New-York tribune., 1905-11-21
THE DRAMA.
NEW PLAY At THE LYCEUk.
"The Lion AID the Mouse. !"

Inc Lion AID the mouse.
A comedy called The Ion and the Mouse
written by Mr.. Charles Klein, produced last
| night at the Lyceum Theatre. The Lion is a noble
person entangIed in difficulties: the Mouse is
Iowiy' unpretentious person. who cuts the nesh
ana aecomplishes the lions liberation. The story
IS mat OF an honest judge who was driven rom
the bench and plunged into poverty and disgrace,
hy corrupt political power. prompted and impelled
py n rlch corporation, the iniquitous schemes or
"hich ne mad opposed: and the purpose OF the play
i 10 provide theatrical illustration Of rascaty III
contemporary business ana politics The judge IS
the Lion. and the judges daughter is the Mouse
or. viewed In another way, the opuent schemer
bent on the judges ruin. is the Lien and the
judges daughter, who cajoles him. is still the
Mouse.
This enterprising young woman. concealing her
identity under fictitious name enters the service
OF her fathers chief enemy, a of large wealth;
obtains access to his dwelling: and, eventually, Sc
cures evidence TO yindcate the judge and dis
comfit his foes her victory ben, in part. obtained
through the agency of this enemy's son. whom she
loves and by whom she is loved. and who is suf-
fcie-tly contemplate TO become thief OF his
fathers papers. in order TO promote her success
This posture Of circumstances Is neither ingenious
nor brilliant; but at least, Mr. Klein has tried 70
write an original play, without reference TO any
contemporary novel or other publication; and that
is refreshing and commendabie fact
The interlocutors who figure in this fabric of
incident and coloquy radically conventional
should Representing exceptional attributes
OF character, and making draft upon The faculty
OF fmpersonation- The good father the devoted
daughter, the imperious respectable knave, and the
ardent boy lover among the obvious beings of
every day.-easily understood and readily simu-
lated. It seems to have been assumed that since
suspicious proceedings have recently been dis
closed. where least expected comedy relative
TO financial chicanery and social corruption would
command public interest because of its theme The
melancholy fact IS that indrection in business af-
fairs, of all kinds has become almost a universal
custom, and that its practitioners entirely
tented and complacent. long they not
found out. The old moralst who said that he
would be virtuous though nobody 10 know
it, just as he would be clean though nobody were
to him. is not largely emulated in contempo-
rary society. Something more accordingly, than
commonplace picture of evil conduct exposed
making of any considerable impression the
public mind. The nearest approach. in this
instance that the dramatst has made to the
drawing of a natural and consistent character
appears in his delineation Of the tyrannic million
aire, John Ryder; and this redoubtable
magnate.-supposed to possess marvellous insight
well Napoleonic willis caused needlessly to
preserve discriminating documentary evidence
against himself, and to succumb to completely
transparent stratagem of deceit Under the cir
cumstances arranged "a female impostor in the
house, in love with the youth who is also there),
the most ordinary sagacity to say nothing of in
tuition, would have enabled Mr.. Ryder almost
stantly to divine the truth. There is scarcely
credible incident IN the piece; but, by distortng
character and forcing probability. the playwright
has made one two tolerably effective situations
notably, the interview between the elder Ryder
and his son. when they talk OF the young
mans enforced engagement. which distantly re-
sembles one of the best scenes in fiction. the
splendid collocuy between MIR. Osborne and his
son George in Thackeray's great novel of
Vanity Fair" The opening of the piece, with its
caricature of manners its farce business with the
servant and the trunks is silly and also needless.
The skits the clergy and at English aristocracy
are merely impertinent, and, having often been
made are vacuous and tiresome The heroine is
one of those loquacious stage jades who are re-
rnarka bic for glib readiness Of speech, on ali oc-
casions Miss Grace Elliston improved the oppor-
tunity TO exhort and her vehement defiance Of the
cruel Ryder evoked ardent applause. discreet
and sensible performance of pliable submissive
fashionable wife by Marguerite st. John was
almost the only rational feature of the representa-
ton: though Mr.. Edmund Breeze should be cred
tied with success loud, harsh, violent, over
bearing and consistently obnoxious martinez. This
part is-or is supposed to bea cento of such hnan-
cal rulers as Morgan Ryan. Rockefeller, Hsrri-
man Belmont etc.-no one of them being directly
named or intended but their diversified attributes, as
fancied by Mr. Klein, being supposed to make up
an incarnation Of ruthless power. The audience
appeared at times to be pleased. The success,
such as it was is a success Of tolerant esteem
W. w.