The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-09-01
Lvceun-HTrIIbv."

IyceunI-''l rIIDy.
When Paul M. Potter dramatized
tirely within the books covers. He real
lied that good book seldom makes
good play, tho it frequently contains the
germ Of a good play and upon study he
became convinced that the character in
"Trilby" best suited to dramatic treat
ment was not the Du Maurier heroine,
but Svengali-Svengali the wierd; Sven
gall, the horrible. And so Mr.. Potter
constructed play in which the interest
centers about Svengali and in which the
loves of Trilby and Little Billie are
| scarcely more than incidental. Built by
an excellent craftsman this Potterized
version Of the Du 4Maurier masterpiece
won and achieved a Remarkable success;
for; fortunately, Mr.. Potter neither gave
offense to those who liked the book, nor
bored those who knew nothing Of the tale.
| Yet it might have been better for the
| stage had "Trilby" never invaded it's
precincts; for the success Of the book
born play led to the wholesale dramatiza-
| ton of popular novels, many Of them
wholly unsuited to that end. Moreover,
these dramatizations. were made any how
and any way, as tho they had been con-
| tracted for in due legal form, with the
time clause emphasized. Managers strug-
| gled, not to see who could produce the
| best play, but who could produce it
| first; and the result was a lot of dramatic
drivel that made the seasons following
the original "Trilby" production remark
able for the number Of their failures.
However, all that is quite apart from the
subject. Dramatized, "Trilby' probably
would have passed since '"Trilby''s was
last seen upon a Minnesota stage, and Its
rejuvination by the reorganized Ferris
company, at the Lyceum this week, prom.
Uses to add another to the long lis
Of successful revivals presented by tina
upon the second year, Of it's engagement
at the Lyceum. The year past, however
has seen many changes. OF the origina
organization only Miss Grace Hayward
and Miss Maisie Cecil remain Dick Fer
ris himself, occupied by his many theat
rical ventures elsewhere, appears onl.
occasionally. The others have gone an
their places have been filed and relied
7 in some instances, several times.
On the whole, the company is bette
organization than it was a year ago, alth
the departure of Mr.. Johnson and Mis-
Allen will be regretted. ..
This week Miss Hayward is cast a
, Trilby and Benjamin Horning, the com
: pany's new leading man, as Svengal
Mr.. Mornings impersonation of the hyp
motto musician is strong piece Of char
acter work. nicely handled and well re
strained, barring a somewhat too marke
tendency to employ theatric gesture
in the scenes where Svengali calls hi
hypnotic skill into play. He does not ex
aggerate the death scene, O. fault int
which many svengalis fall; and he sue
ceeds in making the character wier
It rather than grotesque.
: Miss Hayward's Trilby is one of til
It best things she has done in Minneapolis
5, She acts with excellent effect in til
i scene with Little Billie's mother; and !
It the scene with Little Billie himself,
It which he explains to her the enormit
Is Of her offense in posing for the "alte
d gether.
Good work is done by George J. Elmol
as Zouzou and by Earnest Fisher {
N Gecko. Joseph Totten, successful in ligl
comedy parts fails as Little Billie, beir
unable to handle the pathetic passage
~ The Sandy Of Charles Burnham and tt
~ Laird Of A. Byron Beasley are satisfa
If tory.
~ j. S. Lawrence.