Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-02-02
AMELIA
BINGHAM
In
=" The
Climbers"
u

THE FIRST time you come TO New
York pay visit TO the Bijou the
atcr for the purpose OF learning
what may be done by a woman with
good deal Of ability, any quantity OF
determination and some money.
For several years Amelia Bingham
..us been valued member Of the Froh-
man forces She has been noted as one
Of the most beautiful women on the
American stage and, like Maxine Eli
lott was thought to owe to that fact
whatever prominence she had attained
In reality Miss Bingham Is n very TAI
ented actress. Like Maxine Elliott she
Is unfortunate enough to be the wife
Of man who is able to give her the
position IN theatrical life 20 which her
ability, Independently of her beauty
entities her.
There is nothing criminal In being
beautiful or In being married to a man
with money. At least the ordinary IN
diyidual would not consider either an
infraction OF the law, and yet both are
regarded as serious mlsdemeanors Dy
envious stagefolk as well as by that
contemplate class which accepts all
can get from managers and then pro
ceeds to "roast" their attractions IN the
most forcefuI terms Of which its limit
ed vocabulary win admit or the TWO
classes mentioned both Miss Elliott ana
Miss Bingham have long been the VIC
tins. They should not mind this carp
ing. however, for they must reailze
that It Is due solely to jealousy alike OF
their beauty, ability and position In me-
A month or two ago, when MISS Biiig-
ham, who had last season broken away
from the Frohman management an
nounced her intention OF taking the ~
jou theater In this city for the purpose
Of there establishing n stock company
which was 10 produce original pays
she was laughed at as woman whose
head had been turned by the success
won by her on the stage and by her
husband In Wall street.
Miss Bingham has been and gone
and done" Il. What Is more. in an ar
tistlc way she has made an em-
phatlc success of her daring venture
Whether or not the box Office VIII re-
peat the tale of course remains to be
seen The fact however that she mas
established at the little Bijou theater
one OF the best stock organizations IN
the United States cannot be evaded,
That certainly ought to be glory
enough for woman who has been ac-
cused of possessing no other claim TO
theatrical distinction than u pretty face
and a we'll to-do husband.
Miss Blnghams first offering at the
Bijou Is a new play in four acts by the
versatile, gifted and original If some-
what artificial, Mr.. Clyde Fitch. The
comedy, for comedy it Is, save whore
Il lapses into melodrama, is called 'The
Climbers" the climbers In this case be-
ing striyers after wealth on one side
and social recognition on the other.
The play opens with the return of a
mother and her three daughters from
the funeral of the husband and father.
The mother and one child are artificial
and coarse In the extreme, while the
other daughters are true, womanly wo-
men. One of these IL married TO Rich
ard Sterling. as good for nothing and
contemplate O scoundrel as has been
shown on the New York stage In years,
Within a few minutes some friends
call for the avowed purpose of buying
the dresses which the ladies have
brought from abroad, and which because
of their bereavement they will be una
BILE TO use Then follows one Of the
most unnatural, theatrlc and offensive
scenes in the play. The strangers as
gently as possible make kGown their
desire to buy, and the widow who but n
few moments earlier had seen the re-
mains of her devoted husband laid TO
rest begins the bargaining as to price
in the most petty manner, This bag
Cling Is made the medium Of what Is
supposed TO be comedy, and 1t serves
its purpose to the extent Of causing the
audience TO temporarily lose sight OF
the horror of It all.
There Is another serious blot upon
Mr.. Fitch's play. The Climbers" In
the third act, when SterlIng's double
perfldy Is discovered he is required to
confess in the presence OF his wife, her
aunt whose money he has stolen the
man who is In love with Mrs. Sterling
and the man who acts as the friend Of
the aunt.
II Is inoonceivable that such thing
would be done In real life, and the UNI
naturalness Of the episode Is accentuat- |