The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-05-07

AS the theatrical horoscope Oh tiie
7 present season is cast two facts are no.
ticeable, says am exchange. SeVeral
{. stars who usually open their season
with new plays have failsd to duplicatt
their former successes with dramas Oh
American manufacture, while the TWO
big successes of the season have peen
adaptations from the French These,
of course are "Cyrano de Bergerac"
and "Zaza." Besides these, Gather
ine,' in when Annie Russell made her
, stellar debut William H. Cranes new
play, and also William Giqlett's latest
+ production are all from across the Al
: lantic and from a foreign language.
Whether these facts are significant re,
mains to be seen, but certain it is that
. Importation is keeping pace with the
domestic production. Much has been
written on the subject of adaptation,
: and that too, not without it's effect,
: for it has drawn more clearly the line
of demarkation between adaptation and
! plagiarism A few years ago a dramatic
reviewer was relating the plot of new
r comedy to ar old German actress when
she interrupted him with the state
nlent:
Why. 1 played the soubrette role
{ i'm thatl"
Why, that can't be. 1t has just been
2 brought out in New York.
II know, but it was brought out in
Berlin when I was playing soubrette
parts, and that was not season before
! last, ether
So many instances of this kind have
! taken place that new standard of lit
crazy straightforwardness has been
drawn well-known actor once told
. in my hearing that a comedy which he
had written and referred to a friend
for criticism was returned with the
comment that ION the whole it ought
! Ito succeed. because in pieces it had
done SO time and time again. This,
of course, calls to mind the scene during
the rehearsal of the much, but deServ-
eddy, abused 1.-THE Conqueror." Potter,
the author" was directing a. bit of
4 business to which one actor objected.
why, that business will never CO."
he said
: 1T has always gone" replied the I'M
disturbed playwright. And it went.
London Stage: Some years ago
Joined a legitimate company, touring
the very 'smalls,' to make myself use
f ful. The company was more select
eiA61ii 4dl ciAel IICdIIy oil It's IlSIH-
bers had to double and "amalgamate"
{ many parts. But our exertions were as
nothing to our leading lady's. She was
also the manageress of the company.
For many weeks the following were her
parts: Macbeth" = Lady Macbeth,
I Banquo, Malcolm, The Apparitions (act
! 1V), The Officers (act W; Hamlet
Ophelia, Chest, Rcsencrantz, the Priest,
Osric; Merchant of Venice"-Portia,
Lorenzo, Salarino: Richard ILL.,
Lady Anne, Queen Elizabeth, Norfolk;
Rob Roy''-Helen Macgregor, Rash
leigh. Matte, Hostess.
Ivanovitch Polivanoff, who died at
Moscow on February 18th, in his 62I
year. was the founder of the Russian
Shakespeare Society, and the translator
OF Moliere, Racine and Corneine into
Russian He was an eminent peda-
gogue, the author of a series of hand
books of the Russian language and lit
erature ard member of several learned
societies. He is best known, however.
by his edition of the works of Pushkin,
for which he received the gold medal
Of the academy and the Peter the
Great prize from the Ministry of Pub
lie Education
A London newspaper furnishes the
following particulars concerning "The
Tyranny of Tears the new play by
Haddon Chambers, in which Charles
Wyndham is to make his temperance
in the London Criterion: The piece
Containing only five parts, is described
on the program as a comedy of tenn
permanent The whole action takes
TNIo ind Z
is a comedy of an ironic tinge and will,
1t is hoped, appeal to the audience hu-
morously, to the people of the play the
action in which they take part is deadly
serious. The Tyranny of Tears there
fore, is latent rather than obvious com
edy. Mr.. Parbury (Mr Wyndham) is
an author. Mrs. Parbury Miss Mary
Moore, his wife is apparently a weak
and confiding little woman but really
she has a very wonderful knack of get
ting her own way-'the tyranny of
Tears They have been married five
years. and, gradually and unconscious
ly. her husband has become a mere
slave to her whims; in quiet way she
has obtained complete mastery over
him. When his friend George Dun
ming erred Kern returns, he is as
tonished, and proceeds to open Par
bury's eyes. Then matters develop
Mrs. Parbury is refused her own way
in some things which she regards as
important, and because she cannot have
it leaves her husband Miss Maude
Millett as Hyacinth Woodward. Mr.
Parbury's amanuensis. and Alfred
Bishop as Colonel Armitage, Mrs Par
bury's father. have very important
parts"
The general critical opinion touching
HaGidon Chambers new play 1.-The Ty-
ranny of Tears which Charles Wyrd-
ham has just produced at the London
Criterion Theater. seems TO be distinct
ly favorable, although it is objected
that the serious scenes are somewhat
unduly prolonged. All the lighter
parts, however, which abound, appear
to be uncommonly clever. natural, and
entertaining. The plot is very simple,
showing how husband at last revolts
against the tyranny of an exacting wife,
VINO has kept him in subsection by her
ready production of tears. One COM