The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-05-04

only instance on record where a star-and
a rising one at that-shows such readiness
for seIf-efacement Happily. on other oc-
oasions he is I'm evidepce-never unduly,
but enough to prove the truth of my asser-
ton last fall in this paper, that he is Amer
ica's manifest and gentlemanliest leading
man.
ACTORS WORTH SEEING.
When Mr.. Edeson takes his gallant regf-
ment on the road, his wife will replace
Gretchen Lyons as the heroine. To those
who remember Mrs. Edeson as Ellen Burg.
this will be gratifying news. Some years
ago her acting in 1.-The Celebrated Wom-
an and Ghosts" was among the brightest
features of the local German stage. In the
former play she and that sterling actor,
Jacques Horwitz, made such a hit at the
opening performance that their manager
the very same night doubled their salary.
For the sake of Mr.. and Mrs. Edeson the
Davis and Thomas melodramatized novel
will be worth seeing-very much worth see
ing, indeed.
Another actor now safely established in
the foremost rank is Mr.. William Collier,
without a doubt our first light comedian.
He is what the French call a "pince-sans-
~rire"--a man seemingly quite unconscious
of his own irresistible drollness. About
twenty-five years ago the German actor,
George Engels, acted his parts in precisely
the same manner and with as great sue
cess, causing Gustav Won Moser TO write a
whole series of comedies for him-some of
which, The Passing Regiment" ETC., were
adapted by Augustin DAILY for our stage.
Al this late hour, Engels is an old man
with no successors in his own country
worth mentioning. He would readily ac-
knowledge Willie Collier as his spiritual
relative, greeting in him not only the resur-
rection of his own effertless comicality,
but also a kindred charm of a wholly elu-
sive kind-indefnable, but compelling.
Doubtless nine out of ten people would
name Ganthony's Message from Mars" as
the best of the imported plays of the sea-
son. 1t did not interest me particularly, be-
cause to me it's whole scheme and tone,
which struck New York as odd and novel,
had the familiarity that begets WEAKNESS.
Years ago, while living in Copenhagen,
Denmark, I used TO see every winter one or
two fairy-tale plays constructed precisely
as Mr.. GanthOny's. These plays form a
characteristic feature of Danish stage lit
~erature. there being hardly a prominent
dramatist who has not attempted at least
one such. Hans Christian Andersen, the
greatest of all writer's of fairy tales. put
several of them into dramatic form. The
most popular of these was. and is, "Ole
Lukoie." In this play a young workingman,
dissatisfied with his humble lot, gives vent
to a ~gnawing desire for wealth and luxury.
He then goes TO sleep upon the stage. The
dream god, ole Lukoie. appears 10 tell him
that his wishes shall be fulfilled, and the
remainder of the play consists of loosely,
connected Incidents. all tending TO impress
on the hero that true happiness does not
consist in the possession of money. In one
scene the young man enters a secondhand
furniture shop, kept by a sort of Mephis-
topheles; at once the stoves, tables and
chairs begin 10 cavort in an uncanny way.
a pair of pincers pirouetting all around the
stage In the end. after much unpleasant
experience, the young man awakens and is
delighted 10 find that he has only been
dreaming-a weird but highly Instructive
dream.
Those that saw a Message from Mars"
will now understand why this play i'm
pressed me rather mildly. And this is not
the only instance where, OF late. a connois-
seur Of Danish literature has had occasion
10 greet familiar faces on the American
stage. The plot OF the Englishman Mar
shalTs Royal Family is found i'm The
Huntsman OF the Princess. by CART Eft
lar. a writer who. for brevity's sake. nav
be STYLED the Dumas senior OF Denmark.
This season Amelia Bingham Is producing.
in mastery fashion. the powerful melo-
drama ~ Modern Magdalen." which she
probably knows why, herself. is persistently
billed as AN adaptation from the German"
IL is a popular play By the Danish lawyer
and dramatist. Edgar Hoyer-"The Jensen