The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-24
AFFAIRS OF THE THEATRE.
.ruLIx MhRLoNE IN "TRB COUNTESS
TILESKAD AND OTHER PLAYA

Snp1tA YNnmnnn ReGeWN1 ~ 1N1iIlk IN tn0
esm sack show ana Loses MeF Temper
william A. BRADY On the DaIy-neucicnult
y,rht over the Railway Rssoue Scene.
Julia Marlowe has made ''The Countess Va
,i.skn" more interesting than It was at nrst. II
has been improved in many details. and its
rather slender story 10 now moro compact and
J,rcct. The role Of the heroine win never DO
tho best in Miss Marlowe's repertoire. It does
not call into play the most conspicuous Of her
talents. She is now above all else the con-
temporary embodiment Of tender and girlish
traits. No other actress on our stage can 30
we'll express the characteristic of maidenhood.
When In Romeo and Juliet" she shows grief
and passion, they are essentially the emotions
of a girl. She might we'll conflne herself to tho
Interpretation Of roles that depend chiefly on
these particular rare merits in acting. Tho
heroine Of "Tho Countess Valeska" might DO
played by actresses Of greater force with far
moro effectiveness than she brings to It, WON.
On who could not impart tho charming feminin-
ity and youthfulness Of her Jutiet, Rosalind.
Gdiatea, or Julia could do very much moro
with the Polish Countess than Miss Marlowo
does. SO there seems to DO no good reason why
Bhe should Just now devote herself, even tenn
porarily, to parts that are not Of the kind she
can play brilliantly. With nobody else In her
particular field to-day, she would do well to keep
to the g!rlish heroines whom she embodies 80
charmingly. 1.-The Countess valeska" is an
example Of the German romantic play translate
ed into English. 1t contains one strong central
interest which would suggest to the American
playwright no end Of situations. About that
main theme our dramatists would weave intri-
cate subplots and incidental scenes that would
undoubtedly strengthen the theatrical value
Of the work for American audiences. As 1t is,
A. ura roy,nntt, ,la- ~ farnl~n
porary authorship strikes the American critic
asa slender and drewn-out affair, but IT salts
a nss the and f't tRestri sSihG tfiU K yhG are m anad 5ntsi;
Of use in any but sensational" plays. The
German &c 5. serious PIECES IF the day %i arc nosa.
In q measure for tho fact that so few of them are
leon here, They are analysis ma lssls, and character
esta. they are historical. one episode satisfies
ttIjasls simple theme and ist ths interest depend
tloS.ll S"N' exploited at thhs'His irving P PSSS,
r aEs' plan u that tie author Of "The countess Sn
< chosen. and It's loE1t!msto end isTsaehed By
Tho dramatist would scorn to help his play
with the incidents that are deemed Indispensable
10 success here.
The presence OF the women commonly known
As Sam Jacks buzzards on upper Broadway
marks . phase Of theatricals which Is luckily
not to continue long. It IL not to be believed
that tho taste which tolerates such perform
ances In the Bowery il extensive enough up
town to encourage the wretched exhibition
which these unfortunate women make Of them.
selves. It Is true of the shows given now at
the little theatre near Twenty-eighth street,
Just "a It 10 true Of 0 beer garden which has lost
it, proprietor, through the verdict of q Jury,
that. evenif such. places exist, 1t 10 unluoky that
they should BIO an affront to decenoy on Broad.
way. Thero are streets In which theyswould be
less conspicuous, and for that reason measure
ably less deplorable. OF course, they should
have no place anywhere, but they are less
harmful where they are less seen. On satur-
day night Jennie Yeamans was:in the exhibition.
She had boon announced to appear in tights.
spectacle OF Miss eaman In such a costume
l Ess'sSSn ss s scmo p. !: sS m %s1 E sa RPst pis. Of SDiin n
, Tn,.s sl9a1 when ths .DsotatOTs asst caught
there came applause. Miss Yeamans remarked
that ~ her ughts bad not yet boon seen. there
aside the cloak. The witnesses were silent.
Ihe actress began 10 make on the
RRstsSn'l a IN yss s sSaes siio o oaSr 81 ssTS Sl% %f 5y = nS wsll.
Her remarks to others in the audience were not
quite so amusing as abe had expected them to
he gallery, Witch showed that the mood Of
those up aloft was no longer amiable. There
had been indulging herself In that manner. But
The rule could moi. DO made to work both ways.
When the mood Of the audience became plainly
hostile Mts5 YeamanB stepped down to the
the said. that I am, here 70 entertain you, and
Then she sfs', o t%tii1"pf'i her s TiH lsay Without tho 1s" En-.
ORANGE. She had not hesitated to make fun out
OF the spectators. But when they retortsd her
hit in her r~epartee. .shows Of the class which
Fam Ja"k has brought to Broadway are famil.
they are common in such houses over the coun-
Try. They travel from town to town. accumu.
iasias a n't Change ln eE in {hdp , cSsr stasy e Po thas part It
81 Broadway which shelters them now that
Snch performances are possible there.
In an account of the appropriation by the late
Dion Boucicault of the railway rescue episode
In Augustin Days Under tho Gaylight," and
It's contested use in AFTER Dark" The SUN
Implied that Mr.. Bouoicault confessed the
Plagiarism. William A. Brady, the present
owner OF After Dark" writes as follows: '"The
records Of the United States Circuit Court will
show that Mr.. Dion Boucicault meier acknowl.
edged that he took this scene from Mr.. DAILY, but
In an affidavit that was presented in my case,
claimed that the scene was not original with
ME-. DAILY, but had been taken from the maya.
""S s''isio uiicu UHClo ION 3 II TlB0C, (WHICH
was published in a magazine one year before
flr. Days production OF Under tho Gas
light In that story u man was placed on a
railroad track At the peril of his life and was
rescued by another in a new and novel manner.
1ir' Boucicault never gave any testimony in
me case when 1t was originally tried In 1867
,amiu never appeared as Q witness In The case at
tll, as he died shortly before 1t became neces-
tary ior him to appear as a witness for me. l
tnew the old gentleman's opinion of tho mat;
Yer and he always thought that MIR. DAILY did
iot have the rights that he claimed. Some day
me dramatic author will realize the great in
justice That has been done to play wrights by
ne decisions that have been rendered in tho
umhiled States courts against me In this case.
ihey have all been in defiance of the statutes
rs written and will react against some Innocent
ltrson In the future. BY the decisions rem
.ered a man who writes a play and has a char
hcier 80 TO the telephone or SIT down In some
rover manner, or eat in o peculiar way, can
prevent any author from using the Same bust
icss as pnrt OF his piece for eternity. II will no
!, very wise thing for the Authors association
10 iook up the sweeping, clauses in the deci-
irons that, were rendered against me in this
irhtter and they might find that they are unjust