Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-13
Foreign Stage Gossip
ecial Correspondence Of The star.


TT ALL GAME. it is declared, would do
n anything for the sake of realism"
especially when the rea ism concern
ed is that of one of his OWN plays or moves.
Even risk his valuable life. In fact, u
seems that Mr.. Game did endanger his ex-
istence a while ago, although at that time
nothing about this needless act of his was
allowed to reach the public. Possibly, 1t
was then too far in advance of the produc-
ton of his new play, and the thrill ing tale
might have lost some of its effect, but now
the production of the "Bondsman'' at Drury
Lane is drawing nigh, and SO the story is
told of how the author houted death. with
out any reservation or sparing of painful
details.
1t was in Italy that the thing happened,
whence Hall Game Went last spring in
search of local color for The Bondsman."
That drama, by the way, is located partly
In Italy and partly in Sardinia although
the novel places the scene elsewhere) and 1t
seems that among its Other attractions are
to be a real Sicilian cart and real
Sandman donkey, also veracious Italian
farm scene with genuine cows and actual
hayStackS-al guaranteed by Hall Game.
His last piece, The Prodgal Son." con-
tanned sure-enough flock of sheep-at
least it did as produced at Drury Lane.
In The Bondsman' there is to be a sui
phur mine, too, and SO We come to the
actual details of how the intrepid Hall
Game and Arthur Collins, who runs Drury
Lane Theater, placed their lives in deadly
peril. all for the sake OF realism. For, to
see the real thing IN this line the fearless
pair visited one. of the Italian sulfataras,
situated some thirty miles from Naples, and
there, 1t appears, their hazard was truly
great,
THE inferno was at its very worst" lys
the graphic account which is related on the
authority of Hall Game himself yet both
author and manager trod fearlessly on this
ic axorr eyax-,tS .,x~
to say very often at the peril of their lives
For the sulfataras in question stands on
the crater of volcanic mountain which
had overwhelmed mountains villages and
killed hundreds Of inhabitants in the if
teenth century,"
So 1t is easy to see that no risk is too
great for this author to run when it is
question Of local co,or," and il must be
admitted. too, that Hall Game eclpses him
self from year to year, for prior to produc-
ing The Prodigal Son." if one remembers
rightly, he contented himself with an on
the-spot study of Monte Carlo. However.
The Bondsman" promises to be n great
production, and for the star part the man.
agement has engaged Mrs. Pat Campbell.
VINO had been medtating an American tour
This promises to be nearly as big a draw as
was the engagement of George Alexander
last year, for the leading part in The
prodigaI Som at the Lane and another
promising engagement is that of young
Henry Ainley, who was seen in America
with Maude Adams. and who is now an
bearing at the Court in Bernard Shaw's
You Never Can Tell"
Just as the London season closes Arthur
Bourchier has brought out a new play at
the Garrick. doubtless with the fde, of
keeping it on through the autumn If it goes
well with end-of-the-season audiences The
actor-manager has in this case become ac-
Observation-Disclosures having made his
own adaptation from the play which Ana
tole France built out of a grim short story
he wrote lately called "CrainauebiIle"
Borchier has transferred the scene from a
Paris slum district to London slum dis
trict, and has entirely Anglicized the char
acters.
The fate of the play will be significant.
FOR the plot is of the slightest there is no
love story, and In fact no woman in the
play except as regards minor characters
put in for the sake of incident and local
color Practically the whole interest centers
round haf-witted old costermonger who
has barely managed to keep body and soul
together by selling vegetables In the street
from cart. Through sheer amiable stupid
ity ne lnnocently offends policeman and
is arrested. In the second act he is found in
a police court before an iTascible petty JUS
ice, VINO takes no trouble to plumb the
depths OF the cd mans stupidity, and SEN
fences him to a short Imprisonment for ere
ating a street disturbance
An the third act the helpless Wet of mis-
carried law is back again in his mean
street His stock-in-trade has been stolen:
MS barrow Is lost; his feeble self-respect is
gone, and his old friends. have turned
against him because he Is Jail bird Re Is
as pathetic figure as one could well find.
he tries In vain to insult a policeman in
order that he may be taken back to Jail,
and at last, starving and utterly broken. he
totters or to the river to put an end TO his
misery. In the English version his harrow
Is restored to him at the last moment
through the efforts of a kindly NJ ysboy
and the play ends with a ray of ,pe for
the old man. A fine performance given
by Bourch!er as the decrepft and rty cos
termonger. 1t Is a blending of humor
pathos and bitter satire of careless Justice
But there is none of the strong play OF
emotion and conflict of WILL and thrill ana
excitement required by the average audi
ence.