New-York tribune., 1901-06-16
LONDON DRAMA.
A CARICATURE OF AN AMERICAS
WOMAN-FRENCH TRAINING
FOR STAGE WORK.
London, June 3.

new play was taken too seriously by some OF the
writer's for the press When she told the nrst
night audience after the final fall of the curtain
that the failure of the play would break her
heart and that she conscious of the short
comings of her art. she committed the indiscre-
tion of thinking aloud. and that pardon
able offence since candor and sincerity wers
the chief motives 1t resented however
by some writer's as attempt to disarm crit-
cism when they were under obligation to let the
public know whether it was getting full vaIus
in entertainment for it's money paid at the box
office. The sarcasms which her appeal called
out in print not deserved. for she did not
ask for indulgence account of her SEX but
because she was a new playwright who was
conscious Of the difficulties of her work and was
determined to command success by strenuous
efforts to improve her methods II was hardly
just for dramatic critics to represent her as de-
manding special treatment because she was a
woman The play performed at the Great Queen
Street Theatre was not inferior to the early
work OF several living playwrights who have
profted by experience and have come to be re-
garded as successful caterers for the entertain
ment Of the public. 1t was not equal either In
plot. byplay. characters or dialogue to her pre-
vious play. Madame DeIphine," of which
trial performance was witnessed by her friends
a year ago. She was attempting. however more
difficult work IN writing satirical comedy OF
manners with farcical touches and the plot
was her own. and not. as before Mr. Cables
"A LADY FROM TEXAS"
II I refer briefly to the theme of "A Lady
from Texas" it is not for the purpose of en-
phasizing it's defects a drama. but for the
sake of protesting mildly against the Injustice
done 10 American women by two of their own
number, the author and the actress The
heroine of this piece. like the author, came from
the sunny South. where women have soft me-
lodious voices and winsOme manners and are
well bred 1t was hardly fair to caricature one
or the best types of American womanhood be
Introducing to an English audience loud and
vulgar creature who had made fortune out
of meat pies and crossed the ocean to haunt
her cOarseness before smart company of Eng
lish lords and finally To canss off a duke. Miss
Kitty Cheatham. who impersOnated the Lady
from Texas" exaggerated in her turn the lines
of caricature by startling overdressing bv
talking shrilly through her nose in a high key
ana by accentuating in every possible way the
note or vulSarity. Mrs. O'COnnOr. il is true d.
vided her satire impartiaIly between the two
countries. exhibiting the sordid side OF smart
English society. with it's silly women it's paid
fashionable coaches and its penniless and mer-
cenary dukes and earIs as well as ridicuIine
ing for titles and coveting the distinction Of
having their ducaI crowns held by two mage,
and their gloves removed by two maids She
probably considered that she had worked out a
social equation satisfactorily between the two
countries by satirizing the traits and most
obnoxious foibles on each side and that thers
could be no reasonable ground for complaint
from any source. Possibly was hypercriticaI
on the first night; but could not help regret
ting that two American women. author and ac-
tress. both southerners by birth. had Joined
hands in making offensive a carieature Of tho
womanhood OF the South. If the play had been
farce the extravagance and grotesqueness OF
this character sketch might have been par
doned; but in comedy Of manners this artf-
hcial satire on the vulgarity of American women
would naturally be resented when two OF their
own representatives were employed in depicting
and exasgerating it.
PLAYWRIGHTS WANT VULGAR TYPES
Certainly another stage variation is super-
fuous when so many changes have been rung
upon this stock theme of American vulgarity.
Haunting its wealth and social ambitions buy
ing up titles and paying the bad debts OF dukes
and lords. The other side of the shield is seI-
dom turned for public inspection. Well bred
American women with melodiOus voices fault
less manners and dignity Of character are
social world. but this type is useless for theat-
rical purposes and is never Illustrated in drama
So seldom does II appear in literature on this
side of the Atlantic that gratitude is due 10
Mrs Humphry Ward for having drawn in Lucy
Foster the portrait of American girl who
Is neither loud In dress nor sef-assertive in
manner nor aggressively vulgar. For stage
purposes the caricature Is more effective than
the simple, unaffected portrait. and consequent
~ there is from year to year behind the foot
lights a procession of vulgar creatures. talking
In a high key through their noses. making un-
pleasant grimaces and forcing their attentions
and their wealth upon titled rakes and scape-
graces. These are American women as they
are known on the English stage. and audiences
are never weary of laughing at their fOles.
snobbishness and cOarseness. When the COL
lection of stage carieatures is already large.
why should American women be eager to mako
additional contributions to il?
Mime. Sarah Bernhardt has renewed her Lon
don triumphs by appearing in "L'Aiglon" at Her
Theatre The booking is great: the
audiences are enthusiastic; the critics praise her
performance as marvel of symmetry and force;
and NJ. Rostand's romantic drama is accepted
q work of exceptional beauty and power. NJ.
Coqueln shares in the plaudits showered upon
this tour de force of the French stage. and sue
ceeds in lighting up a sombre play with flashes
OF grim humor and true comic spirit. The play
and the artistic performance OF these great
actors are known in America and il is not
necessary to add anything to my record in
cable letter of the brilliant success Of the open
Ing night Ii is an agreeable privilege. however.
to be able to bear testimony to the warmth Of
Nine. Bernhardts appreciation OF the intellt-
senee and sympathy with which her work was