The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-05-20

| from iorn love. just a. girls usually did in
the old Madison Square stage. Comic character
do their best to reunite the swoet hearts. IlP
rustic swain i a starved wanderer in the Paris
streets. There l., Of course, a wicked French
nobleman who l. going Ia marry Esm'r0dd
for her money. But his plot Is folled, for h.l-
mrrolis letters come, no knowing from Wholhor
from where, telling that there really was no
wealth IN the wicked mother. lnnd, but instead
on the good lovers property. These letters are
all received by tho kindly comedy persons,
for no OTHER reason than that they hay" no
real right 10 them. But II they got al, once
To The rlghtful hands the play would end WIN
N" second act. That wouldn't give Esnordigd
chance for her scene at a grand ball ne
er-twhile country girl comes IN hed"ck"d WIN
jewels. She has always been weak and sub
mI!sSlve to her mother, but a. :, sh" r'ilarks
even the worm viii turn" Then she beats
her breast, berate- her mother ana declares
loyalty to her old love, Grabbing IN" jewels
rom her heaving bosom, sh" tiing> 'l"in 10 ne
ground and falnt~ IN her fathers arms. IN"
last act j. mainly taken NJ with the good persons
forgiving III" wicked mother, and reading letters
thai bring happiness to all. such "A pay N'Flls
ridiculous nowadays. because realism has glll'u
ground. Eighteen years i "A long INN" IN
thratrICalS.
It seems hardly possible that William t'il-
lettr wIs the author of "Esmeralda." True, h"
dranati2ed II from u novel by Frances iiodgson
Burnett, but he was r"spunSIblr for IN" con
s%ilruct,iol and Some OF tho language" Ne
sherlock Holmes Is an example nl Wla' II
new and excellent in Ntagecrait To compare
the two shows how the individual writer l. con-
troll"d 10y the audiences he writes for ON" thliiE
that helped the weak plays that w"r" acted ht
the Madison square was the excellent Ct~ts.
Some of the actors of "Esmeralda are dead,
some are entirely of the past and some SUI hold
places, They Were. John T. Owens, Nlr ana
Plympton, T. A, Mcdowell, Agnes Booth.
May Gallagher, Davenport BcbuS, Edwin
Knowles, leslie Allen and Kate Denim Wilson.
Mr.. Knowles Is almost forgotten as an actor,
and thought Of only as n manager. Yet IN ms
day he wa, one Of the handsomest of tn"
matinee idols. Annie Russell /, stu playing
young girls. and. more than that Is looking
much older than She did. Miss Russell and
Mis- Martlnot ar" unfortunate IN on" thing.
seem now much older than they nre. II will
be- 40 with Ethel BarrymOr" and ilssle Lotus,
who are now in the public eye, though both are
less than ~.
The lat" Lester Wallack liked Il be English
in his methods of management, He imported
most of the motors and plays for his theatres
from London, and used them in the London
manner. Whether this arose from his own un-
qualified admiration Of the foreignthing or from
n policy Of humoring our A%nclomania. which
was then strong in dramatic art and modish
society, can hardly be determined now, though
il is likely that both motives Influenced him.
But there was one thing in the London theatres
WHICH ne 'olll nol ulIll'blf, ana 'nHI WIS u
drinking place in the lobby, once in the base
ment of the house now again bearing his name
he opened a bar with barrnaids quite in the
London way. That was In violation Of two
laws, one against a bar on the same premises
with n dramatic stage and the ether against
female hartenderS anywhere, and tho police
COMPELLED him 10 stop The prohibition j.
still N" same in theory, but II i largely dt,-
regarded IN practice u, Mr. Mallack wer"
al. ga tAtr aud u,Ssassn 80 Itttt4tlts I,FN-
Dollar Sullivan's political pun, he might per
hapS put b0rmalds behind a bar in a theatre
and keep them there" The matter Of alcoholic
beverages IN theatres l. in u ridiculous and scan
dalouS muddle. caused by the distortion and
disregard Of the statutes. The sal" Of intOXi-
cant~ IN any theatre, or IN any part OF th" build
ing accessible from n theatre without going
ont ,de. j. forbidden, m PLAIN terms For
mrrly this wa. rigidly enforced Now II is
r"laN@i So much n to permit open doors he
tween lobbie~ and barroom~ Bur the managers
of the Legitimate" dramatlC theatre, cannot
open a bar in the most secluded corners nc their
smoking rooms " the same time those thea
the Now York, the Victoria, Roster
4 Bial's and Weber 4 Fields, do an unre-
stricted business in beverages The law in
explicit words restricts the entertainment IN
music halls 10 concerts, and expressly forhidS
everything theatrical, vet in all the places
named and many others play are enacted
rs in avowed theatres. som" Of the managers
feel that the law on the subject ought 10 be
amended 50 that il will be fair in lis provisions
and practicable in its enforcement The turn
ing point may be reached with .:he SChlcy
II was leased from Timothy Dry-Doliar Sulli-
van by Brady and 2eirfeld, bur when the firm
learned that Sulllvan'~ political pull was not
included in the rental, they forfeited the $1,000
already paid and Withdrew
Angelo Neumann will attempt 10 revive the
glories Of N" SAKE MeininGen actors by a series
Of performances in Prague. Distinguished
1f tho farrpqp gtoua uytll tula Tnr.
Friedrich Haase had almost given his promise
10 make his reappearnnce on the stage, from
he retired years ago. hut later decided to
in ohscurity, Ludwig Barnay. Fran
cisco Ellcmenrcich and Joseph ~Icwinski are
among the actors To be seen.
Agnes Sorma will next year act in Italy. Den
Spain and Holland. Elconora Duse has
been PLAYING in London. Sarah Bernhardt will
act in Mrs Patrick campbells theatre on her
next appearance in London.
The Girl with the Auburn Hair" has reached
London. or one of her imltators called The
Choir Girl" has, and the Alhamhra
Music Hall was the scene of her revelation.
English audiences found the performance Sacri-
and expressed disapproval of a woman
H. n choir boy singing in "A church.
Julia Nelson l. TO act NcH Grynn' IN the play
by Paul Hester, and used here by Rhea. Marie
Tempest will have the same character in "A YER
sion of simon Dale" Both actresses began
their career ~ singers. Miss Tempest was ON
pioyed in concerts until her debut at the O,"ra
ComlqIe In The Fay of Fire, " and Miss Nelson
was n concert vocalist when Gilbert allowed her
TO appear IN .~"Pygnalton aud Galatea, " because
he thought she had dramatic talent,
The Benson company, devoted To Shakes
performances, Is soon 10 be inCorpora-
ted, Mr., Benson was never called u brilliant
actor, but he has acquired a vogue IN the English
provinces by his production of Shakespcarean
PLAYS in adequate fashion. without lavish spec
|taCular features. Sidney Loa. the Shake--
rearean scholar. has recently praised Mr..
BenSon's ~revivalS rs superior 10 Sir Henry
lrving's in fidelity to the spirit of the author, |
Mr., Benson is TO retire from the organization
after handing over it, good will. costumes and
scenery to the stock company which i 10 gain
Alfred Glamour. author Of two plays written
for the Lyceum and not yet produced found
success in England the other day with The
Mistress Of traig-Nairn " which Murray Carson
is soon Ia Use in London.
Sims and Petit'S sevente-n-year-old In the
has been revised by Charles " arner.
Martin Harvey has met with favor IN Basil
Hoods "'IB and Little Christina, the first of
the English dramas to he written in the form
that Hermann Sudermann introduced in Mort |
turf Every act Is n complete play in itself,
although the three are closely connected in
interest. II would he interesting to see Richard
in "Morlturi." Each of the part,
would be admirably suited 10 his purpose.
London critics are 80 delighted with Mad
anne Butterfly" that they are urglng David
BelasCo, who prepared II for the stage, 10 make
a play out Of John Luther Longs Miss Cherry
Leo Dietrich-tcen Ra. already made
a version of that story for Grace George. WHO
may some day act in II. Louis \. Parker has
finished his English version Of Il Aiglon."
Cartons Lady li%uutsworth's Experiment"
is the first success of the London season not de-
rived from America. The experiment of a cook
i tried by a poor woman of birth and educa-
ton, and her experiences IN her various. places
Of employment make up the play. Edward
Y rooms 'Nursup Of (,D-ppny' has hpap with