The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-01-12
STAGE TOPICS OF INTEREST.
WRITINGS ny ROSTAND, SCRIBE.
GRUMPY AND BJORNSON.
Two Plays valuable In the First Halves
and Worthless In The Second is
Francis wilson as LauEhabic as lie
Ought 10 Dc?--Thc Doomed I~.yccuni.

Two Plays NhunDie IN the i1rst hai'os
ard Worthless In The Second is
Francis wilson rs Laughabie rs lie
Ought 10 Dc?--Thc Doomed I.yccunn.
Scribe and Grundy, hlithesome In
'Frocks and Frills:' Rostand, fantastic
in "Ihe Romsnesques," and Bjornson,
grewsome in Pastor Sang gave interest
ing variety to last weeks newly intro
duced plays. Not often has slight ma
terial been turned into peculiar enter
tainment with better results h were
obtained with tho hrst-named two pieces
derived from tho French. There had
been no substance In the foundation scheme
provided by Scribe's comedy for Sydney
Grundy TO build ON, but a suporstructure
of characters and incidents 20 be resin ped
in modern ways, and h English play
wright had done that work deity. Yet 1t
was so frail an erection on 90 unsubstantiai
a ba sis that II would have tumbled down
Il Daniel Frohman's we'll guided actors
had not ably held II up. A more interesting
or satisfactory Performance TO students
OF stagecraft has not been given hero in a
long while. Not q dollar Of the money
paid for the display Of the frocks and frills
had gone to waste. The gowns had been
so thoroughly dramatized and the wearers,
from those who were important In the
plot 20 those who were merely lay figures.
had been 30 carefully chosen that women's
eyes were transfxed and even mems did
not wander. Elegance La not commonly
90 potent a factor in the making OF an ac-
ceptable stage show. and so this case was
a positive exception. The elder Mr.. Froh-
man has lone nothing heater than this
production.
Nor has the younger Mr.. Frohman done
anything nicer In a small and quaint way
| than TO bring out the first act OF Edmond
Rostand's The Romanesquee' as a COM
plete comedietta. That is the portion OF
the play worth acting. The remainder
is not. That fact q been proven by
the Academy OF Dramatic Arts. The en-
counter OF the swecthearts and their fathers
over the garden wall. with the pretty. hui
morous travesty of Romeo and Juliet
leading up TO a satisfactory climax. makes
a half hour OF unique diversion. Last
weeks production by the Academy students
Of Pastor Sang a translation from tho
Norwegian OF Bjornstjerne Bjornson.
showed another play with a valuable first
part and worthless second part. The ex-
hibition Of a bedridden woman, suffering
acutely from a nervous disease, was dis
tressfully engrossing, as any reasonably
close imitation Of expiring lie and APP
preaching death Is bound to be. And the
religio-psychologic aspect Of the case, rs
seen in the husbands pathetloally futile
resort to Christian science did not fail
70 impress the audience much "a the author
had intended. 1t would not be fair to Mrs.
Patrick Campbell to PREJUDICE this play
unfavorably prior to her appearance here
in il. Very likely she may compel us 20
shrink and shiver by her representation
OF the death-marked woman; and possibly
the long discussion OF faith and cure. as
given by her actors. may not be tedious.
As TO the fourth disclosure last week.
the musical farce OF @The Toreador." moth
ing need be added TO THE suns descrip-
ton Of il rs a first-rate example Of Its kind,
lust about the average In merits Of its own.
and distinctly above hat in the represen-
tation. The only difference in published
opinion relates to Francis Wilson. Il he
or is he not as funny as he ought 10 be as
the cockney footman mistaken for a Span
ism b~ullhghter? We think he did well
witt the role on the first night and will
do better. but not much. The difficulty
hat he encountered lay in the fact that
me auAllflNlf n I'LL ~ AAAa'a
in comic operas written for him. each with
him preponderant. while The Toreador.'
though containing a part exactly IN his
comic line, gave him no advantages over
at least one Of the other comedians in either
time or material. To be a star in the ad-
yertisemcnts and not In the performance
was Mr.. Wilson's lot, but the entertain
ment II abundant and he contributes con
siderable 81 II.
Many will deem Il sad news that the up
town progress of business will make the
d,moiuon Of the Iyoeum Theatre a me-
cessity naxt summer A. managed 10y
Daniel Frohm man the hous" has had re-
nnement before and behind th" curtain
IN. plays selected have been almost in
yan8bly 81 literary and dumAii, worth
and their presentation In the matter 81
so.ncry and costumes NJ well a. acting
! -rrpnrsantatiyo Of ihe besi ar 81 the drama
The lsading ns'urs 81 the original com
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