Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-03
The Drama Of the Disagreeable.

The Drama OF the O1baSreoaplos
Washington delights to share with Al
bany, NJ Y; New Haven, Conn, and scran-
ton, Pa, the distinction of being town
where new theatrical productions are, In the
parlance of the green room. tried on the
dog" But It is a shock to go Into theater
feeling like st. Bernard or great Dane
and come out feeling like tin-canned ter
rier. Mr.. Hall Caine has trifed with us.
The colossal success Of THE Christian" In
spired confidence such as public seldom
learns to feel in playwright. THE Eter-
nal CITY," while not so good, was still an
assurance that Mr.. Game could be interest
ing. And at the time when theater pat
tonnage was wrought to a tip-toe state OF
expectancy, and when managers regarded
his work with deferential awe and with
held the vandal hand of the stage manager,
he dashes off The Prodigal Son.
1t Is no longer easy to distinguish be-
tween those subjects which are proper for
stage representation and those which
should as a matter of common propriety DO
prohibited. The people who, having paid
for an evenings diversion, are eager to be
interested and amused resent. scarcely less
than the managers themselves, disposition
10 draw Ln6 line with pNhONiAS. n
word of Ave syllables often covers a multi
tude OF indelcacies. People refuse to be
shocked by what they cannot understand.
But there Is no circumlocution in Hall
Gaines latest play. No beldame ever sip
ped her tea and discussed the domestic mis-
fortunes Of the neighbors with more glee-
full appreciation of every minute and har-
towing circumstance than Mr. Caine dis
plays in discussing the events which befall
the characters in this presentation.
~
The story of this play harks back to THE
Christian" Instead Of sending a country
girl out to face the wickedness of the
world, Mr.. Game sends q young man out.
The two Impressions are altogether differ
emit. The perplexities and impulses which
Glory Quayle experienced were not foreign
to a right and normal feminine nature; but
this Icelander youngster, who seems at the
start to have nerve and brain enough to
make a man of him some day, proves q
sad weakling. He is a creature of doubts
and uncertainties, incapable of putting up
the moral struggle that invites q little re-
spect before yielding to temptation, and
without the courage OF his convictions as
a confessed scamp. Acting is powerless to
make some parts plausible When the re-
turned prodigal. dressed like Santa Claus,
slips away before dawn-through the chim-
ney, perhaps-and is seen In the final tab
leau making his way back to civilization
through a pallid creme de menthe Of arctic
scenery. the climax Of vague and incon-
sistent career is reached 1t is small Won
der that so good an actor as E. ]. Morgan
seems to find congenial occupation in hud-
ding up TO the sheet-iron stove and growl-
ing sullen and irreligious things in gen.
eral.
The Impressions conveyed by the per-
Torrance must have been much softened
and modified since Its first night. 1t has
been under constant care and may find
run awaiting It in New York, for the COM
pany is one OF such extraordinary merit
and the stage embellishments so extensive
that It must appeal to large class of thea
tergoers who are content SO long as the
eye is agreeably engaged.
One of the greatest objections to the dis
cussion OF questionable themes on the stage
Is the temptation which such enterprises
present to a number of critics to see how
far they can go in their TRADES without Of
Tending taste and morals even more than
the author has offended them. The letter
from London this week tells how W. T.
Stead. who, with light agility, turns from
the task of advising the governments of
the world TO that of discussing plays, de-
noUrces a performance "a pestilent and
pestiferous farrago of filth" This is not
nice. II is not even original, for William
Winter long since alluded to "Sappho" as
"a farrago of feculent trash" which is SUBJ
stantially the same thing. 1t is not gener-
Gus for man to see to thus unload his
vituperations under the impression that
none Of his readers will trouble themselves
to find out exactly what he means. But 1t
is needful to bring this line of comment to
close. lest it lead to the very fault which
II assumes TO blame.
PHILANDER JOHNSON
TWO SAAARITAN GIRI.S In ..-rhn pa