Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-10-08

ter is at the Broadway Theatre, with
Joseph Haworth and Sydney Herbert
in the leading roles. The former is
Charles Frohman production and the
latter is the first Offering made by
Jacob Lift since he became the owner
of the Broadway Theatre, which, by the
way, has been so lightfully decorated
and refurnished that it is like new
house and may be said without exag-
geration to be one OF the handsomest
places of amusement in the United
States.
TO person who has not seen "The
Ghetto" and THE Only Way" this as
scciation of thetwo plays will appear
a trife unusual. They are spoken of
together for the reason that in a gen
eral way what is true of one oracti-
cally holds good with reference to the
other. In each the male characters
conspicuously dwarf the female roles,
and in each the leading woman gives
an acceptable performance, marred, in
a measure, by the ever present feeling
of certainty on the part Of the auditor
that if a scene of exceptional strength
should develop the actress limitations
would make her inaccurate to salts
factorily carry it off. Both plays
contain powerful moments, with rather
dreary wastes of dia-os51--> d. Rtening,
and both have leading Juveniles who
expend thousands of words and an I'M
tcld amount Of energy in vain efforts
to be satirical, whether or not the oc-
casion be propitious. Both are unsat-
isfactory in the manner of their end
ings, but neither can properly be called
unconventional in that respect either,
for the reason that no special purpose
is attained by the peculiar wind ups.
Of course, in extenuation it may be
said for 1.-THE Only Way" which is a
dramatization Of Charles Dickens "A
Tale of Two Cities" that the dramatist
was hampered by the admitted incon-
gruities and improbabilities of a
story with which almost everybody
is familiar, and doubtless felt that any
liberties which he might take with it
would be resented by the critics as well
as the general public. "The Ghetto"
and "The Only Way" is that, while !
neither is a melodrama, strictly speak !
ing, both are intensely melodramatic
in their general methods. And besides, |
while both are. as has been said. in !
a large measure disagreeable, both are
generally regarded as reasonably GER
tain to win large measure Of popular
success.
"The Ghetto" is the work of Herman
Jr., a playwright of AM
sterdam, Holland, in which place the |
action occurs within a single day. For
the English speaking stage the piece |
was adapted by Chester Bailey Fernald, |
The author of 1.-THE Cat and the
n, .,y~,,1,,, ood o+bor Chinese dran1ac and
stories. 1t had a run of more than a
year in the Dutch capital and was re-
Gently presented in London by Kyrle
Bellew and Mrs. James Brown Potter.
Vt is reported to have failed ignomlnous-
ly there. In this connection 1t is but
Just to state that Mrs. Potter insisted
upon taking so many liberties with the
text that Mr.. Fernald withdrew from
the venture, warning the promoters
that his name must not be used in any
way. He also permitted the public of
London to understand that the play
about to be produced by the Potter
Below company was not his adaptation
of the Heyermans work.
The version used by Jacob Lift at the
Broadway Theater in this city is the
one prepared by Mr. Fernald, although
the play bills oonspicuously announce
that somebody else did it over for
american consumption. The story
tells of young musician, Rafael, the
son of blind and wealthy pawnbroker,
Saehel, whose sole redeeming trait is
his love for his boy. Otherwise he is
about as constituencies and repugnant
an old rascal as one could imagine.
He has a pleasant little way of putting
his foot on the scales while he is weigh
ing goods for his customers, and this
despicable fact is conspicuously brought
out through the medium of harangue
from his son, Rafael. The latter is in
love with Rosa, his fathers Christian
serving maid, who, by the way, is the
only person in the play who is not of
the Jewish persuasion. She hates the
Jews bitterly as a class, although she
adores Rafael. Sachel wishes his boy to
wed Rebecca, the daughter of Aaron, a
well to do merchant. Rebecca is Bar
kis-like in her willingness, but Rafael
objects through three acts. Finally
Rebecca tells the populace that Rafael
is to marry a Christian girl, and the
young musician is stoned to the door of
the synagogue. There he stands at bay
on the top step with Rosa, makes a long
speech to the rabble, and then escapes
with her to the city proper, where civil
marriage is solemniZed.
In the fourth act the plotters, not
recognizing the validity of marriage
outside the synagogue, continue their
effort to win Rafael for Rebecea. To
that end they agree to make Rosa be-
lieve that Rafael has deserted her and
that the ceremony through which they
have gone amounts to nothing. She
laughs at this statement as made by
Aaron, and even refuses to believe
Sachel when he reiterates it, demand
ing that he swear by the ten command
ments. This he does, although l have
never before heard that that is usual
form of oath among the Jews. When
Sachel takes this oath in the most SOL
emn manner, he is fully cognizant OF
the fact that his lie means that Rosa
will drown herself in the canal She
proceeds to do this Immediately, and
the old man, having dropped his staff,
Is unable to do anything to prevent her
from carrying out her purpose Rafael
returns and is wild with grief when he
learns what has occurred. He even of
fers violence to the father who acts the
grinding old skinflint that he is for
love of his son. Rosa is rescued from
the canal by outsiders, and Rafael