Evening star., 1905-11-05

be called a dramatic dead center-a
point where the wheels stick and over
u which the plot has to be lifted by main
strength. The plant imagination OF
the auditor may ever be relied on to offer
but little resistance to the work of getting
over this one sticking point. after which
progress is easy. For instance. in Mrs.
Temples Telegram" which has caused a
constant ebb and flow of laughter through
the auditorium of the Belasco Theater
without creating the tidal wave of hilarity
that means great success, the story starts
with the return Of a husband who has been
out over night suspended in a Ferris wheel,
whose machinery broke. This truthful ex-
PLANTATION of his absence the jealous wife
refuses to accept, and he is obliged to in
vent lie. And from this lie a swarm of
falsehoods proceeds with such amusing re-
suits that il would be a pity for common
sense to step in and put stop to them.
But as matter of fact, the only natural
thing for the husband to do to prove
his assertion by taking his wife TO the place
where the Ferris wheel, was operated and
securing the proprietor's testimony that
such an accident had occurred. This would
have shown at once that the story was not
so preposterous the Jealous wlfe-and
what is a farce without jealous wife?-
assumed it 10 he. OF course a playwright
could not be expected 10 give any such OBJ
lection serious consideration. If authors
were to balk at every Inconsistency of this
sort there would be no plays.
In THE Toast of the Town''-the play IN
which Clyde Fitch revives one of the series
of costume plates TO which the success OF
his Beau Brummel" seemed likely to give
some theatric vogue-the Inconsistency
,H,T.
With the accustomed galantry Of the
dramatist he assumes that his heroine is u
paragon. Only crusty Ibsen takes into
account hereditary tendency Only
smartly cynical Pinero and he rich enough
not TO care whether his plays please tho
general public points out the influence OF
environment.
The plot of this play depends entirely on
the assumption that Mistress Singleton Is Il
gentle creature. credulous even to the point
of unsophisacation. This assumption IS
again the dead center over which the play
er's art must prevail. giving the machinery
of fiction such momentum as Will permit
the auditor to be conscious of no halt or
jar As Miss Allen plays the role Betty
Singleton IS the embodiment of oil tn,
trusting sensitiveness and innocent ylvacity
that the author has sought to portray But
on second thought. away from the spell Of
histrionic magnetism
Mistress Singleton was so the play Itself
recites, in her early days an orange girl in
the theater. And orange girls usually
knew thing or two AS they clambered
about the pit exchanging repartee with
their customers and winning patronage as
often for their viv;Pcous merriment as for
their wares, they were necessarily awaken
ed 10 the fact that men of fashion were
mostly tickle and addicted to the flowing
bowl. Her CONSERVATION on discovering
that the Duke of Mamsbury had. in his en-
thusiasm over his betrothal, allowed HIM
self TO be made tipsy by brand of punch,
which. judging from its extreme pinkness.
must have been very violent indeed, was
neither seemly nor justifable in worldly
wise eX-orange girl. 1t was a most deplor-
able and reprehensible thing for the Duke
or Malmsbury to do. There is no gainsay-
Ing that. But in those old days great
many men were frank and copious drinkers
and IT would have been strange II Betty
Singleton had not been entirely Informed as
to her future husbands weakness regarding
pink punch
a practical and discerning woman would
not have made the mistake against which
any sde-talks department could have
warned Betty Her husband was bad lot
but she had fought her way against worse
odds than the task of reforming him pre-
sented. In the second act he comes home
muddy and remorseful-a victim Of katzen-
jammer In It's most aggravated form. But
Betty, with all her experience of the world
falls to realize that there are moments
when man Of his habits may want cracked
Ice rather than kisses. She assails him
with il-timed demonstrations of affection
and becomes indignant because he does not
forget his panss, mental and physical, and
reciprocate with the ardor Of a Romeo. a
woman with so scant knowledge Of hu-
man nature could not have conquered the
world as did this charming actress.
x
Little Johnny Jones' invites to no such
caviling analysis. 1t is a product charac-
teristic in every way Of the modern taste in
amusement; an excellent specimen of its
kind. remarkable young man IS this
George Cohan, who does so many things
well that IT is impossible to forecast what
his position in public esteem will be when
he attains to the age of his sprightIy father.
who assists him so effectively in his per-
formances. Now, the versatile George is a
singer, dancer an actor poet a must
clan. dramatist. and enough OF a man
ager to exploit all these varied talents
stantial place in the theatric world is be-
yond question; but which of his many ac-
compishments will absorb and overshadoyy
the rest is not to be determined offhand.
Mr.. Cohan has yet to discover himself
X *
The success OF a play in London Is by no
means conclusive assurance that IT will
be success in America The Prod gal
Son is still roaring hit in London, but
did not last in New York So, too. THE
Walls of Jericho" attained only a moderate
measure of applause in America. although
furore in London. Peter Pan" which
was intended merely as a Christmas panto-
mime, is offered on this side as a serious
and straightforward entertainment and has
surprised the English people by the vitality
It has manifested as such.
The critics in New York may now be re-
garded as holding lndisputahIa AUTHORITY