The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-03-02
The STAGE In OTHER LANDS.
BERLIN GETS AN ENGLISHMAN'S
PLAY FROM AMERICA.
London Successes Of Two IRAN Made
In New York Extending I'm Many
Directions - Reasons why England Is
In No Need OF a National Theatre.


In No Need OF n National Theatre.
Hermann Sudermann was called repeat
eddy and enthusiastically before tho cur
tain at the first performance Of his drama.
-Es Lebe Das Leben.' at tho Deutschcs
Theatre, Berlin. Four middle-aged per-
sons form two married couples. In one case
the husband and In the other the wife pos
sessing the brains. A son of one house
and a daughter OF the other are about to
be married. In the dim past the two intel
ligent halves OF the pairs loved madly and
indiscreetly. but the passion long since died,
but the facts come out In a political cam
paign. In truly Sudermann style. all the
characters discuss at great length what Is
advisable to do. The iftecn-years-ago-
wronged husband thinks he should meet
the other man ON the field Of honor; the
lover decides, on the advice Of his son. to
kill himself, but changes his mind. and the
wife really does commit suicide.
A recent Berlin production was a trans
lation OF Jerome X. Jerome's Miss Hobbs,'
which had its first performance at the New
York Lyceum In September Of 1899. Every
body liked II on that first night. but no one
thought 1t would become almost world
famous. Mr.. Jerome wrote It for John
DloN dlld Adld NIe bNCiV III hiiitliNas AiV
action was supposed to occur In Larch-
mont, though IL didn't suggest anything
but old England all the time. even though
the plot did hinge on a bet Of a inner at
Delmonico's. Mr.. Drew thought the female
role more important than the male and re-
fused to appear in the play, particularly
as Charles Wyndham had just produced
THE Tyranny Of Tears" In London and It
contained an excellent Drew part. SO the
title OF Miss Hobbs" was given TO the play
for Annie Russell. Six or seven months
later Charles Frohman produced 1t at his
Duke Of York's Theatre, London, with
Evelyn Willard and Herbert Waring, and
now II is popular in Germany and about TO
be produced in Russia. Truly. LarchInont
will owe much fame to the drama.
Boyle Lawrence, a London dramatic
critic. has had another Interesting" failure
as a dramatist. He wrote A Man Of His
Word which Herbert Waring-who reap
pears In Harlem this week with Mrs. Patrick
Campbell-produced at Mrs. Langtry's
theatre. II was a failure, though praised
for some things, particularly an incident
| that was said to resemble the third act Of
The Girl | Left Behind Me" IL il an odd
fact that when critics assume the ole Of
playwright they invariably write melo-
drama, although in most cases they harshly
~criticise such tendencies in others. Even
| the deliberately modern" Bernard Shaw
roconciles himself to rescues in the nick
of time IN The Devils Disciple, and starts
Arms and the Man" with noisy warfare
outside a window, but satisfies himself by
making "A starving soldier speak in epigrans.
Mr.. Lawrence's new play is violently theat-
rio. He was aided in writing The Heel OF
Achilles by Louis n. Parker twho seems
TO be- the only man in London who can
translate a foreign play; at least he is always
called upon TO do such jobs, and had a
hand in writing the sentimental comedy
of Rosemary. -1he Heel of Achilles"
produced at the Globe a week ago, gives
itself a broad field by representing all of
Europe in "A state of war, or some situation
nearly as eXtravagant, and caps the climax
by placing the scene in Russia. where for
plays of this sort anything preposterous
may occur, An Englishman steals some
plans of which he must notify England to
save that country from destruction A
Russian official interfcres, but lets the
Englishman go, on the agreement that that
mans sweetheart shall marry him. This
she does, but on her wedding night she bolts
"A door between herself and her Russian
lord and master. The father of a girl whom
this villain has ruined comes 10 murder him,
but is too late. The girl and the Russian
scamp have taken poison and died together,
thus leaving the unwilling bride free TO
marry her English lover. Julia Nelson
| and Fred Terry, who are popular in London,
were warmly a%pplauded on the first night.
| and praised by the critics, but the drama
was condemned az hopeless. The authors
did not appear before the curtain. not
caring TO be booted and -booed" because
of a failure that certainly grieved them
more han IL possibly could the unmannerly
gallery gods.
The London reception and fate Of 'Ari-
zona" have suggested in many ways the
start there of Sherlock Holmes" As
| \. ~. 90. = ~. Gill;. 49,. d, l--.s..
crowd gathered on the first night and did
its best TO make the drama a failure by
i~ntcrrupting and ridiculing, The news
papers in reviewing the performance made
no reference TO the hubbub. The critics
generally agreed with the American opinion
in reporting Arizona" TO be n good but
not exceptional melodrama. london
started right In TO see IL, and there is no
| doubt now Of its success. Before the first
week was over Augustus Thomas received
a cahlegram asking him TO organize another
American company to act his drama
throughout England. Provincial com
Innies are travelling with sherlock
| Holmes" which is still 20 popular in London
that one of Charles Frohman's principal
reasons for going abroad was to find a
theatre for Mr.. Gillette when Sir Henry
Irving returns TO occupy the Lyccum.
| Mr.. Gillette has been there since Septem-
Der. 1t now looks as If he would act there
until fall, when the plan Is to have him
make a short American tour in Sherlock
Holmes and then come To the hnlcker-
| booker in January 10 show his long-prom-
ised reading Of Hamlet. After a month
in New York in the Shakespeare tragedy, |
Mr.. Gillette would make another short
tour in the States, going to London with
his Homlr in April. Another Frohran
scheme for Gillette is 20 take him 10 Paris
and Berlin for a few performance in -Sher-
lock Holmes" before his return TO his native
land. TRANSACTIONS of the drama are being
made IN many European languages,
An incident Of the second week of
Arizona" at the Adelphi seems strange |
10 Us. The English critics agreed with
the American generally in praising Theo-
dore Roberts for his ranchman and Vincent
Scrrano for his heroic Captain, and speak
ing well Of various other men in the COM
pany. but letting the women down easy.
They didn't fall with such comfort when
an audience OF actors knocked" their
inadequate performance at the farewell
matinee at the Victoria. However, when
tho King and Queen of England went to
SEQ Arizona" they selected Olive May
to congratulate. The choice is not SO
strange. as the c~ongratulation seems 10
have been expressed before seeing her act.
SI. ~, a.. "a h,tt,ttst In tho Queen which haT |