The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-11-15
Dew York CbeafricaIs
By Franklin FyIes.


for the job with rigid specifications,
and had to turn out a cut-art play for
cut~priCe theatres But all the same it
is a pity and don't believe it is ne
cessity. Why adhere any longer to the
English model For pieces TO please the
multitude? Why not discard &c in favor
of something ingeniously Americana A
good young man is defrauded of his
estate by his bad brother. he is falsely
accused of forgery by his employer, he
runs away from arrest and leaves his
girl-wife TO be beset by the brother.
his little boy is kidnapped by a runan
ia that same brothers employ: and on
the return of the fugitive as a sailor,
his steamer chances upon rowboat
from which the child has just been
murderOuslV thrown. so that there may
be a sensational scene OF rescue. But
wait bit. Those are not all the repeti-
tons of what has been put into these
cheap plays these twenty years with
hardly any variation. There is a stolen
viii to be Giscoyered; a sub villain, un-
shaver ard inebriate, blacHmails the
rich and weil-groOmed boss villain. and
a second sub-villain. the cringing cow
ard commits forgeries under durance,
] admit that Mrs Parker is better In
dictiOn than most of the authors of this
low grade of theatrical fiction. and that
she blends some new little bits Of Incl
dent into the mass Of stale old matter.
But she is capable of good originality,
and those who induced her to produce
trash should be convinced. by plenty
of positive proof. that the populace
likes real dramatic merit if only fl be
plain and clear for easy comprehension.
The audiences at these decadent plays
are no longer impressed seriously by
them. There is no interest of suspense
IL the stories or of surprise i'm the sit
uations The heroes and the heroines
are belitted TO nothingness in many of
the scenes by low comedians Of both
sexes. because the people laugh at the
clownish antics and yell at the mock
heroics. the manager shouldn't let the
noise convince him that more eftec-
tive kind Of play for the rabble might
be obtained. If he watches the same
laughing and yelling crowd after the
curtain goes down on a sensational eli
max he viii see that most of the faces
bear smiles of incredulity and derisiOn.
Too severe on Mrs. Parker, all this de
nunciation? Haven't I praised her for
original ability2 Why shouldn't she De
. trOunced when she misbehaves with her
talent2
Maude Adams has marked the the
atrical week with a great performance
SO has Forbes Robertson, but his is
repetition Of what ne has done in Lon
don, while hers is q surprising revela-
ton. Can YOU conceive OF Miss Adams as
| a capricious, willul. passionate Spanish
gir42 She is that i'm THE Pretty Sister
Of Jose and if there is any lingering
doubt that her leadership Of American
actresses has been gained as much by
dramatic genius as by a bewitchng per-
sOnality IT should be dismissed now. She
was praised qualifiedly for representing
the Italian juliet IN her own way, her
French EAiglon was not admired without
reserve. and i'm the English BaDbie alone
did the minority go over to the majority
/ =
the Spanish Pepita she has put herself
braVely into contrast with conventional
/ ity-for has not Carmen become the sole
recognized type OF the girl OF Spain but
not again is the question raised whether
her Uuusuainess Is an error i'm art. The
l first audience was wild with enthusiasm
That was say YOU an affCctionate well
come to one who had been absent and in
: two years. Of course. there was out
health and strength. But the professional
/ critics. with their hearts under the con-
troll Of their brains. went 20 the extreme
I or discriminating praise In their pubhca-
tfCns next DAY. So I am but one among
Z 10000 who. by the time this description is
/ IN print. will have agreed in the firm be
lief that Maude Adams is great artist
/ to admire coolly as well as to dote on
warmly.
The Pepita here Maudeadamsized is a
country girl who goes to Madrid light
hearted. yet with q dread of mems pas
sion born of her childhood memory OF
her fathers brutal perfidy TO her mother.
! She is resolved to love only her fond
! brother. Jose, and when the bull-fighter,
] SebastianO, WOOes. her in honest ardOr.
/ she leases and rebuffs him. not alone
I through the fear which her fathers cru
elites has implanted I'm her, but for the
+ further reason that she has witnessed
/ the pltlim Suffer1ngS or a maiden VINO
/ died OF unreQuited alteration of this same
1 arena idol of the hour. SebastianO with
! stands her disdain during half OF the play
4 at length that she is heartlcss. he de-
] uounces her for a cruel cOquette anc
( QUITS Spain IN his absence she finds
that she has a heart and that Ii is break
ing for him. The end is her agonized
I aVOwal OF her love as he lies wounded
/ nearly TO death Neither while Miss Ad-
/ ans is depicting the earlier cOquetries of
] PCpita. nor when she is in the stresses of
. deep emotion later. do YOU think of Car
mems affair with a matador. You Ieel
Z no inclination to measure this fascinating
I " strange Spauiard by the familiar one
z This is an altogether new creature. to
[ forgive when she flOuts her worthy suit
! or, to pity when her conduct makes her
/ deservedly miserable and TO rejoice over
! when happiness comes TO her. She rs
/ thoroughly Spanish. toothbrush her hair
/ is brown. her face isn't sWarthy. her
/ manner isn't sensual nor her dancing
J WantOn. and the fragrance of her roses
I Is not tainted in your Imagination by the
! garlic which as a senOrita. she must be
presumed to have eaten All the charm
Z which she has ever eNerted on you is in
I seen her do the powerfully passionate
( acting which makes her Pepita triumph
Z ant.
Frances Hodgson Burnett. writer Of
THE Pretty Sister Of Jose. sat 1T the
/ front OF box on the opening night. and
[ was generally recognized; yet no voice
4 was raised to call her out, and that was
s new experience for her. exDlainable 10y
! Miss Adams absorption of interest Mrs
( Burnetts drama Is uncommon in theme
Z masterful in its creation Of Pepita. OF
/ Sebastiano and esnecially of the fOudly
I supplemented brother. Jose fairly skill.
I full in construction and as literature eX-
/ Cellent.
LUDENS MENTHOL
COUGH DROPS