The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-12-08
EXAMPLES IN DECENTRALIZATION
THREE PLAYS MADE FROM NOV
ELS AND TWO ORIGINAL.


"a Weighing Last Week of Matter Out ol
NfAch 10 Make Popular Amusement
The production last week OF three plays
made from novels brings into p~ertinenot
again the subject OF such dra matization
and the fact to write first 10 that one oigi'
nal new piece contains more merit as fiction
: for the theatre than Ia In all the others
combined. THE Girl and the Judge IL
composed Of matter invented and written
10 be acted. Clyde Fitch has reached
q height OF prosperity enabling him to
have risks taken with his experiments
because most of them succeed finely and
few fail miserably. II " not many years
ago that he had much difficulty In getting
sThe Moth and the Flame performed
ct all The managers were afraid That
its wedding In a church, With jokes In the
pews and scandal at the altar. would be
regarded a. a sacrilegious offence. OBJ
~jections In audiences on that ground were
overcome by a majority. however. and
the author in consequence has marketed
with ease The Climbers" with its funeral
and "The WAY OF the World with itS christ
sning. Neither OF those plays would have
been taken from an unknown hand by
the producers. But managers now feel
sure that, along with Mr.. Fitch's sins against
propriety. there are saving graces OF humor
and sentiment. He has abused this license
by making English versions nastier than
the French originals In -Sapho" and The
Marriage Game He will never write
a great play until he works with less haste
and more care. Perhaps he might not
even then prove himself a dramatic mas
ter, but he Mould make at least one earnest
effort TO produce something TO compel
the very best respect. A a felicitous
and expeditions maker OF comedies with
much laughter. some tears and an auda-
Cious novelty Ia each. he IL the leader among
theatrical authors. Ingenious. adroit.
q keen observer and clear ~delineator, he
yet has a fault Of cridity which seems to
come o, carelessness. and. II that Is so.
II is durable. lust as he is. however. he
gave to us the most interesting among
last weeks new plays, even though three
of the Others had been made out of tre-
mendously popular novels with claims
for esteem a. tolerable literature.
Mr.. Fitch cleaned his pen for The Girl
and the Judge and the result at the Ivy
ceum Is a play that shocks nobody and de-
tights almost everybody There are the
two women abed, to be sure. but they are
q young one rs naive as Annie Russell can
make her and an older one still less pro-
locativc of senuous regard. We have
already seen that the mother IL a klepto-
that the daughter Is flial. never
and that they have lodged them
selves in the upper room Of a western board
house a. refugees ron New York re-
s~pectahility. We have become e~ngrossed in
the saddened Z airs Of the family ruined
by it, unwillingly thievish member. in the
hope Of the daughter that her parents will
and In her joy Of betrothal TO the
young Judge. She has made the
poor apartment pretty with tasteful make
when her wretched parent steals a jewel
rom her lovers mother. That il the COM
plication when a rise Of the curtain dis
closes the women in their beds, and, While
W. see their n~ightgovns. we more plainly
their sobs and means. Those night
dressed school girls in the dormitory Of
The Liberty Bellies have been regarded
D. about the neatest and incest bedchamber
exhibition possible, but that IL frolicsome.
never,heie-s. while this one in THE Girl
and the Judge is tearfully pathetic, and
still further away from repre-
hensibility. Even though Mr.. Fitch nay
have meant il to be- discussed 10 advertising
advantage, it looks none the less like IA
proper part 81 an ingenious play.
The best Of the three clip-and-stiCk pieces
had been derived from the least dramatic
the original books. but Edward r Rose
had seen AZ the outset Of his job that Alice
Odd NincenneS" was almost devoid Of
mat erial suitable for the stage. and that he
would have 10 Use a pen a. well a. scissors
and paste Moreover. Maurice Thompson
bong dead. there was no hindering author
~ his elbow The result IL that the two
thirds comedy aud nn.-third melOirama
at the Camden l. FAR superior io the
Revolutionary play that Mr Ru--
wrought OIl Of tlr mon promising
material II -Ianicr Mrfednh MAX
ing due allow ano. TOT Virginia Hsm"d's
aching. and the excellent sup
port given to l.T. the iaci Remains that
M kn-.'s Interpolation 81 the amatory
n auil IA The tort pr-oriri 10y ~. hero
ins. 7ISa Of pretending 10 Rad 90 the
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