The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-03-13
NOTES AT THE THEATRES.
SUDERMANN'S GERMAN MASTERPIECE
NOT pdLUIBLE IN ENGLISH.

Attaches to Minnie Mnddern Fiske-OuI
Peoples Dislike of Repellent Plays
News Of the Stngo Here and Abroad,
Minnie Mnddern Fiske's Magda had fine
points. Just rs all her impersonations have. and
II S~udernmn's play could ever be made popu-
lar In English she might have at least gained
attention. But IL will never interest American
audiences. Elconora DUse, with all her
genius. and the tremendous following which
she gained on her second visit to this country,
made n very narrow margin OF profit with 10
for her managers, II is fair TO say that seven
persons cut Of every ten who heard her Italian
performance had no comprehensive idea what
the character meant. The failure Of the actress
to attract audiences as large as she had expect
cd 10 was attributed to her insistence upon n
very small repertoire. from which Sudermann's
study was the most frequently given. The
audiences knew little Of the plays philosophy
and cared less. The painful relations between
-Md9dn and her former love-. the brutal and
dull character Of her father. the small. minded
relatires-all these things that in English rem
der the play repellent to American audiences
made an impression on people who did not un-
derstand italian. But the.gloom Of the thing
penetrated even the blanket Of a strange Ian
Euage. Its sordidness ana misery did not
need speech. They were apparent. But even
Duse. as n topic Of theatrical discussion. with
the interest in her performance stimulated 10y
comparison with Bernhardt's. the public would
not become engrossed in "'MaQda." Inst week.
with the story made clenr In the vernacular. the
attitude OF the theatrical public toward the
drama was expressed ~ absence, The few
ing in every detail would not make the work
apreall with any force, Some Of the parts were
TTf eisa. ths p piaySa; T ma9 Of p pfisial lie and aSd
ambitious scheminr. looked like the Fly
ing Dutehm9n and acted With every out
his paralyzed arm, his family honor and
more impossible, than when the talented Mr..
de Bei,evi.le tried to eTnresI his emotions: one
is the character Of the heroine How dear she
must be TO the hearts of actresses. With
much Of he, they can feel a personal sympathv.
Her triumph on the stage could not leave un-
t tpaS Ed any ~ TT r1gsIc wh e. 4Ni been been 1 through q,
inlay that is distasteful to the world in general
Nothing else in " II ida deserves the Slightest
consideration IN any estimate OF its value.
wondertuiiH d i Htay 19 Of It's "R Rere ehHs T He has mls
put on the stage u womnn-not a conventional
of The redemntion which came, through her
art, Mrs; Fiskc carried out well some Of the
Bernhard. Duse. Lcithner or Mrs. Patrick
Campbell could have interested an audience
w Il WOUluu WHO wore SItn tlOIlpS as MIS-,
Fiske put on. The like OF them had never
been seen on 2 conspicuous actress. Mrs.
F1sSe should call in an eTpert dressmaker as
a diving man would send for q doctor-in a
hurry and without Tail.
Henry Arthur Jones's East Indian drama. to
be produced soon by Beerbohm Tree in Lon
don. and brought here by Charles Frohman
next season. has been named "Carnac Sahib.''
The next farce at he BiIou. The Purple
Lady" is an adaptation by Sydney Resented
from the German. MY Soldier Boy" current
in London. has been.bought for America by
Richard Mansfield. who intends TO send Etienne
Girardot on a tour with it. The Lobster
is the title of Edgar Selden's farce for next
part for Rose Melville. who attracted attention
several years ago as an eccentric rustic in Rice
extrevaganzaS and is now laughable in by
The play at the MURRAY, Hill this. week will be
am e t fdierir y, Henry nTSn '; ;h Don1neiiy,S stock COM
Frohman,s stock company. This work by. {.
Haddon Cham bers is OF a good literary and the |
Lyceum several years ago, with Georgia Cay
van and, Herbert Kelley in the roles. which
May fng6am and Robert Drouet. "A
iee 1 n on Mh by Instip f HnStIsv pMG sGnr w will abe be
illustrated by Isadora Duncan with dances, at
the ,Lyceum on Tuesday afternoon. There
VIII be some aprropriate music. too. and alto
gether 1t will probably be a singular entertain |
The Madison square Garden will be occu-
Hissr that The Sells Bfothe sFSI o %sps shhSs Shows
ton ion o e The e sd 1Rs W & tsGm: c Ihis is a 1nS % G9nsS!taH,
WIN ;ths f % pa concern owned by James
big affair. and doubtless viii nil the aehIns
void left by the prolonged stay OF the Barnum-
Bailey circus in England.
variety farce. the plot is barely visible to the
naked eye. There are two. husbands. who. |
atrical company Of friskv women. The wives
try 70 Join, that puts them into low-necked
bands FOR discussing themselves with wigs
and whiskers, to meet their partners. 1t
Toald have taken no great, amount Of ipGenu,
70 hinge at least some of the abundant special
ties ths nuIpSoon il IT,; But about all Of the last half of
ginning Of a story Is the husbands fear of their
wives: The CHIEF point in which it differs
leaves the stage another comes on without a
moments wait.
Two plays new to England but familiar here
have met with the same fate in London. Mrs.
"A Lady of Quality" has failed.
Probably the value Of J~ulia'Arthur's fine in
terpretatlon'of the wilrul heroine as wel.as the
beautiful rose garden had. more to do with
the local success Of the niece than the public
1t was certainly duh and common
place enough to make its popularity here al
HCOulIlItHenSlDlt Inc muEnOWer,' |
by Louis NAPOLEON Parker. who wrote one sue
cessful play and n number Of failures. has not
met with the.slightest degree of favor in Lon
don.
Ellen Terry's granddaughter has made her
debut at the age of three. She is the
child OF Gordon Craig. who was married shortly
after his FIRST appearance at the Lyceum The
afro. Marion Terry. who was injured in II
carriage accident the other day, is the young
@: sister Of Ellen Terry and Is gifted with
about as much OF the family talent as Fre1ericE
possesses. But she is II popular London
actress. Mrs; keely, now seriously i'll In Lon
don. Is the oldest actress on the English stage.
Beerbohm Tree in "Curnm Sahib,", which
Henry Arthur Jones has written for the Hay
market, Theatre. 1t is n comedy of:English
army life. in India. with many picturesque
scenic effects characteristic OF the country,
Bse,bohm Tree was said to have, accepted re.
q play bv IauSl'otter on the same sub
,ect. It was not his drama The Victoria
Mr.. Tree recently applied for per-
to give an English version Of ''didi-
p |oS TyraRRn NUS ":: RSIe the censor refused to al
nierre" with Sir McnrN Irving and So viii 80