Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-06


made by THE Little Stranger" the farce
by Michael Morton which was produced at
the Criterion. a hundred nights or more
ago, and evidently there is a career of at
least three hundred nights before Sweet
Dorothy of the Hail." the new piece by
Paul Kester, which Julia Nelson and Fred
Terry produced at the New Theater last
Saturday night, and which got an uproari-
Gus welcome. 1t must be admitted, how
ever that from artistic standpoint
there is nothing in particular to gloat over
in the successes which have been won by
these two American dramaists. For the
Morton piece contains little except the an
tics of that talented midget, Edward Gar
rett, who is going to the United States after
a while, and although many pounds and
dollars are likely to be coined on different
| sides of the Atlantic by the play which
Hester has made out of Charles Majors
novel, Dorothy Vernon Of Haddon Hail."
this Is because 1t has been deliberately and
skilfully concocted so as to hit that por-
ton of the public that likes its "romanti-
cism'' strong, and doesn't bother about
such details originality and consistency.
So there is little call for criticism of the
latest effort by the ingenious author of
Sweet Nell of Old Drury." At the New
| Theater it is acted by Julia Nelson and
Fred Terry. the popular couple who found
such good luck with Sweet Nell" and
there are four lively acts of intrigues and
between the heroine and the bad man of
the play-and all the other time-worn in
gradients of popular "drammer''-and not
single original situation or really witty line.
But the Nielson-Terry following simply
loves 1t, and SO will the American matinee
girl, hence there Is no prospect that Paul
Kester will have to give up the romantic
castle in Glamorganshire that he acquired
| with the proceeds of Sweet Nell OF Old
Drury." On the contrary, Kester will be
able to take his time over the new piece
which he has in hand at present and which
1t is understood is destined for the use OF
one of the most prominent American stars.
AS for Michael Morton, he also is In clover
with Beerbohm Tree making arrangements
to produce his adaptation OF The New
comes" and another adaptation accepted
by Lena Ashwell, who starts new term
| of management at the Savoy tomorrow
| night. So, with the latest American In
| vason at least a halfway success, we
| can wait with tranquility to see what will
| be the reception of THE Lion and the
| lantic authorship which will be treading on
| one another's heels before the present
month Is out.
| Forbes Robertson, who is going on an
| other lengthy tour of the United States and
| Canada-beginning In Mortreal-says that
| he may make one new production In the
| course of his travels, but he isn't sure.
/ Having put on a long series of failures
| since his big hits In Mice and Men" and
| 'The Light That Failed" Robertson Is IN
| clfned to lament the scarcity of real dram
| atists. though one versed In theatrical mat
| tiers would probably affirm that this actor
| manager doesn't manage TO select good
| pieces sometimes. However, what he says
| on the matter Is OF some interest.
| "A writer may have style, power and q
| fine conception of romance" Robertson
| told recent interviewer ''yet may fail
| to present his story with the action de-
| manded on the stage. 1t is there, indeed,
| that the best of them fail. Mr.. Swinburne
| once acknowledged to me the insuperable
! obstacle stagecraft presented to most au-
| thors. In fact, the poet confessed to me
| that he had the greatest respect for man
| who could write Indifferent farce"