The Washington times., 1905-09-03
Retrospective
Points in Which Hall Gaines
Latest Drama Lacks Force.
Third Act Superfluous and
Fourth Should Be Changed

1t is out of all question that a man
can do his ,best work at all times.
There must, necessarily, be differentia-
tion dependent upon temperamentaI con-
ditions. material at hand, and other cir
cumstances- In all professions this
1act Is made manifest almost every
day, and II follows that the author Is
subject TO these variations just as much
az any other man. All of Shakespeare
writings are not Of the same degree of
e1S>iience. and some of Dickens novels
are infinitely superior to other works of
his
Judged along these lines Hall Gaines
latest contribution to the stage. 1.-The
Prodigal Son. taken in its entirety. is
distinctly a disappointment II has
neither the subtle force of .The Chris
tan" nor the magnificent breadth of
The Eternal City" Its first two acts
are strong enough. In them the author
treats his subject with virility. and the
action develops logically. When the cur
tain falls upon the second act, the spec
tator Is in a mental attitude expectant
OF an imposing superstructure on so
powerful a foundation Instead OF such
a sequel. however. he is regaled in the
third act with the tawdriest kind of
meiodrama. and the concluding scenes
present situation in respect of the
leading parsonage of the play into which
10 rational being could possibly be de-
1uded-
In the three acts before the last Oscar
the prodigal. is revealed TO us as a man
easily swayed by a beautiful, unprinci-
pied woman While under her influence
he descends to the lowest depths of
L.
aduiterer. forger. card sharper At last
he cuts loose from her. Under a new
name he rises to fame and fortune as a
great composer. After many years he
returns to his home; finds his mother
less child on the old homestead which
Is about to be sold under the hammer:
pleads with his daughter to permit him
10 adopt her as his own, and when he
Is told that she cannot find IL in her
heart TO leave the man who has been
10 her father indeed since her BIRTH
he goes away In the night without hay
ing disclosed his identio,, after having
left sum sufficient to redeem the
homestead and assure affiuence to his
daughter. his mother. and his brother
II is utterly inconceivabie that a man
who has regained his manhood from the
very slough of moral turpitude; who
has parsed through the self-imposed
ordeal OF atoning by a clean life for
a tainted rast; whose genius has raised
him 10 the highest pinnacle of fame;
whose assumed name is hailed by all
the world with joyous acclaim, should
not assert that manhood sufficiently to
60 back to the place where he had sin
ned most grievously, and with the hu-
niility that goes with truest repentance
seek the forgiveness from all his dear
ones, which they would willingly grant
and which would be a benediction to
him and them. No man that has passed
through the fiery furnace of self-redemp-
ton would dream of doing anything less
than this. least Of all would he permit
himself to sneak away like a thief in
the night and remain as one dead TO
HE only child. The matter is made even
the Young Tirl's grandfather. thai the
stranger was the prodigal
II the third act OF THE Prodigal Son"
were eliminated altogether and It's story
Indicated In about hundred words of
acters OF the play: and II the return OF
the prodigal were so transformed as TO
commend him TO the sympathy OF right
thinking people. the piece would be IN
vested with a strength that II now un-
fortunately lacks.
The theater season In Washington is
now In full blast. the Columbia also
opening Its doors tomorrow night. Ex-
cepting the Academy. where melodrama
will hold forth. fun and folly will rule
At ell the playhouses. and with The
Bad Samaritan" at the Columbia: ..The
Mayor Of Toxic" at the New National:
The Little Duchess al the Lafayette:
Cecelfa LOTUS and a big vaudeviIfe biii
at Chase's. and The Imperiai Burlesou-
ers at the Lyceum, the votartss OF
comedy in Its various forms will have
IN abundance of material from which
20 make their choice.