The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-08

they not 10 be at their best In the classics
| But tho plays make them tolerablc, even when
| they do have the assistance Of a Somewhat.
In modern limitations Of the old forms, such as
| Wildenbruch and few others are turning out,
German actors tediously stilted and theatrical
according to American ideas
Manager Conried has enough modern works
on hand TO show his company in the way that
they appeal TO the English speaking public. and
the list includes some recent German successes
There Ia a new play among them by Felix Phillip
of which great things are promised. and real
istic drama by Prince Wrede IL TO DO acted
None OF the new players in the cast on Tuesday
night revealed any very striking talents, and at
least one OF them was quito unequal TO any
thing moro than a merely capable performance
Of her role Individual achievement is not as
important at tho Irving Place, however. as in
some other thoaters The successes Of the conf
pany are the result OF training and sacrifice
Of detail effects TO the impression Of the whole
The performance on Tuesday showed that these
traditions were certain TO DO regarded thoroue hly
in the future. Tho medieval apartment in
which tho scene of the comedy is laid was, in the
first place, exceptionally tasteful and appropriate
Through an open window to DO seen q char.
acteristic stretch Of Italian landscape All tho
atmosphere OF antiquity which the performance
possessed came from this charming scene, and
there was further evidence OF the skilled stage
technician in the use Of tho light, which repro
duced the effects Of nature as they arc done here
only at the Irving Place
Haddon Chambers put one phrase into Cop
tain Swift" that has endured long enough to do
something toward establishing the seeming i'm
possibility that portion may be greater than tho
whole. Many persons who do not remember an
other thing about the Australian melodrama
hav In ~ lor "a
almost as familiar proverh There Is no such
picturesque wording In "rho Tyranny of Tears"
and the nearest approach TO II comes In Hvaefnth
Woodtrdrd's reference TO the "clovon foot Of COM
pliment" The general character OF the text Of
the comedy Is rather easy, pleasant and bright
than brilliantly witty. For that reason IL seems
moro adapted to the use OF the stage One need
only hear the play once to realize how little ground
there is for the belief that Oscar Wilde had any
hand in its authorship Tho hard, hashy glitter
Of his artificial epgrams was remote as possible
from the natural talk Of the persons involved in
the little intrigue Of Mr. Chambers latest comedy.
Theirs Is tho talk Of rather bright and we'll bred
men and women Of the world with very rare ap-
parent efforts at something clever. Most of these
attempts fall TO Hpdeinth Her rather extended
monologue. in which she describes her life her
family and her home, sometimes strains at tho
unusual without reaching it. But that seems
a slight defect in a play Of such quality as Tho
Tyranny of Tears" Its most amusing moments
are those in which tho language fits the situation
The flash of humor is brightest when these two
strike. The woman secretary is explaining to
his wife why she kissed her husbands pho
tograph. Whether the girl really loved him or
not, TIC spectators are not quito able to tell
The indications are that she Is sentmentally
inclined to him. His wife devoted to him in.
ordinately. is helping TO sacrifice his career by
the sclhshness of her devotion. Tho secretary
has seen the condition OF affairs and confesses
that when she kissed tho young authors pio-
ture II out Of pity for him. She tells his wife
that she never was in love with him and that
kissing tho photograph was merely the erati-
lcation Of her maternal instinct The wife is
no longer Jealous and can take q humorous view
Of the case We'll, all l have to say to you
she remarks to the impusive young woman
lis that II you 60 through life displaying your
maternal feeling, toward other women 8 husbands
you'll end badly" There is especial brilliancy
in that speech. But coming where II docs, the
audience finds Il ono Of the most amusing In tho
comedy. Mr. Chambers has not relied on the
effect OF independent epigram for his humor
but in nearly every instance made the agreeable
talk OF his characters essential part Of the
dramatic moment
Probably every woman in the audience SYM
Ta.nizes with tho wife, who decides that her hus-
bands typewriter must leave the house after
she has caught her kissing his photograph. She
does not tell her husband the reason she demands
the womans dismissal. He has begun 10 revolt
and decides to make this episode a test case The
young secretary docs not want to 60 as she frank
ly explains, because she breads TO return to the
poverty Of her home, especially under circum-
stances that may damage her future career So
she claims that she was hired by the husbrnd
not the wife. and he takes her side she REM. rs
Then the wife goes home with her father. Fem
inine sympathy is then undoubtedly in favor Of
the wife. even II every woman in the audience
has decided that she nagged her husband mex
cusably in the earlier scenes They had no pa
tience with her then. Every one of them de-
nounced her as whmpering baby. with her
inevitable tears 10 crown every conflict between
her and her husband with victory. But with
tho secretary left in the house and the wife driven
out OF il, even through her own caprice, there
was pathos almost in her position. Her hus-
band had carried his revolt too far even II he
vere distressed at her absence and was
driven TO drinking champagne at 10 o'clock in
the morning relief To his feengs The SYM
pathy for tho wife. under tho circumstances is
natural enough, for she is human, and the sec
rotary is too enigmatc to be followed. She calls
herself Just q plain. natural English girl. but
seems extraordinary in every action. kissing
her employers photograph out OF mere sym
pathy for his marital annoyances refusing to
leave the house when his wife orders her to-
Ceptng man whom she says sho has not tho
least affection for and expressing the most COM
pletc contentment under the circumstances
these are not in the least the actions Of an every
day young woman SO much as they arc the re-
suit OF determination not to go back to her I'M