The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-01
INCIDENTS IN STAGELAND.
UOF, MUCH LIBERTY MAY AN ACTOR
TAKE WITH AN AUTHOR9

The Pronigate" ended with tha forgiveness
OF the coutrIte husband by his wife and the re-
union OF tho pair for happiness But as Ar
thur W Pinero wrote the drama originally.
md as II was acted for several years. the eli
max was tho death OF the man hv suicide In
despair at the woman's obdurate taboo. Some
PERSONS who observed the change may have
supposed that Miss Nethersolo haG made 1t at
will That was by no means the case Au-
thNrs Of pnero's standing do not permit such
liberties with their work. Their contracts
with producing managers call for literal ad-
heyence to the smallest word and perfect ODE
,ieuce 10 every minute direction as to the ac-
zion They will hermit mono OF the freedom
which minor writer's have to ometimes en-
dure and which is usually accorded to come
clans in burleslues and extravag anzas. 1t
was OILY after The Pron!gnte" had failed ut
r,l'y ~ le""me popular that Pinero consented
a. md Il happily. though iiogcally.
There has been n violent quarrel in London
r'Eeeu Henry Arthur Jones. author Of Car
nae Sahib." and BeerbUhn Tree. the actor
nlaua.cr who produced It. over the question
exchanging line. Mr.. Tree enacted q British
Army Colonel. lie and military chum fell
under the wicked wlles OF pretended widow.
reur-scnted bv Mrs. Brown-Potter. Neither
OF tho men made any rretence OF purity in his
love o. her. Both were well aware that she
70 win are what they politely called her
smiles" and she mischievously kept them In
uucertaiuty as to which she preferred. At one
point the rivals quarrellel about her. Words
don't count said one. but whom YOU come to
deeds you'll ind I've been before YOU" Tree
objected to that remark us unlikely in an OIL
Ger and gentleman and asked Jones to write
another TO take its place. Jones positively re-
fused and insisted that. according to contract.
So the line was retained. but not long. as the
paY failed quickly and was withdrawn. 1t
WAS the same Henry Arthur Jones who wrote
Michael and His Lost Angel" which was
simultaneous tiasco' here and in London. In
On" scene the heroine had to say TO the hero,
f1I"gcuc conclusion that New York audience.
familiar with the phrase sure. Nike. as a
slaue eNure.sior. would laugh when 1t was
heard from the lips OF the actress. no matter
how serious the meaning or connection might
Ice. Bu; II was not deemed wise to violate the
A6sn was he uniortalate peak or The play RS
Ia not gone well There had been ridicnie
break OF derision. She began with the I am"
IL clear tones and then slurred the sure
Mike IN distinctly. but she was heard never
uHess. and the laughter was tremendous.
An Italian company plays D'Ennerys "A
Celebrated Case in back wing OF o music hall
III the BJWery II took climb to reach the
players, 1Or tney were a3 nlRn upstairs rs the
gallery OF an ordinary theatre. They were sc
far from the street that the eearcher for them
might easily have been beEuiled by tho rag
time choruses in the large hall on the lower
level These obstacles did not prevent Sow
era! hundred Italians from reaching the place.
Tie performance did not begin until after o
o'clock which may have been RECOGNITION Of
the difficulties that the audience had encouu-
tered. But that could not explain the slow
progress OF the play. which was not over until
nearly l o'clock. The auditors were as nu-
merous. interested and vociferous then as
they had peen two hours before Not even
Gle babies had been taken home. although
their presence had become frequently audible.
Only one actor seemed to have real talent
and experience. His name was printed on
the programme In letters three times larger
than those allowed to his associates. al
though two OF them were in a lesser degree
elevated by the same means. Other dis
tinguished phiodramatcs" was the generic
description Of tho rest All but the Rendud
we're evidently amateurs. The loud whis-
pers Of the prompter subsidized while that
actor was speaking. To the others he read
up with his rapid speech left the players mute
on the scene He did even more than is re-
watched him as uncertain singers do a con-
ductor. He evidently indicated to them when
guidance we're tho Remand and the Ham 5oran,
he latter was a fat man. who amused the au-
diepce immensely. He made the CoIoners or
Cerly a shrewd. impudent clown and interpo-
iated-jests which appealed irreslstibly to his
hearers. The part was never SO long In any
laughed as we'll at what was meant for fun as
AZ hat was Of serious intent although its at
titude.was generally sympathetic and APPROX
The entrance Of the thief in the prologue
vita which follDVnd i'm dinf Aly-an1
nroiound attention. The scenery was the
chief value lay W In Creating tie thestrcal at
nmosrher{e that painted canvas can always give;
the decoration to Renarid tho accusation 10y
his daughter and her recognition Of her
had he eject ' With the asdsnce Witch sbaa
doned itself TO the interest OF the crudely pre-.
sented scenes; The actors SPOKE with litts
tain strange power in the meeting with her
father. showed no immediate interest in what
ent day and in the STYLES OF the neighborhood
.entatlon. even it's poorest form. than this Der,
Torrance could scarcely be found. To the
average New Yorker every ve,tige 81 n:
way 1t was acted. But the spectators we're al
70 live IN the emotions Of the scenes as though
they were lie itself.
"Cyrano de BerRerao' Is to furnish the H.
bretto OF comic opera Tor Francis wilson
He will. OF course. be the facetious Cyrdnc
into which Harry b. smith will turn the Ros
tand hero The score will be written by Vic
tor Herbert or Ludwig Engander. Mr.. vii
son believes that there Is enough interest re
naming in the Cyrano theme to make a per
verified use OF 1t popular, Rostands ndiffer
ence or negligence in the failure to copyrgh
his drama has contributed to the prosperity o
several Americans. In the future Mr. Wilson
will not use an operetta two years. as he die
Half King" but will have new work ever!
season. Tho Ameer." in which Frank Danie
Is to be heard. will have score by Victor Her
bert. The lbrettlsts are Kirk La Shee ant
Frederick Turner. Mr.. Herbert and II.
smith have finished an opcretta Tor Alice
Nielsen. which was to have been called 'Th
Singing Girl" But girls Of various kinds hav
been numerous lately in titles. and so the mans
vii! be changed. The scene is laid In Austr
At the close OF the last century: Reginald d
koven and H. Il. Smith have written muSca
comedy for AuIIStin DAILY, who also has I'M