The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-09-11
THEMES FROM The THEATRES
8ERrHA 0ALLAND PUT FORWARD
IN A NEW DRAMA.


Novel. the Fsrest Lever.'' starts
the Lyeeum's oeason A short Play
b, D. u. sotheu With . Lens Name.
bertha Galand had a good opportunity
a, the Lyceum Theatre last night. She
was pushed across the arbitrary rather
han artEtic lin. between n lcsding sctress
AMI q star. The udisn favored her
,a-sae. into commercial and professional
d-tiu~,ton. A new play containing q
sui,abl. character had been provided by
naii.l Frohman. a proficient maker OF
.,ars. lie had given to Il q company
md mounting Involving much cost aud care.
W., well up among Miss Galland's ad-
,antagrs was her own natural endowment
,r the stage added to by considerable
uroaciency. The performance was 80
ions ,ha, Il lasted until midnight. After
an hours shortening has eliminated the
dulno-s. the remainder will help the tai
ertsd Young woman TO that success which
vas hiudered last night. but not greatly
harmed She will undoubtedly become
a shining star.
Tho play which served Miss Galland's
purp,-. ~ well and can bs made TO serve
I, hotter. was The Forest Lovers taken
from Maurice Hewlett's novelty Go Graves
Ufl FfNlNfNl ny - IL hAthttHAFNa ~
heroine had been transferred from book
~ stage with considerable fidelity. She
was that familiar creature Of fiction. q
Wild gypsy girl. not born TO that kin Of
LIE but ~ noble parentage, without know
ing II She was condemned TO he hanged
AZ = witch. and Il was her own mother.
a Countess. who signed her death
warrant But there was q gallant
.. - - - =. -. 49,. 1900
Of the hangman and substitute the moose
Of Hymen. Those things meant u a
romance as used TO be published In jour
mails with borders and hooks with yellow
covers There were plots and counter
plots, doings dark and doings dire. all d.
retci INDEPENDENTLY toward the high-bom
gypsy
/, IS descriptive 70 say that The Forest
l., crs- was "a blood -a~nd-thunder melo-
az tma II a tvIr that used Ia thrive In the
howcry such pieces have sometimes
sncre.Sicd rcmarxsbly in our theatres
II tho first class and sometimes failed
miscrablv Tho reasons why this one IL
likely to prosper with refined audiences
cannot hc give fully at the late hour Of this
writing. hu, they arise mostly from the
.Ncal"uo' - the representation.
The Obsolete things. the cheap and taw-
d-v dcvic"s were so undermined In tho
enc art Of their presentation. ~ g~orgeously
Illustrated hy rich raimcnt and beautiful
scenery. tina their unworthiness was all
but rcdeemei. Besides that. the play
i'-alf developed excellence surprisingly,
ard it, fourth act was powerfully dra-
matte, wf'h little Of the earlier conven-
ii%onality or pronxity.
Miss Galland was accompanied In her
mimic adventures by a fine knight Grant
in Harry Il stanford. a pleasing English
actor here introduced TO un. Also, nv
,hrc-. particularly vicious enemies embodied
uot.ntly by stephen Wright. George ".
Barber and most brilliantly .Rhoda Cameron.
who was a marvellouslN murdefous cr"atut"
of rel hot passion. Frank { hangs made
a character indeed Of a sketChy rervitor,
and Margaret Bourne gave stately grace
and beauty to q Countess More VIII he
said In thesr columns OF tins production,
and mostly Ia praise.
Edward H.. Sothern has written SOM
onc-art plays. II was said last winter
that when blood poisoning made II possible
that one Of his feet would have 20 ts am
putated. and he would therefore retire
from the stage. he had decided 10 tab"
M the work OF a drnmatist earnestly. His
short pieos ara fragile things, amusing
rut trivial compared with his seriousness
and impor,ance ~ an actor. They are par
ticul,rlv dist ressing a. To titles. one being
named I Love. Thou Lowest. He Loves
and another Newer Trouble Trouble I'LL
fruubl. Troubles You
Thew are true but they do not seam right
A. designative captions Of PLAYS particularly
.uch little plays. Each employs ono person
and a dog Tho ono last mentioned IL ia
revival this week nj the Murray Hill. Flea
nor Morp,ti l. a visitor there In the single
human role. The SCENE IL In an old English
country house 4 maiden enters In mhscu-
lin. attire. She Il Jealous Of her lover and
her best girl friend, but finds little cause for
d!strrst OF either. The lover has left her TO
tght - duel in her tS'hali' ana tne slti mas
done Ter no more harm than To copy a
gown This cheerful conclusion Il not
reached until the heroine has conver-.-d
With a dog. "a bird and a great doal OF empty
-par'.
l. Miss Mnrctu's acting Of such an unusual
quality ~ To make IL interesting. Ability
vel up toward genius II required 20 make
a monnloRie 20 well. Mr. Sothern dbl
II IN IN. other 81 his extraordinarily namfd
writing.
Cesar de- Ralan.' which has BECOME a
METROPOLITAN habit. The performance by
ilr lpuurlly players N good. III. version
hy G,-prge Trader IL us'ful. IL wanderS
from the original In scene more than IN
Incident Il l. interesting Ia note that
Richani Mansfield might have been Ia
this Don Cesar rivalry,
Victor Aiars-'s play. now Ia u-s by James
X Hackett, Wa long In tho hands OF MT
Mansfield. who seriously considered produc-
INK 1t.