The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-18

You My Father?' which is so positively
failure that it will be on and off the
stage, all within six days. Thomas II.
Broadhurst would be third author to be
glad of Golfers misfortune. as he, too. wrote
a play, "A Fool and His Money" which the
willful comedian would have none of; but
this piece like the others, has done well
with another actor, and now it is to be
transferred to the now tractable Collier. No
actor is more interesting TO other actors
than young Willie Collier, because he is
personally popular among them, and they
believe his cleverness and individuality as
a light comedian should, and must. make
him favorite With the general public.
So my readers will never see Are You
My Father" as it will have gone to limbo
by the time this account of it is in print. 1t
Is a transcript from Captain Marryats
novel, "Japhet in Search of a Father in
which a founding hunts high and low for
his male parent. Mr.. Collier saw the hu-
NOR of Japhets quest of lineage. but he
overlooked the fact that Marryat's books
are obsolete, that their fun is far bygone
in manner and that their Englishmen of
half a century ago are absurd to our eyes
in their bright-colored and odd-shaped gar
ments and hats. Golfers speciality is the
portrayal of the glib-spoken, quick-witted,
rather audacious joker of the very latest
American development. AS the plodding
Ounce in the Marryat story he was man
acled and fettered too heavily to move more
than sIuggishly. The first audience con-
tanned fully hundred friendly players and
they applauded cheerily during the first
act, but at the end of the second most of
them filed solemnly out like mourners at
funeral. and did not return for another
look at the corpse. Not less than $4,000 of
the money of his managers. Weber &
Fields. is buried with the remains, but they
are too rich themselves, and too hopeful Of
Collier, to mind the loss very much.
Mr. Sothern is bravely perverse against
advice I'm the investment of his capital in
enterprises of his own choosing. He was
admonished. when he mortgaged his resi-
dence TO put money into an ornate repre-
sentation of Hamlet that his hard-earned
savings would be sunk too deep to ever
rise TO sight again. But they did come
up to the surface and float prosperously.
His present offer of costly entertainment is
uncommonly risky as the play, 1.-THE Proud
Prince" may be regarded as pious or i'm
pious, according 10 ones religious point of
view. IL has a mere basis in Longfellow's
poem on the legend of Robert of Sicily, the
very bad king who became very good. but
not till he had been punished into peni-
tence dreadfully. The play by Justin Hunt
~ Mccarthy is a forid melodrama. much
like those Christian pieces which Wilson
to hrtn 10 ne
with their shrewdly audacious blends of
religion and lechery. in which heaven
defying young despot pursued Christian
maiden till he got her and then was brought
to repentance by divine wrath and the girls
love. My own fallible judgment is that Mr..
Sothern will place "The Proud Prince in
the class of plays which. although con-
demned here and there by clergyman, still
appeal irresstibly to church people. To
be sure. its representation of a Sicilian
brothel. with its Cleopatra of a keeper loll-
ing luxuriously on a canopied bed and a
dozen young courtesans lazng around her
is an astounding exhibition of vice in splen-
dor; and the trade of these creatures is dis
cussed by their mistress and nor visitors
In far palmer and plentier words than | am
using IN this brief description; but the
Christianity which by contrast IT illustrates
is kept carefully I'm the spectacle. Religion
its have not recoiled from the shows of
sensuous pleasure and sinful indulgence in
"Ben Hur.'' but have swelled and multi
piled its audiences beyond those of any
theatrical entertainment ever put on the
American stage.
The chrixtIan lesson taught by Mr. Soth-
ern and Mr.. Mccarthy Is not to be doubted.