The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-23

the making Of musical comedy IA very
serious business. Judge then Of the
solemnity Of the manufacture Of legitimate
comedy Most Of ell Judge Of the tragic
fate Of the theatrical reporter, hboring
under q life sentence Of three or four even
ngs q week In the theater. For him, at
least. the future Of the American drama
ls very serious matter.
Paul Armstrong; Heir TO the Hoorah'
has already been discussed here at length.
Both In subject and In treatment II be-
longs 10 the elder and more artificial
tradition. In spite Of It's resolute-and
sucoessful-attsmpt at human interest,
II Is as unreal a conglomeration Of well
worn stage characters and stage tricks
as II has been our fate to see In many a
weary day, yet Of the three plays in hand
is-oertainly with ita critics and probably
also With the publio-the most popular,
and h worth mentioning again to give
point TO the observation, sufficiently OBJ
vious at all times, that In the playhouse
freshness Of observation and sincerity Of
treatment are often minor considerations.
In so-called theatrical novelties novelty
II hits the public between the eyes. It Is
the misfortune Of Willis Steell's Firm Of
Cunningham and Kellett Chalmsrs's Fren-
sied Finance that they have sought new
truth without signal and unmistakable
success. And yet from our present point
Of view they are infinitely more enjoyable
and Infinitely more promising.
Mr.. Stoell's claim to distinction is that he
has had the intelligence TO make his comedy
center In q question OF Characteristic
lighter feminine heart, with all It's com
plexities and perpleXitles its callousness
and its tenderness, and especially its men
daoities. How far be has been guided by
observation may be Questioned. The in
oident upon which he lays chief stress
-Dora'S mania for playing the races-is
as uncharacteristic Of gay and fashionable
American life as II u Characteristic OF the
faster set In England. There Is something
too, In the general air Of the piece that is
strangely reminiscent Of the modern Eng
lish playwrights. The sporting atmos-
phere might we'll be a reflex from r. c.
Carton at his most resolutely worldly, and
Dord's lies and ooquetries from any OF half
q dozen Of II. A. Jones's women Of the
gAyer world At the worst, however
Mr.. Steel's models are truer than those
OF Mr.. Armstrong, and however deeply
he is indebted 70 them, II IL clear that he
has put much Of himself into the play.
The novelty Of the piece lies in making
II center In the irresponsible shifts and
evasions-lies In short-of woman. With
the mendacious man we have long been
familiar. Moliere's ScdpiH was not the
first Of his kind, and Mr.. Gnlette's johnson
the Too-much viii not by any means be
the last. The world may or may not love a
lover, but there Is not the slightest doubt
that the thsater loves a liar. That is,
when the liar Is a man: nobody expects
men 10 be good In the case Of a woman
lying has never before, 90 far as know,
been made the bs-al and the end-all Of
comedy. Ars. Dane defended herself
from the results Of a sin Of the passions,
with which somehow or other the audience
was led to have at least partial sympathy.
The stain from which julia was 10 be white
washed was Of such a character that, az It
seemed, Mr.. Jones preferred not to at
tempt TO ingratiate II in our sympathy
commanding us 10 the bliss Of ignorance.
Even Lady JeSRiod In The LIARS wandered
from her own Preside under grave provoca-
ton and lured by an unmistakably sincere
passion.
OF all this there IL nothing In Mr.. Steell's
Dora. OF her husband and his liver we
80 nttle-and surely he had provooation
for lille. Sbe breaks her promise not to
play the races, and kisses her mice young
boy for no other reason than that she
wants TO. And In covering the trail Of the
serpent OF temptation she lie a. unfinohing
a liar a. any Of the tribe Of ScdpiH, Pre-
tending remorse for her gambling, she
borrows money from loyal friend-and
dash forth TO the poolroom. For no
better reason than 10 hoodwink her hus-
band abe forces her ingenious sister into
an engagement with the nice young boy.
and then, when the young people take a
shine TO each other, becomes pettishly
jealous, and 90 magnihes the osoulations
Of the moe young boy as 10 break OF the
engagement. In one Of her shifts she
piles drunken cook with bottle after bottle
Of Whiskey, and when occasion Offers sets
up In business a. q dpster with a low tout
would have us believe that she feels a
womanly pity for her broken hearted
sister, but her sympathy IA unillumlned
" any Ieai unoefblaholnB OF lne hltuatlon
and leads TO nothing. At the final curtain
she promises her husband 10 be good, but
does 40 with a ErimAoe that points 10 a
more than doubtful future.
Somebody In the audience suggested
that the handling Of the theme was light
II might have been better II Il had been
lighter. Throughout there was an effort,
and on the whole an intelligent effort, 10
keep the play In the sphere Of comedy.
But with such a woman any real interest,
either Of the sympathiss or Of the inteli-
genoe, IL manifestly out Of the question
II the theme Il possible at all II Ia a. I'M
sophisticated farce.
Even In the most irresponsible form Of
the drama, would IL be possible 20 make
Dora's petty lies and coquetries palatable1
AZ q general proposition one would be In
clined to say no. Even in the men the
orgy Of falsehOod Il an obsolescent oonven-
ton. But Mr.. Steel has made the case a
very particular one There are moments
Of very real laughter IN the performance
At the Madison Square. and Il Is Dyra's
intricate and expert hbhing that raises
most Of t. II Mr.. steen's attack on his