The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-24


The version OF Camille to be presented
by the Lafayette Stock Company this
week, while essentially Dumas play, has
been under the blue pencil of Walter
Clarke Bellows during the past week. and
tomorrow night will see production far
more pleasing and up to date than the
original book. Mr.. Bellows has inserted
much of his own stage business, has
changed the ending OF the frst act and
has eliminated many lines that did not
tend to the plays Improvement, so that
the Camille" which the stock company
will show will be q different one from. ard
In many respects an Improvement on,
other versions heretofore given in Wash
ington.
The most widely discussed woman in
Washington last week was undoubtedly
Miss Irene Vanbrugh, leading woman with
John Hare in THE Gay Lord Quex." The
stir which this play has created in the
atrical circles Is due in part to Arthur
Wing Pine-o. the author and past master
in The art of play construction. The re-
sponsibi:ity for the rest lies with Mr.
Hare, Miss Vanbrugh, and their associates
whose admirable Interpretation OF the
piece is beyond criticism. In moral cir
cles. it is safe to say, its effect has Teen
little less than cyclonic, for it is hardly
a play to which to send the children; but
then the moral is not the objective point
| just now.
The great third act has not been sur
passed by anything ever seen here, In the
matter of artistic dramatic ingenuity. Mr..
Hares quiet handling OF the scene and
Miss Vanbrughs intense and powerful por-
trayal of the woman at bay, mark 1t as
one of the greatest and most artistically
conceived clmaxes ever put into a play.
A hoe, Loot 4, 1aau &c nNATp
hearthstone in search of additions to it's
, gallery of artists, but Miss Vanbrugh
/ saved that trouble by crossing the pond
on her own account, and incidentally on
/ that of Mr.. Hare, and coolly helped her
! self to conspicuous place in the esteem
| of the American public. Miss Vanbrugh
! may now save herself the further bother
of asking a release, for the deal is closed.
| To a Times interviewer the other night
/ the actress expressed her delight at be-
! ing IN America and then generously al
/ lowed the subject to be turned TO her
! self.
This is not my first visit to America.
| came over here four years ago, with my
sister Violet Nanbrugh, and her hus
I band, Mr.. Arthur Bourchier, when they
/ made starring tour OF the United States,
| but then | was playing small parts and
! since that time have been hard at work.
4 and now / hope that the good people Of
( America will not forget me when / re-
turn TO England. The part of Sophy
/ Fullgarney teens with possibilities, and
/ while 1t is great strain, love 1t. Ny
! part in "A Pair of Spectacles'' is a very
small one, for the play is really Mr..
| Hare's, but the people in it are such a
! delightful little party that / refused to
be kept out, and so l play the wife. Our
success in America has been phenomenal.
I
! ones own people how glorious it is to be
welcomed into a strange country, as we
| have been in America,
| Il believe this is Mr.. Hares farewell
tour, but / can assure you that you are
not going to get rid of me, for / am look
ing forward to many future visits to this
+ country. Shall / come as a star? Well,
! that's hard to say. You know we don't
/ star in London as you do in America, and
shall wait until am fully convinced OF
my capabifity before l attempt to start
out for myself In comparing London to
America l did so from a theatrical view
point. In our dramatic world, London is
England II you are success in London
the provinces are yours, but over here
New York isn't America. by any means.
We have learned that each city has its
own independent ideas as regards the
| theatre and on all sides find that the
I
Il have been asked so many times IL
l miss the demonstrations of applause
which the English audiences are so ac-
customed to manifest. / must confess
that at first II seemed a little strange TO
be received so quietly. Fer a time 1
thought They don't like me- What must
! do TO make them?' But after a while I
realized that 1t was the American custom
and now | rather like 1t. l feel and IN
derstand that the audiences are enjoying
the play in their own way. and that is
Just what I should always want"
Personally, Miss Vanbrugh is a typical
English girl, rather spirituelle in appear
ance, full of animation. and of course, the
English accent is not missing. Dramat-
ically, she is an artist whom America will
always welcome with characteristic hos
pitality.
In my mind, the greatest task OF a
dramatist is to successfully adapt a novel
to the stage" said Thomas E. Shea. to a
Times man during wait in the perform
ance of The Voice of Nature" at the
Academy last week. THE present cpl
demic of book plays and the rather I'M
notable success of some of the number,
makes this observation a little super
fuous. but you will not mind that.
Take for example the works of Dick
ems. The cleverest characteriZations In
English literature are found in his novels
but there is such mass of undramatic
literature, such multiplicity of plots
and superabundance of detail. that the
dramatist who assays to fit the stories for
the stag is undertaking a great PROPOSE
tion. a Tale of Two Cities begins with
coming back to life and not until the
middle of the story is this peculiar shad-
Ing of gloom explained to the reader.
1t would be impossible for one to full
ly bring out this shading upon the stage
and the careful student of Dickens is dis
appointed with the dramatization, no
matter how carefully and scholarly 1t
is made.
The essence OF dramatic construction
is unity of thought about one central
theme. The essential is progression, each
act building upon the other and each
stronger and more forceful than the last.
Today own the sole rights to nine plays.
each OF them excellent properties, for
each possesses these cardinal PRINCIPLES.
Four of the nine are book plays yet each
has been adapted to the stage by persons
! fully cognizant Of the needs of the realm
behind the footlights. When the happy
period arrives when dramatist is also
novelist you will have perfect book plays,
and not until then. The model for dra-
matte construction is Hamlet the first
act of which will probably ever remain as
the firmest dramatic foundation ever laid
About my plans? Well. nothing in par
ticular. | propose playing popular-priced
houses for a while. Had Marie Corelli
consented to my proposed alterations in
her dramatiZaton of 'Barabas' l would
now be in the higher-priced houses. but.
like most authors, she had her own pc
cular ideas and declined to change Il line
or situation. So the deal was declared
off,