Omaha daily bee., 1903-03-01

Tor It's theatrical events in Omaha. II pre-
scented us the extremes. and. shall we say,
the interesting middle point Of woman's
career on the stage? First in order came
Miss Forbes, who may easily represent
adolescence, and then Miss Coghlan, OF
whom II would not be unkind to say that
she we'll represents maturity; and Miss
Ellsler. who seems to have stopped the
flight Of time Just on the sunny side Of a
youth that was ripening. In Miss Forbes
we have the promise. IN Miss Coghlan we
are reminded OF what once was. and in
Miss Ellsler we seem to have past, pres
ent and a hope at least for the future.
Miss Forbes gives indications Of ability. but
she lacks In experience; time will cure
both that and her youth. In Miss Coghlan
we find little but the name to remind us Of
the merry Peg wofington with whom we
laughed and cried; Of the jaunty Jocelyn.
Wis dcsned mans attire to avenge a
brother. and who preserved ncr honor and
won her lover In the most approved Of ro-
mantle fashion. One can hardly look az ner
Mrs. Tanqueray and remember that he
once laughed with her through "A Scrap OF
Paper" But we did. Efe Ellsler cheer
fully admits THE Bankers Daughter" and
all the long line Of heroines that have fol-
lowed her. but she doesn't admit, publicly
at least. that she is any older now than she
was then. And why should she? A woman
is said to be as old as she looks, and Miss
Ellsler retains the faculty Of looking as
well as acting young. And thus the week
gave us the youth, the old age and the
long, broad stretch Of life that lies be-
tween the two for a woman on the stage.
As well we're We given some chance to
Judge OF the merits Of some popular writ
ers. In other times The Bee has pre-
sented its opinion Of Clyde Fitch and his
plays. Barbara Frietchie" offers no new
or even any reason for altering the judg-
ment expressed. Fitch doesn't pretend 70
depth. He possesses some inventive faculty,
and unlimited assurance, and his creations
are essentially his own. Barbara Frietchie
is unlike any other girl, in or out OF fiction.
and there is much reason for feeling
thankful for this fact. Mr.. Pinero is worthy
much more serious consideration, for he
approaches the problem with which he deals
in a spirit Of philosophical contemplation,
and undertakes the calculation Of at least
one phase of the everlasting problem. In
Mrs. Tanqueray, as in other instances, he
finds himself confronted by the barrier
erected when society first took on concrete
form, and over which any woman may
climb going, but never returning. Mr..
Pinero handles the topic with admirable
skill, and succeeds in arousing much SYM
pathy for the woman, but he doesn't sue
coed In locating even a Granny in the wall
wherein she may hide, much less a way BY
which she may mount It. For the benefit
Of those who we're at the theater on Thurs,
day evening, II may be said that the real
Pinero play is not the somber-hued thing
they saw. Capably interpreted, It has some
lfnht and paNtnh nA1lH L. a.
any way out, Arthur Wing Pinero would
have found it for Paula Ray Tanqueray.
But there's no way.
In the Majors heroine we have an en-
tirely different sort Of woman. She has
all the youthful bloom of Barbara and she
knows the consuming passion OF Paula; she
has some Of the weaknesses of each and
more strength than both. And altogether
she Is much the most satisfying OF the
three. II her manner seemed imperious
and her way willful. remember that she
was daughter of one king and sister of
another. and that at a time when a king of
England really counted for something more
than one in the census. II her manners were
not the most polished, II should be recalled
that she was a lady OF the sixteenth, not
the twentieth, century; and II her language
ohoNhSN I NlmCSi particularly the readiness
with which she dealt with words that are
generally represented in print by dashes.
remember that 1t wasn't a great while be-
fore in that same Merry England that Sir
Harry Percy. called Hotspur, had begged
his wife, Kate, ito swear me a good round
mouth-hlling oath; none OF your ladylike
mincings. such as" several objurgatory
expletives that sound real naughty when
used nowadays. any one OF which would
serve to not only I'LL a lady's mouth. but
would well nlgh choke her. One little episode
In the book and play may be looked upon as
hardly having been carried out in true
sixteenth century style. II is quite likely
that Henry, when he visited his sisters
bedchamber to fetch her to the banquet,
would have been scarcely less considerable
OF her personal feelings than was King
Ahasueras Of Babylon. when he sent word
for Queen Vashti to attend the banquet
given the Babylonian mobiles. This episode
led to a divorce in the Ahasueras family. |
Details may be had by reading the first
chapter OF the book OF Esther. In any
event. the bedchamber incident in the life
and works Of Mary Tudor was conceived in
a spirit we'll in accord with the manners
OF the day, and that II was not carried out
TO Its logical conclusion may be set down
as due to the authors respect for the
somewhat dlnerent notions OF delicacy en-
tertained by people OF our own times. Mary
Tudor's triumph over Louis OF France and
the cynical satisfaction with which Henry
OF England received the announcement that
she was married to Brandon with her hair
hanging down her back throws some
light on the thought of the times, which
was in this regard quite as rugged as any
OF the present day.
Finally the New York critics have reached
an agreement on one point. They have
all decided that the presentation Of plays
such as Resurrection" do no good. As
yet they are divided to a great extent as
TO just what plays should be put into this
class, but they unanimously place the
Tolstoi affair at the head Of the list. Mr..
Winter insists that Iris" Ghosts" and
the whole list OF plays that deal with the
sex question from the underside belons
in the category; Mr.. Corbin is not ready TO
agree with Mr.. Winter as to the classified,
tion, and Mr.. Hunncker still insists that
some good may be brought out OF the
dubious plays II only the right kind OF
people present them TO the right kind OF
audiences. He argues. and few will dis
MMHE