Omaha daily bee., 1903-06-14
ABOUT PLAYS PLAYERS AND P~LAYHOUSES

Last week tho Ferris Summer Stock COM
pany had It's own way, for the nights we're
too cool to admit Of much pleasure at the
out door resorts. BY the way, the present
season OF the Ferris company is notable
I'm a good many ways. AS The Bee has
hitherto set forth, the company IL far better
in every way than any that has been here
in stock since the well remembered Wood
ward organization, and is being kept up to
concert pitch by the management. one at
least Of it's weak points has been made
stronger. by the employment Of a new
man for the "heavtes," and this will b.
noticed this evening. Another thing notice
able Is the character Of the attendance.
For several weeks the number Of regular
season patrons who have been attracted
by the stock performance has been increas-
ing, until now one sees nightly faces
usually seen only during the winter at the
theater. The class Of plays presented so
far has been well within the scope of the
~company's powers, and as a whole the
season so far has been a genuine success.
Warmer weather impends, and the out
door attractions are sure to have their
innings; this will interfere to some extent
with the Ferris patronage, but It will be
only turn about. All the parks are well
fitted for taking care of attendance much
larger h any yet experienced. and when
the warm wave does strike It will see a
rush for the vaudeville under the trees.
Why will actors, when dealing with a
piece translated from some foreign lam
guage. or one in which names Of foreign
places are given. persist in singing out
some one word to be given its foreign pro-
nuncistion, while all the rest are done
into English" of the most ordinary type?
This does not refer TO the names of in
dividuals, for It is quite right that they
be given the orthoepical value of their
proper language, but to pick out some one
other word which has a good English
equivalent and persist In rendering It alone
in French or German or whatever its
mother tongue may be Is certainly an Of
Tense against good tsate and almost
amounts to a reflection on the intelligence
Of the audience. One instance Of this sort
is recalled. An actor who Is of consider
able note was four years ago playing
"Cyrano de Bergerac" in a production of
considerable pretensions. He gave the
character with much intelligent feeling. !
and really scored a hit in 1t. But he
marred the excellence Of his performance
by a single fault, and refused TO correct
II when his attention was called to It. He
spoke all the poetry of the beautiful Ros-
tand piece with force and effect, and in
good clear English except one word. In re-
citing the verse describing the company
OF Carbon del Castel-Jaloux he couldn't
apparently say Gasoony. Every stanza he
wound up with the broad statement, w
are the cadets OF Gass-kon-n-yea-a-a." The
effect this produced on an auditor sensitive
to consistency and good form is easily i'm
aufuad mora rnOaar, tpg4onpa 30 tb{o |
sort of misbehavior on part of the actor
was afforded at the Boyd during the last
week. Every other word save the names
of persons was given its due English form
but Marseilles. This was persistently
called MARSHES" why the Lord only
knows. II isn't good French. and II surely
isn't English at all. These are little things,
but Il is on the little things, after all, that
a good production depends. Stage man
ayers should watch these faults as closely
as they do others. and should insist that
an English-speaking audience be not Of
Tended by such palpable m-ispronunciation.
II has been suggested by The Bee be-
fore that dramatization OF novels is a
ticklish business and should only be under
taken by a master. One reason for this
is that novelists are often inclined to be
inconsistent in their handling of heroines
and heroes, but have opportunity to ex-
plain in a measure some OF their anach-
ronisms and like slips Of pen. But when
a writer undertakes to boil down a novel,
and especially a long one, he is quite apt
TO find in the end that he has only en-
phasized the authors mistakes without a
possibility of clearing UP any of them.
Take the case of Edmond Dantes for ex-
ample. Dumas pere conducted him through
two fat volumes before he succeeded in
ultimately dlsposing Of him, and during
that long list of adventures he managed
to 90 interest the reader in what was
going on that no particular thought was
given to the actual man himself. Imme-
diately the novel was dramatized and
Monte Cristo" became a stage fixture. the
charming Indifference OF Dumas to detail
became badly apparent. When Edmond
Dantes was arrested on his arrival at the
port of Marseilles he was a French sailor;
he had been before the mast and had risen
10 the position of mate on the Baron"
For eighteen years he was a prisoner in an
underground cell in the Chateau diff, from
which he escaped in a way only possible
In a novel. Two years later he reappears
in Paris, a much Travelled gentleman. with
a reputation established In at least three
continents. and more than that, with the
polish and address that other French gen.
tlemen spend their lifetime in acquiring.
One does not think OF this when reading
the book, but on seeing the play one is
irresistibly impelled to inquire how II would
be possible for the rough sailor to become
30 familiar with the hne. manners and
speech of the best circles OF educated
Partisan society. Did he study etiquette
during his long life in a dark dungeon. or
did he acquire his splendid address among
the Turks and his elegant carriage while
Staying tigers in Algiers? This, too. is a
little thing, but 1t is true of a number
OF plays that have been put before the
people with much success. One is almost
inclined TO despair of the theater as an
educational agency when these facts are
taken into consideration.
An English court has also come TO the
rescue Of the critic. and decides that a
theatrical criticism which presents the
reasonable opinions of the writer, although
some OF them may be harsh and none OF
them favorable. is not libel, A company
was severely slated by one of the proVin-