, on recent &C.
casion. held forth on the claims of women
to write for the stage. But the sex need
ed no apologist. There is no reason IN
the world why a woman should not be
able to write a play as cleverly S she can
produces a novel. True, she has done
nothing wonderful as yet. She can be
popular, it is true, but she has not Jet
been great; for, when she has been serious
(as George Fleming was in "Mrs. Less
ingham"), she is apt to be dull; when
she is frivolous, las Martha Morton was
In "a Bachelors Romance"), she is
somewhat sweetly feeble.
Probably the first play " ritten by a
woman was the work of Mrs. Aphra
G6GuU, WIN dAulSAphuOSA ny WV SSAteSA ASI
the outbreak of Keynoteism. But lit is
only of recent years that women can be
taken seriously land in sufficient number)
to justify our passing Judgment on
their dramatic,work. Nor is it surpris-
ing that American women, or at least,
those with the breath of the younger
world on them, should have made the
most progress. To begin with, john
Oliver Hobbies herself is Bostonian who
may be said to have become English by
reason of long residence with us. Again,
Miss Martha Morton, who was married
to New York merchant, Mr.. Conheim,
last August. is of Hebrew English par :
entage. though she was born and bred II
the other side. Her first play, Helene,
was produced eight years ago, while her
second, "The Merchant won the IS, 600
prize offered by the New York World.
Since that time Miss Morton, who Is
relative of Mr. Edward Morton, the dra-
matte critic has written at least half
dozen plays. 'sThe Sleeping Partner"
was played at the Criterion last August
and ga Bachelors Romance" brought
luck to Mr.. Hare at the Globe which had
already housed Mrs. Madeleine Lucette
Ryley's pretty play, 80 Jedbury Junior.
Mrs. Ryley, who is also the author OF
Nat Goodwins' play, "An American
Citizen" is English by birth, though she
had lived during the last few years in
New York. She knows the stage practi-
cally, for she was once light opera sing
er. The Globe seems to favor women. for
it is just a year since Miss Estelle Bur-
ney' IS "Settled Out of Court" was given
at matinee there. To return to America
Mrs Romualdo Pacheco, whose husband
was formerly Governor of.California and
Minister to Honduras, made money by
'.Tom, Dick and Harry" seen at the
Court and the Strand Theaters, and Mrs.
Hodgson Burnett found a fortune in
tLittle Lord Fauntleroy. which she and
Mrs. Beringer dramatized between them.
Of English women dramatists, proba-
bly, Mrs. Musgrave, who wrote "Our
Flat J" has enjoyed the longest run while
Miss Hariett Jay (''Charles Marlowe" }
has collaborated with her brother-in-law.
Mr.. Robert Buchanan, in "The Romance
of Shopwalker" and other plays. Mrs.
Beringer. on her own account, made a
success with ga Bit of Old Chelsea.
which is now running in New York.
Lady Violet Greville adapted "An Aris-
tocratic Alliance" for Mr.. Wyndham.
Lady Colin Campbell supplied the farce
"Bud and Blossom for the unhappy
ouintuple bill at Terry's. Mrs. ". K.
Clifford, has written several little pieces,
notably GA Honeymoon Tragedy" Mrs.
Hugh Bell has been industrious; she
wrote the Ibsen skit, "The Jerry Build
err" "Blue and Green" and "The
Bicycle, - to say nothing of dozens OF
plays for children. Miss Florence Warden
wrote the four-act comedy, "Uncle
Mike" Miss Clio Graves has giyon us
ga Mother of Three, and Tin collaboration
! with Miss Gertrude Kingston ga Match
maker" Porbably Miss Graves Is the
only woman who has had two plays run
ming as she did at the same time in
London. A strong play was written by
the lady known as "Michael Field' in
A Question of Memory" produced at the
| Independent Iheater, which also 1ntrc'
duced to us Miss Dorothy Leighton e
"Thyrza Fleming" Mrs. Cecil Ramsey
has written several curtajn-raisers lin
collaboration), notably "Gaffer Cargo
and the grim Monsieur de Paris Curl.
ously enough, women have not tried
opera to any extent. Miss Beatrice Har.
raden's sister, Ethel, composed "The
Taboo - which failed at the Duke of
York's Theater, and Julia Wool
wrote the music for "Carina, which was
taken through the Provinces some years
ago. Among the adapters one must moi
forget Miss Eweretta Lawrence. who
turned Won Moser's ''Ultimo" into son
| Change" Among foreigners worthy Of
mention is the Danish Fru Mailing, au
thor Of brilliant Napoleon; novel,
which will shortly appear in English