The San Francisco call., 1906-03-25
AUTHOR PLAY
WINNING OUT
In Spite of London Critics
Conan Doyle's "Brigadier
Gerard" Makes a Hit
A FLOATING THEATER
Germany Has Playhouse on
the Rhine Which Is TOwed
About From Town to Town
FLOATING THEATER
Special Dispatch to The Call.


LONDON, March 24-"We fancy" wrote
London critic the other day regarding
Conan Doyle's new play, that the piece
VIII make a lot of money-at least in
America" Previously this writer had as
severated that DR.. Doyle's production was
but an Indifferent piece of work. SO 1t will
be seen that his remark as to its prob
able success in the United States was one
OF those gratuitous attempts to belittle
american intelligence which a certain
class OF writer's here apparently finds it
necessary to make once in a while. How
ever, the critic In question is no one of
consequence, and so his sneer may be al
lowed to pass except so far as it applies
10 Dr. Doyles new piece, which Is called
"Brigadier Gerard" and is, of course, a
dramatization-though with much added
matter-of this hero's exploits as mar
rated by DR.. Doyle in series of maga-
zine stories
Truth to tell, the Gerard play, which has
been put on by Lewis Waller, was pretty
generally roasted" by the London re-
viewers, and so there is considerable quiet
curiosity among those interested in stage
matters to see whether they or the emf
nent novelist who wrote 1t are in the right
as TO the pieces merits. OF these it ap-
pears Dr. Doyle has an uncommonly high
by trying the play on manager after man.
ager, though each treated it with
scant courtesy, until finally, after an ex-
perlence that really must have been q lit
Tie exasperating to so distinguished an
author, Sir Arthur finally induced Lewis
Waller to give "Brigadier Gerard" a
chance. And at present 1t looks as IL his
new play were going to win out. for the
greater part of it's first night audience
atrfd loI{
quent reports from the Imperial Theater
tell of such business as has not been done
there since the days of Monsieur Beau
caire."
TRITE RUT A WINNER.
30 DR.. Doyle does well to be gratified.
even though the reviewer may assert that
this Gerard" play does not reveal its
author as dramatist of any particular
ability, and that although nearly every
ancient theatrical device is employed In it
there is hardly an original one of the least
consequence. AS matter of fact, there
were many points in the drama-which is
all about some state papers which have
been stolen from Napoleon by Talleyrand
and which Gerard IS employed to get
back-that were violently entertaining in
a way that few supposed the author had
intended, and quite a. good deal that did
not square with French history as most
of us understand it.
There is one scene. for instance, in
which Brigadier Gerard" is first locked
In cabinet By Talleyrand and then
manages TO imprison that famous diplo-
Inatist in similar fashion, which is really
imnodcrately funny, though one rather
feels that this is not the desired effect
and DR.. Doyle, too, has drawn Napoleon
as a rather choleric person whose fire.
quent trades were received by the more
experienced portion of the frst-night
audience with something approaching
irreverence.
But it's all right, for Dr. Doyle says
so, and as, judging by present appear
,ances. he has pleased the public that
supports the box Office, there is little for
the critic to say in rebuttal. Taking up
the cudgcls in defense of his work, the
author of Sherlock Holmes" admits
that his new play makes it's hero rather
ridiculous now and then, but he ex-
plains that he has tried to make Gerard"
character whom you laugh at as well
as with and adds that the critics are $50
STEPPED in the conventional, perfect hero
of romantic drama that they can't un-
derstand an authors trying another ex-