The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-01-06
HERO1NES or THE STAGE.
FkW RENOUN WON ~ WT MISSES
1EHiN. tIfEN W tNGTTN.
the fhrce ,ctresses Who Wade the Hest ~
Their Orportunttios IN the Dramas Pro
duoed last week The Scene rhat u the
sncaeI. nf Mnntn Atihmt .Inncs-a pIaA

vWrf VnpuftNnftltN " INC braUfnN FRO
dueed last week rhe Scene Tha' Il the
Success ~ Ucnrr arthur Joncs's Pla'
Two actreasi- ~ rrior ronovn md one
~ho had achieved less distinction became
newly conspicuous uu the SOW Work. -'Hro
last week They we're Ndl Rolar. Viola
Allen and Margaret Anclu. and their .@Ioccs~o.
we're won hv making three h'rnI..s more
interesting In tho acting than tho authors
had In the writing Mis- trIliu'- achieve
ment was tho most remarkable" because ~h"
had been relatively nn obscure performer
Che had earned praise ,ofrrc. and there ar"
now many who say, told ,ou -o. set no
ono could be sure that she would turn her
frst fne opportunity to really great account
Not since Clara Morris discovered herself
TO n New York audience had there been such
. disclosure Of emotional talent ms that which
surprised the reopl" NJ ~" Empire Theatre
last Mondev In Mrs Dane Defence That
new drama 10y Horny Arthur Jones would
have been no success without ~ third a't,
and that act would have been No. success
without q satisfactory Ioulctiou Of tho
heroine But Miss Anelin'- work rose above
sdcquacy 20 genius. and her triumph Is there
fore more talked Of than that Of the play
She compelled So much sympathy for 4
wicked woman, a social oufCAst who lied
= n fnfn n nNe OF a kNMNu VII llAfN
and the esteem NJ his friends. that not
only the scandalmonsers who maliciouslv
doubted her. but even the man who reluc-
family did tho plain duty Of exposing her,
came I'm for disepprovel Nanifes,lv IL
had been the authors design 10 carry out
tust that difficult II not IMPROPER purpose,
hut IL would have been thvartrd hv any other
than an actress capable " making us wsop
when We ought TO have frowrsd The slight
est responsiveness on her part. tho smallest
departure from uitiful appcal. would have
brought all his writing 20 nrught Never
theless, a negatiy. treatment, Of the role
would have killed d, only positiveness Of
exactly the right kind made IL live wildly
The frat two aCt- of Mr. Danes Defence"
set forth a woman whose sin ha- driven a
wife 10 suicide and a husband T. a madhouse.
vet she pretenda e. be a respectable widow.
and In that %allurins guise wins a guil.lesS
fellow, her junior, away from the suitable
girl, who Ia almost betrothAd TO him Those
two acts do no more tan bring her to the
point where she must prove her fitness for
che social place into which she has foi.ted
herself. and the fourth simply sends her away
in disgrace. These three quar ters 81 the play
are OF value only "a they cad M 10 and away
from a consequential third act. m which to
woman makes her defence and the guardian
nj her youthful lover breaks 1t down There
Il nearly half an hour Of dialogue betwe cen
Oh EN-. He Is a calm lawyer. hopeful Of o,cul-
pating her. vet determined 70 ascertain the
truth. She j. a false witness. scared AMI
perplexed by cross-examination Justice de-
mands the exposure nf her falsitv. Never
theless, tho audiences tear- fow with hers
a. she tells lie upon lie. it. nerves culver with
hers a. falsehood after fal-ehood fails to
deceive. and it, hearts ache with her, when
she at last throws herself on the floor and
pleads for mercy. Miss Auylin has a natural
here IN her physical deicacy Sh"
can act with all her might. Yet not be loud or
coarse. Her demonstration, rise from re-
pressed distraction To- the most turbulent
outbreak that she Il. capable Of. and even In
It's climax OF frenzy she remains n hunted-down
creature. so pitiable that We Gislik" to see her
fail. But after tho praise II the
has been scaled down bv thus ascrihin-
Of her success 10 her own individualitv.
On ere 1. abundant admiration left for her skill.
There Is no monotony in her emotion Every
OF feeling il heard in her voice and
seen in her face. In all that she does there
IL naught that sounds or looks like acting
II was no new or unexpe,t d talen N {
was revealed D. Ada Rehan The surprise
v you'd have come Il she had not been ne,celent
U nc. she 'ad acted similar tart
In old coined e. at pa vs. with gre t cce-s.
Ne prominence on er most \ merican actresses
10 chiefly in her ability 70 shine I'm n .reat
variety OF roles in lass Of different manner.
Her eaual in modern farce can be found
,asiiy: but who can match her in hakes-
caro-. In the artificial old comedies. r
ramas I forml verse 1t Is the ar, that
iss Pelham devel ped IN the COMEDIES Of
arauhar, sheridan. Congreve nd Van
urRh that sne brings into use IN ~weet Nell
Old Drury." Paul Kester has Modelled
his play on the old comedies. bui rs an lmita-
lion IL il not remarkable sydney Grundy
caught the manner 80 exactly In 4 Mar
riare O. Convenience" that an ref sei
TO credit him with the amount e orig nal
he h d emuloyed In rewr ting t.e
I'D Du Al. Iiece Eugene Preshre,. g.
Virginia Court.bip " BY almost liter
.onrinp. caught h uld-tiu. spirii per Getty.
N, his aim was rather more fter .oucicoil,
M Tom TAYLOR "a me EARL . n thors
IN the othe Nell Gwvnne rlav in town.
Nell. the .uthor nrotocrapbed
no amir, n, hs time rather than that of
ha comedies n, the tine hat i 10
a, azs,,on's nlay ia obyi, sIy n mod
vor daft -iy,n- the atmos here {
az ono .etiod Eyid.ntL,. Nj ka.t.r's
,d.,vor n ba had , -. dvel nten,i v,s
= givau ~. , NAV tina, uo,li bo.erb. m,nnar