Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-07-08

Id9E3l favor The chief objection to It
- is that It does not permit the de-
veIopment OF the plot by means which In
measure prepare the auditor for the
catastrophe This is true, and another OBJ
lection Is that, unless the actor be one Of
rare power. II does not afford him the
necessary warming up 90 that his fscul-
ties for expression will be at their best
when he undertakes the exposition Of his
story Aside from these disadvantages, the
one-act play, like the short story, has much
10 recommend It, II avoids tedious in
PRODUCTION, and best of all its merits its
precludes and anti-climactic finish. The
action Is too short to permit the intro
duction OF a sequal or explanatory pas
sages, and II is always over when It is
over. Too often the one-act play is q
farce, or a comedy bordering on farcical
lines, but some of the strong actors have
undertaken at different times the presenta-
ton of short plays of genuine power Once
was quite the vogue to give a play OF
this sort at the beginning or conclusion
of the evening. A curtan-ralser was used
70 introduce the main play Of the evening,
or a farce was given after the tragedy, in
order that the minds Of the audience might
be turned into pleasant channels as a
preparation for slumber. The lengthening
OF the plays and the addition OF much
cumbersome and often unwieldly scenery
has served to stretch the play to such an
extent that one a night is deemed sufi-
Client, and American playwrights have
slavlshly followed the happy ending" pre-
cedent that no farce is needed to send
people home feeling good For this reason
the one-act play has fallen into neglect
1t is used in connection with some Of
the older comedies. which were frequently
written brief for this purpose.
Some effort was made during the last
season to restore the one-act play to its
primal usefulness, or, rather, to give It
proper dignity. Omaha people had the
pleasure OF seeing three of these pieces,
each by a different actor, all of them
capable, which will not likely be forgot
ten. The one that made the deepest i'm
preston, undoubtedly was THE Man Who
Was" as offered by Mr.. Willard. In this
the success did not much depend on the
intrinsic merit OF the piece as on the i'm
pressive manner of its presentation. Mr.
WIZARDS conception of Austin Limmason,
the English officer who suffered in Rus
sian prisons and amid Slberas horrors till
he had lost the faculty of articulate
speech, and who had learned Of the Rus
Sian tongue only the words of rough COM
mand. such as to leave an indelble
picture on the minds of all who saw It.
kempt wanderer who stumbled into the
mess hall OF his old regiment at the In
dian station was made living character
The spirit at least Of Kiplings story was
preserved admirably by Kinsey Piele, who
prepared II for Mr. Willard, and to this
essence the actor gave vrile life. His
awakening faculties spurred by the sound
OF tongue unfamiliar to him and yet
vaguely remembered. and with the stimu-
lus OF friendly faces was a notable fea-
ture OF a notable performance Mr.
willard very nicely valued the situation
here and brought of with excellent time
the mental rehabilitation OF Limmason.
The first glimmering signs of returning
reason were hazily seen, and then the
eager grasp Of the few facts comprehensi-
BILE to the afflicted mind. with its persistent
painful struggle for more and its pitiable
effort at expression until at last the flood
OF memory broke down the dam that re-
tarded speech. and the human wreck was
allowed TO tell his story intelligentIy, all
together form triumph for the true art
OF the actor. Unless the actor can give
lasting Impression his time is wasted
save for amusement. The actor who is
really in earnest seeks at all times to por.
tray his passions and emotions In such
way as to leave n memory with his audi
for. In this Mr. Willard succeeds wonder
fully we'll with his Austin Limmason, al
though II Is the crushing horror OF the
situation and the unavoidable sympathy
for the victim that brings the pictur,
strongly to the fore. An element Of weak
ness In the play is the introduction Of ex
traneous characters Mr.. Kipling's stor,
was little more than the outline OF
drama; It could have been much better
used as four-act play and in
broad sense would have been much NOR
satisfactory II so treated AS It IS. though
II will serve Mr. willard as usefully a
THE Bells" served Sir Henry Irving
More people here saw Mr.. Francis Wilson
in "A Little Father OF the Wilderness
than saw "The Man who Was" In thi
little drama the authors outlined pleasan
comedy. one Of the most serious Mr.. VII
son ever undertook, and as perfect In It
detail as a cameo. II requires neither in
PRODUCTION or explanation. Pere Marriott
has spent his manhood in carrying tn
message OF the cross among the red men o
Canada. Here he has undergone tortur
and privatiOn TIL he is broken in body, an
is retired TO his native village. Their
comes an order that Pere Marlotte atten
at the court OF Louis XIV. No reason fo
the summons Is known. and the prizes
simple in all his habits OF life, can thin
OF nothing but that his work has been hear
OF and he is 70 be rewarded. With CON
panion as simple as himself he journeys I
the court OF the king, carrying with hir
raccoon In a wicker cage TO be a gift
his gracious majesty. At the court b
shows the order from the king, but tn
lght-hearted monarch can not recall VIII
he sent for the priest and dsmisses hin
As he is leaving a courtier reminds HI
majesty OF a wager concerning the heigl
Of Niagara. Pere Marlotte has seen Mas
ara, and is asked to decide the momentor
question. The king has wagered this
Niagara is four miles high. Has Pei
Marlotte seen the great WATERFALL Ye
and II is not four miles high. The king hs
lost the wager, and has orny contempt Il