New-York tribune., 1905-11-15
THE DRAMA.
..ur GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST"
Blanche Bates.

Blanche Bates.
,...o,. new play called 'The Girl Of the
n, west" In which Miss Blanche Bates made
eo..,rant re-entrance last night at the Beiasco
- ,<here she was welcomed with prodiglous
'h.,;o- is s. fabric Of situations made for the
sco'a. sco.oI1s display of that old. familiar. ever
,nsvs effective theatrical parsonage. the
lasni,s ramond The Girl was beautiful, intrepid.
hs.,o,e yivacious: the soul OF innocence the IN
p4,on q. virtue. the blooming rose of vigorous
oai. ~. and she could swear 1uentiy play cards.
hes- x,+ n kill She kept drinking shop; she
tha .-.s hy all "the boys; and the fame OF her
"" a,s her many destinations filed the whole
piop- .ae Of California, in the halcyon days OF
r,s. fortunate State. according to the tesu-
q, novelsts and bards. was densely poPu-
~ 81 that time, with girls OF this ceiestiai anu
iS .,.np order; but this particular girl seems 10
~ e"o .s,scendsd all rivals. She was beloved by
M, ha,,s and expeditions outlaw. who had eaineo
-, reuovn by means OF highway fopoe.s'
Ttsx,ise she was beloved by the locai oheit-''
AZ. obnoxious officer. self-deoicated TO eiie
80 business of causing that outlaw arrest aii"
w. Roth these lovers were ardent, ano' oe-
dea'n - 80 s-es her situation nlanifestly, was
- ~. eiuavs she to the occasion, anu
,sr outlaw was entrapped pS his Pun su'
W ,ssnuitv of her love and the dexter1ty oi Nei
-, delivered him from bondage ano upoii
30 -,,,iss OF reformation and integrity iauh'heN
M h' on a new and better career Ihe most Con-
hlh "p .,.,rav NJ her passionate devotion aho
sn ptu occurred on a night when ne was
f-...,r.s In her dwelling. The circumstances VIZ
,;slIv drarnatc-for the Girl and hef ia'
- uera stor1nbound in mountain 49,
....- tie Sheriff had tracked his prey, anu 80
I'D been shot and wounded. so that there
9oO0 =. 70 M method of escape for hiIn-tiI the
., S,o,sd a game of poker with his foe, stak-
" 90 r-ss1r and her sweetheart and won IL py SUI
,..,ry emulation OF the Heafnen ChlHee'
..,,,,,e .an ace fuIi' for an empty manu. Ut the
xscisre moment There came a TIME, ho" .t...
- even I.,ve could do no more; but, at TINS
.. rs,a ;nterposed in the shape Of Pubic oph-
49, .n.t is 10 ssy the friendship OF fhe ooss' -
"a IN. Girl and her lover were united.
&c - d,t,on of California in Is4s was 10 say the
,,,.. 81 e. turbulent Some parts OF 'hae e.s.se
are in turbulent condition aov. sroupe "a '
Sa-.,. oan still be discovered They are not para
- ,houph and they never were The existence
- ,aod impulses in unoouth persons does not maze
+bsno les. uncouth. Fine qualities may anu oo,
.,5.t ,n beings who unfamiliar Win soap aiiu
,ts brush; but it would seem that the STUDY
:. ,ur,.n nature can be pursued, more aefeeapiy
=, .,..ubere among saponaceous branches OF
=. rs,. II is more pleasant to read about the
bavs'' than II is them Upon the ENVIRON.
-.,+ n, Hr Belasco's Girl OF the Golden west
.erh,ch IS much the same as that OF the various
.,,rsne,ng herones in Bret Harte's stories, there
a, 80 IN Ii,re- The Girl herself is the play,
arr Miss blanche Bates is the Girl she gave
,eyforn,ance Of extraordinary variety ana Sfens'-
In sbe situations devised for the heroine'-situe-
-,o,s rhtch while not radically new, are lnsen-
,orslv contrived ana frausht with the donn-
rant spell Of slspense-the actress has TO express
-. s--ou-fb of love. the hlissful sense OF being
loved the bitter pangs of jealousy the passionate
rssentrnent of heart that thinks itself betrayed
and wronred: the conflict of anger with ahecron'
m. apprehension of peril; and the nobility OF sell
,o,ousst Ths exaction is tremendous, equa1iy
,,,or nhyscsI resource and nervous vitality; out
NJ every point It met and satisfied Tie part,
and indeed the entire play, ought TO De TeheNed
of all profane language all mention or the DeltF
and ali ordinations of hell! These are FaflouSis
irnnious improper. vulgar, and offensiVe.-ampart-
ing no strength and doing no good. The fact that
sone people swear in actual life. ts no good rea-
son why anybody should swear in work OF art
FOR art is not actual life. but something nluch pet
Ger shorn of all extraneous fringes, the play rs
the image of a lovely. impetuous wornans oeVo-
fion TO Der lover-a devotion that is shown IN g
series Of actions done by her, to save him from
danger and ruin, and to make him happy. emf
nine heroism is the theme; and the Girl selected
70 exemplify it is meant TO be "a child or nature
simple direct and true. There is no talnt OF
vice in the character. there is sophistry in
ths display of it. Miss Bates places her reliance
on acting and there were moments in this per-
forrnance when the soul that showed itself In her
face was completely celestial in it's beauty. The
play has beer splendidly mounted.-albeit nobody
familiar with California scenery. nobody, for ex-
ample who ever the dawn OF day over the
Needles or the sunset the mountain chain of
San Bernardino. would ever be much impressed ny
even the most scrupulous and elaborate attempt to
initiate such inimtable splendor. Mr.. Hilliard's
representation of the outlaw is that OF an assured
oldstager but it is self-conscious, and devoid of
feeling. Mr.. Frank Keenan, acts the repulsive part
Of the Sheriff and makes it potent with mind and
symmetrical with artistic treatment The audience
vas numerous eagerly responsive, and obviously
delighted with the play. and there can be no doubt
Of an ample success and a long career for 1.-The
Girl OF the Golden West" The play exemplies its
authors remarkable faculty of continuation in the
making OF characteristic colloquy, together with
ample felicity of invention, and Ii is overlaid (per
haps too much SOB with profusion OF details. The
midnight tryst Of the Girl and the Road Agent is
Rot credible device. but, once assumed and ar
ranged that situation is handled with consum-
mate skill and moulded 10 splendid results: and
here the acting of Miss Bates, especially when
peling the discovered criminal. rose to mag
nfcent climax of emotion, fully expressed and yet
srtsticsy dIrected-a triumph OF intellectual pur
Doee W. w.