The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-03-05
THE STAGE HERE AND ABROAD.
IRIS DJCKENS AND THE LIBRARY
vERSION VERY DIFFERENT.
"ol,, er Twist" as viewed by American
Tneatre Audienees-There You See the
y,,lsin Hated!-The Cenr1ed Dramatic
season Done-Mme. Bernhardt Hissed.

"Oli, er TWIST n VIEW" W H"e''cs"
Tneatre Audienees-There You See the
y,ilain Hatcd!-Thc Cs0ried Dramatic
season Done-Mme. Bernhard Kissed.
II is curious, the fascination that 'Oliver
Twist has for the general public. There
ia hardly week in the year when this touch
inc meiodrama is not being played some
wbsre on the globe. from South Wales to
San Francisco, Canada to Cornwall. The
nav generation cannot be persuaded to
take Dickens as seriously as did its parents:
some youngsters with critical minds speak
Of Dickens's art as not being admirable
which Is disoouragingl Yet Dickens sur
wives the shock. Librarians are kept busy
handing his works to shoals Of readers, or
in compiling statistics which prove the hold
the dead man has on .uncultivated' souls.
In the hurly-burly OF the stage his char
acters emerge melodramatic, nay. chro-
matte Is a better word-for there Is more
color than tone In their makeup. oliver
Twist and Bleak House have endured
the longest in popular favor, with THE OH
Curicsty Shop . good third. Oliver Is an
o.dious little prig, q schalk-faoed kid'-to
employ the classic phrase in the book-who
won't 'prig;' a pie-faced angel whose good.
heaven sy was at hand. BIZ Skies is far more
human. Al least he is an unrepentant
rfban. Nancy Is adorable, she is so hope
leesIv unreal Violent exaggeration char
acterizes every one In the piece; and yet
il Is beloved. In England 1t 10 not only
Seen throughout the provinces as a Little
varrant. such hold on the imaginations
~ the public have the adventures OF little
OLirer in the den Of terrible Fogin.
Dickens never drew q portrait-or con-
ceived one-that has 90 entered into our
consciousness as this repulsive Jew. When
he endeavored later to present q gentle.
benevolent Jew, the attempt did not meet
with success This week at the American
Theatre you may judge the attitude OF an
audience toward the Dickens creation
When In the last act Fao'n v shown, oaank,
At the mouth, the Joy Of the house Is un-
controlled. Kisses. catcalls and cheers
tsli The tale. At last q villain has met
his desertsi With Blu 1t il different The
women loathe him for a hulking brute.
and the murder scene always borders on
the hideous. but his logged pluck gains
him friends among the boys. II Ibsen
we're one tenth as morbid or II he evoked
one-hundredth part OF the morbid sensa-
tons as does the assassination Of poor
Nancy then would his critics. those who
40 nuently damn him, have just cause.
II you have never acquired the American
Theatre habit beware Of Ill Its symptoms
are DO red feeling on Tuesday afternoon,
and II the patient Is strong enough. his
ees will lead him across Forty-second
street to the theatre. Once within It's
portals all hope must DO abandoned-he
will not leave until the final curtain. We
have seen some queer acting there, out
that is no cure for tbs habit, Nor do the
tsr.fio 'shoo ksrs- and 'thrillerr act a. q
deterrent. Once the habit 10 formed the
only way to eradicate 1t y TO leave the
city: 1t is more deadly than hook-worm.
.onver Twist IL played fairly we'll there
this week. Edmund Breeze a. Bill and
Jessaline Rogers - Money do not disturb
memories OF the late James Herne or Of
the living Euta Proctor Otis, but they oct
With sincerity and intensity. Indeed. some
Of the latter quality might b spared. One
Of the wrestling scenes would shatter the
constitution Of . les muscular actress
than Min Rogers, and the strain on her
voice must b. great This young lady is
No teii her that shs y throwing them away
in melodrAma We might epoil . capital
sctress In her oemrs without being SURF that
che would succeed on Broadway. There
ID one thing osrtain-there are much more
nedioore women NJ IN , current sr ssa way
anent, often crude - II 10 in its oppression,
and her voice 10 . singularly resonant one.
When ehe swears that no harm will come
TO little Oiiwy you have TO believe her
the audience always does. And she makes
all her climaxes.
Paul Scott 10 q favorite a. Faein; he is
Kissed. and Thomas Reynolds makes q
most divertins Arffsi Dodesv. We could
rsoall-but We won'ti Spring In here with
its laneuors, violets and bock BIER. so men,
ories n pest casts are depressing. Point
de Zsls 10 still q favorite admonition Of
elderly diplomstists. 'Never remember
would be . better for chroniclers Of the
stage
However. one thing We cannot forget.
On Tuesday afternoon Laura Almosnino
vas the Oliver. Shs looked the part. acted
intellgently a. she doss always. but her
forgery went wrong ct M. Brosrniov' .
home, She wore pretty checked trousers
Miss Laura filled than. They must have
. o,ssted earlier In the day, for they were
10 rebellion on the seemy side Of the left
pant, and when Blu hidnsppsd her. we
afternoon at the Bijou years ago when
Jennie joyce danced once and only once
II also recalled the old story told OF Lin
coins reply when Q subscription for his
isv partner, HsArndon, IVES started by
SONS wAs hwysrs-hs would contribute
Aothing for the end In view. said the Presi-
dent
u may not plsa-s Mr. Creston Clarke
bH ~. cannot help confessins that his
ssr.Soso In The Pools Revenge 10 q
much more forcibls. real bi, 81 work than
hls Hsnlsf He 10 q tbs Murray Hin thls
Sssk, playing IN Tom 1aylors stirring
tragedy every evening and " 'Dayld
0sIrick' ~ tbs mstintes NJ Clarke va
never lsss sriholsI tAsn - bsrisoess. III
suppon u fsiT
Although the Coaflsd company Gill he
s.~a Yn hundsys 81 the Irving Plsns fhs.iTs
tas ss,Ils aisms,ls sesson rfac,iosll,
disw, a. . olo-s this seed Dn Monde,
night OTTO O,ttsr had . tsashi ia
i.s.d.y tho IsupuisI treasurer end iios-'
1901 n.ofss blsal.sl cad George hsfin
lad saloysd . isas.sft snd ls~i nigh
psstsks son ksresfiiis lh sbss bssseafsil
ss lslasf.d Si.s bp hls sdaifsis W.
alshi no fsisaasy sI.sfs aesDasaT riil
v Lf.id IA Das ha..-s Made Jhl'
sssalssiisa sil sisy s.,l Ne,
h@ssh hssnhssai hAs l.sa ll.asd ~