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

The announcement that John Drew will
present a dramatization of that widely
read novel, Richard CarveI," in this city
this week is especially notable in that II
! will doubtless be the last species of the
made-oyer story for stage purposes that
local theatregoers will be offered this sea-
son, unless ITO Have and to Hold
reaches Washington after a season of du-
bious prosperity in New York. where all
the efforts of the fertile Charles Froh-
man to thrust the thriller down the
threats of the metropolitan amusement-
seekers proved unsuccessful.
During the past year original dramatic
art has been in eclipse-although only
temporarily. The vogue for dramatized
novels which threatened to put the play
wright out of business last September
has apparently run it's course and there
is every reason to believe that next sea-
son will see return to the products of
the dramatists mind and a relegation to
oblivion of the stage hack who, armed
with two copies of a popular novel, "a
pair of scissors, paste pot and brush
could turn out dramatization of story
over night. We have within the past year
had Sherlock Holmes" "Sapho." Quo
Vadis,' Her Majesty" Janice Mere
tales. THE Battle of the Strong" The
Sprightly Romance of Marsac," ..Unleav-
ened Bread" In the Palace of the King
and heaven only knows how many others
there were that were not permitted to come
within the limits of the District And
now the news that the last OF the lot will
be here this week is indeed Joyous in
telligence. and If for no other reason Mr.
Drew should be given series of immense
audiences.
IN md he
OF the theatrical managers to reproduce
behind the footlights every story that
attains an unusual popularity throughout
the country. The gossip about a SUCCESS
fCl novel is just so much good free adj
vertising, especially as the great majority
OF people are always anxious to have Wis
ualized for them the characters in novels
IN which they have been or are intensely
Interested. They care only for the story
me literary art of a novel has no charm
for the many. The higher art of the novel
Is, generally speaking, lost on the crowd
The Intelligence to which the stage APP
peals is not the intelligence that is cap
tured by fine book. A play must as a
rule. be written down TO the crowd II
Is safe to say that there is no really great
literary work that does not suffer nv
dramatization. Much of Shakespeare. that
charms In the study. is lost on the boards,
In the opinion of many competent critics
And the dramatization of any great novel
necessarily cheapenS ii and 10 a certain
extent vulgarizes IT. One need only APP
Nadis," or Henry Miller's version of The
Tale OF Two Cities"-three of the most
successful specimens-for proof of the as
sertion.
The general declaration NAV be made
That the fashion of dramauzing novels.
or rather the universal craze for drama,
tiZed novels, has not been beneficial to
the public taste. Any play made out of
a novel Is almost certain to be a deteriora-
ton OF the qualities of the novel, unless.
OF course, the story has been especially
Tlu. HN,.#
1t particularly fit for metamorphosis into
a successful drama, as was the case with
Viola Aliens play, I'm the Palace of the
The great novel loses all its subtIetv
when transformed into a play The play
must be diSmally obvious The finer
shades OF character are lost in the conces-
SION 10 the demand for emphasis and the
hackneyed necessities of SITUATIONS.
The play made over from a good novel
must be nothing but a piece OF perfume
tory stage-carpentfy, The good novel is
IL Is thing of shreds and patches
novel has TO be adapted" to narrow de- |
mands and necessities. The play made
from novel must eliminate all that |
which makes the volume charming, its
appeal TO the readers sense of it's value |
as criticism of life The scope of a |
novel Is circumscribed in play These |
things are so true that they scarce need |
demonstration, and aside from the fact |
That Charles Fr0hman and the various |
Dthcf managers who have presented |
nfamatized stories during the past year |
Or Sc nave believed there was money in |
the business there has been absolutely |
no exalted reason for the vogue
IL is, or course, true that the novelist |
likes the sort of glory and fame that
come to the playwright 1t is more pal
pabie and tangible than the honor which
comes from literary success The sight
)t one own creations delightIng audi
the delight is of a low
n order-is much more gratifying than
he mere figures of the circulation of "a
BOOK The novelist doesn't see the people
Enjoying his product. He can see and
lear them enjoying his play. though The
act is, the most successfully dramatized |
lovels have been Indifferent or bad |
loNeis The play from novel that sue
'eeds is the play that is based on a novel
y htlmentaiism. That is the secret of
he success of Camille" 1t is. In fact
lie secret of 'Trilby." II explains East
lynne and "Sapho." The bad but non
,lay PNPu'"i
The great novel or the good novel fs
ieVltalized when turned into play. OF |
curse II Is possible that a really great |
loVel might be turned into a great piay If
ne transformation were done by great |
iramatlst, as Shakespeare turned RE |
'acio' into fine plays or as DR. Marlowe |
made a great tragedy out of the old
story of DIR. Faustus," but Imagine a
great play being turned out OF the play |
ouEdry of the eminent Edward e Rose |
IT Leo Ditrchsteini The metamorphosis
" novel into a play. nowadays is es- |
'entfally hackwork. 1t IL done because |
he characters are farni'iar - the ro"rin,