The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-14

/
play are picked out of their context in the
| novel. and patched together in a decep-
tive sort OF automa tisfn. There Is no art.
| no genius, and little but a very ordinary
| talent, In turning noS eliinto play.
The playwriEhts conception OF a char
| acter is never quite tho novelist's idea,
and if the novelist do the adaptation him
self. he is hampered byathe necessity of
| adjusting his original cenception to the
requirements of an ant shat is not exact
ly alien but, OF an inferior order. The
ming for himself, and in obedience TO no
impulse but desire to- present a "criti-
csm of life" as he sees it, while the
playwright must present his pictures as
ing, of low average of intelligence.
likes to see it. The fine shadings must
be abandoned. The delicate tints and
tones must be done away with. The fibre
of the work must be coarsened. The
work is essentially not a work of crea-
ton. but of mutilation. This being the
case, there is not in the whole batch of
plays founded on novels which have been
presented in Washington one work that
can for moment be compared with the
Arizona" of Augustus Thomas, the
Shenandoah or 'Aristocracy of Mr..
Bronson toward, or any of the numerous
things that have been done by Mr.. Clyde
Fitch. and Mr.. Fitch can do some pretty
bad things, too, when he sets himself
about 1t.
The tendency of the native managers TO
foist dramatizations on the public In such
profusion as has characterized the season
almost now over can only be condemned.
and it is a splendid commendation on the
intelligence of the people to know that
in almost every instance such business
ventures have been disastrous, and in the
cases where these book plays have sue
ceeded such success has been possible only
by the great popularity of the star pre-
senting them. The novel plays have work
ed to lower the stage intellectually, just as
the fad for the adoption of French farces
operates to lower the stage morally. II
makes the dramatist the veriest literary
hack. 1t puts a damper on stage drama
tic originality. 1t caters to a lower rather
than higher taste. 1t is rampantly COM
mercial and unesthetic, appealing to a
lower Judgment ana setting up lower
criteria of excellence. And during the
entire year, as local theatregoers have
had one ramatization after another
thrust upon them in rapid succession, the
one cheering thought has been that the
craze has been so rampant that 1t must
of necessity soon exhaust itself. The
harm that has been done cannot be over
estimated. The elevation OF situations
play makes Situations" the result of de-
veloping ideas. The play made out of a
novel is to the art either of the novelist
o. the playwright exactly what the games
of a kindergarten are TO the higher cul-
ture.
Let everyone who has at all the inter-
fervent hope that with the appearance
of John Drew this week local patrons of
the theatre will witness the passing of the
dramatiZed novel
Tim Murphy, the Wsshingtonian, has
concluded not to renew his contract with
Manager Fred G. Berger, and last week
the agreement between them was termi-
mated. Mr.. Murphy will appear under his
own management and for the next few
weeks will be seen in THE Carpetbag-
GER" which he presented in this city with
quite little success three years ago. and
will. some time next month. try new
by Paul W;lstach, the business
manager of Richard Mansfield. entitled
"A Capitol Comedy.y
Mr.. Murphy's experience as succes-
scr 90 Sol Smith Russell in the familiar |
Russell roles has been very successful |
from an artistic point of view, and during |
greeted in the smaller towns by large |
although when Mr. Berger pre- |
scented him in the week stands business |
was not as good as it should have been. |
Mr.. Murphy saw no chance of being plac- |
ed in new piece so long as he remained |
with Mr. Berger, and, as. he is~a talented |
and ambitious glafer very naturally
of rroles and not a rnerH dmitator, hence
once fRbftz The Carpet
Governor crances q Mississippi VIII he
seen atsthe Colunbiafnext week
According to the cabled reports to the
New York papers Alice Nielsen has made
/ tremendous success in 1.-The Fortune
Teller" at the SALISBURY Theatre, Lon
lon, and is destined to tarry in the Eng
ish capital for at least two years This
$ all very interesting and delightful to
Hiss Nielsens friends, but 1t should be
,orne in mind that the very same news
cached this country when Edna May put
IN AN American Beauty" and only a
ew weeks ago when George Lederer Of
cred THE Belle of Bohemia" II is mat
er of general knowledge that one of the
most disastrous failures that London has
in many years was scored by
Hiss May while the English couldn't see
The Belle of Bohemia humor at all
md it may be that private advices which
cached Washington during the week, and
which say that Miss Nielsen will play
our weeks in London and no more. that
ers was a severe frost" and that the
cal hits of THE Fortune Teller were
made by Eugene Cowles and Joseph
are true.
AS a matter of fact: persons who were
t all familiar with Miss Nelson's
.ondon appearance and her rup-
ure with Frank Perlsey. her man
ger. just before sailing, realized that
here was little chance for her to sue
eed abroad When Business Manager |
.owles was in Washington. he announced | ,
hat the Nielsen company would enter
sOnuOn unOStentatlcusIy, WOuIu De most
modest in their newspaper claims. and
ely entirely upon the artistic excellence
t the performance for success. The
reak between the prima donna and her
Manager occurred Immediately after Mr..
,owles' statement and il is worthy of |
ote that from the very first the London
ewspapers announced that Miss Nielsen ]
'as the greatest singer that ever came |
rom this country, that she is so beauti- '
IL that every actress In the United States |
Jealous of her and that she occupies
the field of comic opera the same posi-
on that Bernhardt and Duse do in the
gitiraate drama
The contract under which the Nielsen !
went TO England guaranteed s
ortation both ways included, for four !
eeks, so the American manager was @
liking no chances. and If he decided to (
break" Miss Nielsen in London and in C
ire her chances for future success In
lis country and incidentally teach the
Dung lady that there should be such a $
mig gratitude even among prima a
lnnas, here was his chance, and from all | v
,pearances he has set about taking full o
of it. OF course. Miss Nielsen
,uld not live up to the superlatives in
Ilged in by Press Agent Bowles. and it $
equally safe to assume that the English g
expected her to. II
No one need be surprised If the Nielsen I
,mpany returns to America four weeks n
,nce and If II does Manager Perley will "
ave had his revenge at no financial loss
and the young operate star a
Ill have received a jar which will cause L
II to ruminate, If nothing else.
Manager Chamberlyn of The Prima II
onna." ne,- musical comedy that was II
heduled for presentation at the Herald h
luare Theatre, New York, two weeks n
20, but which was postponed on account n
the illness of Mabelle Gilman. the T.
incipal player has secured Lulu CHASER el
r the title role, and it is expected the 81