Omaha daily bee., 1902-07-20

And now the debate is, Have we an Amer
lean dramatist worthy Of the namei Up TO
date the opinion rs all one way. We have
not. Bronson Howard, the veteran. who.
be II to his credit said, never initiated, says
the American dramatist is still to come.
When he does come, he will find a bewil-
dering wealth Of material awaiting his touch
to spring into life and beauty. In the het-
erogenous mass that makes up our citizen
ship there are many types; in the sectional
divisions Of our great country there are re-
markable variations Of character, and each
section has its subdivisions, until the held1
for selection is all but illimitable. Bronson
Howard very nearly struck 10 with his
Shenandoah" and The Henrietta" but
both Of these plays fell just a little short Of
real greatness. Each portrays a phase Of
American life, strongly drawn and wildly
presented, but neither is typical OF more
than a small section. Each has peen imi-
tated by writer's Of less ability than the
author. who have only succeeded in distort-
ing his pictures without in any way improv-
ing them. Augustus Thomas has given US
some beautiful pastels Of certain phases Of
American life. notably Alabama "In Miz-
zoura" and Arizona" but all are sectional
in types and coloring, and In a measure
ephemeral in nature. Mark Twain's "Pud-
d'nhead Wilson," weak as a story, afforded
material for a play Of great strength and
one which long delight both the casual play
goer and the student with its pictures Of a
life that has passed forever: but, like
"M'liss' and "Tennessee's Pardner'' 1t only
shows one of the facets of the multiform life
pf the great west. A few other plays may be
Included in this list, but these are enough
to indicate the task that must be achieved
by he who writes what shall stand out as
the distinctive American drama. II seems
reasonable to hope that the dramatic writ
ers will soon cease to give us plays built
on novels that are popular" or weak i'm
itations of English and French dramas,
and out Of the lavish array Of material
that only awaits handling construct for
Americans plays that deal with American
sentiments by American methods. This is
not jingoism. 1t is hardly an appeal 20
patriotism. II is merely the expression of
. wish that American play makers will
abandon foreign fields to the foreign writ
ers and give us something original. Writ
ers Of fiction have done 1t, and writer's Of
plays as we'll, so 1t is not at all unreasona-
bic to ask that It be done again.
One of the hopeful signs in this regard
comes from Utah. Next month at Salt
Lake a most ambitious production will be
given a play by a western writer, dealing
with a field that has hitherto been unen-
tered by the dramatist, although some now
elists have browsed around its edges, that
of prehistoric America. That a great civ
i~lization existed on this continent prior to
the advent of the European is beyond ques-
tion. Stupendous ruins. marking the loca-
tion Of former populous cities, with extern
siye palaces. magnificent temples and all
that goes to make city life on a sumptuous
scale. which in itself presupposes q coun-
try life equally highly developed, prove
conclusively the existence of a peo-
pie or peoples with ideas far
in advance OF the Indian or even the
Aztec. Into this virgin world the bold
dramatist from Salt Lake has plunged and
out Of his material has constructed a play
under the title Of "Corianton." No de-
tailed synopsis of the piece has as yet been
given the public beyond the fact that It is
a romance OF that period. that 1t has a re-
ligtous aspect and that an army Of people
will be required to present It. The piece
lie timed In the year 75 b. c., and is al
legged to be founded on the Golden Bible"
the Book of Mormon. II Is written by
Orestes Bean and is owned by the Deseret
Dramatic syndicate. On August IL at the
Salt Lake theater It will be given it's first
presentation. Joseph Haworth will have
the leading part and will be assisted by an
all-star cast from New York. One hundred
voices from the great Mormon tabernacle
choir will furnish the vocal numbers incl
dent to the play; the ballet will contain
100 beautiful western girls and 100 young
Mormon men will make up the Aztec
bodyguard. Scenery and costumes from
New York, ~eficient stage direction and
lavish equipment promise to make this the
most notable production ever put on IN
the west. 1t is certainly the most ann
bilious.
The selection by King Edward Of Charles
Wyndham for knighthood instead Of George
Alexander or Beerbohm Tree seems to
have been expected by London theatrical
people. Mr.. Wyndham is colder in years
and stage distinction than either Of the
others, his social hold is nrmer and he
has done more for charity. Mr.. wyndham
Is not an American by birth, as many have
supposed. but he served in our federal
army during the first year OF the war Of
the rebellion. and made his debut as an
actor with John Wilkes Booth in a Shake
spearean cast. He returned TO England
in 1866 and went into Henry Irvlng'i