The times., 1901-04-14

mover, ana palched tpgether IN Il oecep-
tive sort of automatisrh. There is no art,
no genius, and little but a very ordinary
talent In turning a noSeninto a play.
The playwright's conception of char
and if the novelist do. the adaptation him
self, he is hampered SbYSthe necessity of
adjusting his original conception to the
requirements of an art that is not exact act
ly alien but of an inferior order The
novelist. in brief. may succeed by win
ming for himself, and in obedience to no
impulse but desire TO present 'criti-
ciSm of life as he sees it, While the
playwright must present his pictures as
the other man, and man, broadly speak
ing, of a low average of intelligence,
likes to see it. The fine shadings must
be abandoned. The delicate tints and
tones must be done away with. The fibre
of the work must be coarsened. The
work is essentially not a work of crea-
tion, but of nutilation. This being the
case. there is not in the whole batch of
plays founded on novels which have been
presented in Washington one work that
can for moment be compared with the
Arizona OF Augustus Thomas, the
Shenandoah" or ''Aristocracy OF Mr..
Bronson Toward, or any of the numerous
things that have been done by Mr clyde
Fitch, and Mr.. Fitch can do some pretty
bad things, too, when he sets himself
about it,
The tendency Of the native managers to
foist dramatiZations on the public In such
profusion as has characterized the season
almost now over can only be condemned,
and it is a splendid commendation on the
intelligence of the people to know that
in almost every instance such business
ventures have been disastrous, and in the
cases where these book plays have sue
ceeded such success has been possible only
by the great popularity of the star pre-
senting them. The novel plays have work
ed to lower the stage Intellectually, just as
the fad for the adoption of French farces
operates TO lower the stage morally. 1t
makes the dramatist the veriest literary
a q A.
tic originality. 1t caters to lower rather
than higher taste. 1t is rampantiy COM
mercial and unesthetic, appealing 10 a
lower Judgment and setting up lower
criteria of excellence. And during the
entire year. as local theatregoers have
had one drama tization after another
thrust upon them in rapid succession. the
one cheering thought has been that the
craze has been so rampant that 1t must
of necessity soon exhaust itself. The
harm that has been done cannot be over
estimated. The elevation OF situations
over ideas has been bad for art. The great
play makes Situations the result of de-
veloping ideas. The play made out OF
novel is to the art either of the novelist
or the playwright exactly what the games
of a kindergarten are TO the higher cul-
ture
Let everyone who has at all the inter
ests of the drama a t heart join In the
ferVent hope that with the appearance
of John Drew this week local patrons of
the theatre will witness the passing OF the
novel
Tim Murphy, the Washingtonian. has
concluded not to renew his contract with
Manager Fred G.. Berger, and last week
the agreement between them was termi-
mated. Mr. Murphy will appear under his
own management and for the next few
weeks will be seen in "The Carpetbag
ger" which he presented in this city with
quite a little success three years ago, and
will, some time next month, try a new
comedy by Paul Wilstach the business
manager of Richard Mansfield, entitled
"A Capitol Comedy.n
Mr. Murphy s experience as q SucceS-s
sor to Sol Smith Russell in the familiar
Russell roles has been very successful
from an artistic point of view, and during
the latter part of the season he has been
greeted in the smaller towns by large
audiences, although when Mr.. Berger pre-
Sented him in the week stands business
was not as good as it should have been.
Mr.. Murphy saw no chance of being plac-
ed in a new piece so long as he remained
with Mr.. Berger. and, as. he is talented
and ambitions splayers very naturally
of roles and not mera imtator, hence
the conclusion to anl,ear under his own
mana cement once nore. The Carpet
Governor Crancee Of MiSslssippi, will be
seen atzsthe ufnbiasnext week.
According to the cabled reports to the
New York papers Alice Nielsen has made
a tremendous success in THE Fortune
Teller at the SALISBURY Theatre. Lon
don, and is destined to tarry in the Eng
lish capital for at least two years. This
is ali very interesting and delightful to
Miss Nielsen's friends, but it should be
borne in mind that the very same news
reached this country when Edna May put
on AN American Beauty" and only
few weeks ago when George Lederer Of
fered THE Belle of Bohemia. 1t is mat
ter of general knowledge that one OF the
most disastrous failures that London has
witnessed in many years was scored by
Miss May while the English couldn't see
The Belle of Bohemia humor at all.
And ii may be that private advices which
reached Washington during the week, and
which say that Miss Nielsen VIII play
four weeks in London and no more, that
hers was a severe frost and that the
real hits of THE Fortune Teller" were
made by Eugene Cowles and Joseph
are true.
at all familiar with Miss Nielsen's
London appearance and her rup
ture with Frank Perlsey, her man
ager. just before sailing, realized that
there was little chance for her to sue
ceed abroad. When Business Manager
Eowles was in Washington, he announced
that the Nielsen company would enter
.ondon unostentatlously, would be most
reIy entirely upon the artistic excellence
of the performance for success The
break between the prira donna and her
occurred Immediately after Mr..
Bowles statement and it is worthy of
note that from the very first the London
announced that Miss Nielsen
was the greatest singer that ever came
from this country, that she is so beautf-
rul that every actress in the United States
IS jealous of her and that she occupies
N the field of comic opera the same posi-
ton that Bernhardt and Duse do III the
legitimate drama.
The contract under which the Nielsen
company went to England guaranteed
Perley all his expenses, trans
both ways Included, for four
weeks so the American manager was |
taking no chances. and if he decided to |
break Miss Nielsen in London and in |
lure her chances for future success IN !
his country and incidentally teach the !
young lady that there should be such a |
hing as gra titude even among prtma !
lonnas here was his chance and from all |
appearances he has set about taking full |
advantage of it. or course. Miss Nielsen |
,ould not live up to the superlatiVes in !
iulged in by Press Agent Bowles, and it !
g equally safe to assume that the English |
heatregoers expected her to.
No one need be surprised If the Nielsen |
company returns to America four weeks !
renee and if Ii does Manager Perley will |
rave had his revenge at no financial loss |
whatever, and the young operate star |
will have received a jar which will cause |
Ter TO ruminate, if nothing else.
Manager Chamberlyn of The Prima |
Donna" a new musical comedy that was |
,chedtlled for presentation at the Herald |
square Theatre, New York, two weeks /
.go, but which was postponed on account |
If the illness of Mabele Gilman. the |
player, has secured Lulu Glaser
or the title role, and it is expected the