Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-03-03

1> HREE new American play
wright blow into New York
this week and IN spite OF the ex-
IRENE mildness Of the weather
experienced a frost, which must OF me-
cesslty nip their maiden efforts in the
bud. They did not, however all meet
failure in the same degree. Winston
Churchi's THE Title Mart" and will
liams & Walkers new musical piece,
"Abyssinia," by colored llbrettist and
composer, fell down so hard that there
seems little possibility Of any rebound
TO them. while at the Manhattan. RAJ
pert Hughes The Triangle though 1t
missed by long way the bulls eye,
OF success, contained one act with so
much good dramatic material in 1t that
1t holds out hope that sooner or lat
er Mr.. Hughes, II he will only perse-
we're, viii turn out a strong and ma
tional American play. He calls his
drama "A Play of Manners" but as
matter OF fact, no stage ever exhibited
a set Of alleged society people whose
couth The heroine, Perses Van Duyn.
starts the ball OF bad manners rolling
by proving herself In the first act to be
the most unsympathetic character in
tho play. The scene is laid on the golf
links and as everybody knows, it's one
OF the first rules Of that autocrauc
game that players shall not stop for
private conversation on the links while
playing the game. But the fair Perses,
what cares she. She even runs the
risk OF being hit by one Of the other
players golf balls. while she pauses to
tell the young naval officer, Henry
Forks, who loves her devotedly, that
he may kiss her II he Is sure nobody
is looking then. after he has taken the
risk and collected the premium, she
calmly informs him that she has just
become engaged to little Willie Ensloe.
whose most notable assets are a weak
chest, a deblltated liver, a era bbed dis
position and unlimited millions. After
the marriage Perses and Henry, still
quite brokenhearted meet In the Amer
lean ambassadors drawing room, In
Paris, and The fair Mrs. Enslee again
allOWs-nay, positively insists upon his
kissing her again. The third act finds
them all back in New York again. Two
society women call on Mrs. Enslee and
grossly insult her In her own drawing
room, Then Henry arrives and tells
her that their loye-affair must end at
once one way or another, Either he
Viii resign from the navy at once and
elope with her or else they must never
see each other again, as, on account OF
his attentions to her he is liable to be
court martialed at any moment for
conduct unbecomng an officer and Il
gentleman, Perses, who has developed
a conscience by this time. declares that
she VIII not ruin his career. Tney
must part forever, but first OF all they
must have just one kiss. This kiss de-
velopes into a long farewell embrace.
and when the lovers finally tear them
selves apart II Is to lind themselves
covered by the irate husbands pistol.
Perses taints promptly as any up-to-
date society woman--ln a play--would
DO under the circumstances. But the
brave sailorman faces the husband and
bids him shoot II he dares. The de-
creplt little husband loses his nerve, the
pistol drops from his hand Henry picks
II up, puts IL IN his pocket and goes
out OF their life forever. Just here
comes the first real moment In the play.
Husband and wife are confronting
each other when the butler announces
dinner You're not going 10 let the
servants know pleads the woman. 81
think you might trust TO my good
breeding for that" says the husband.
and they make their exit to the dining
room arm-in-arm.
The final scene shows the dinner In
progress from soup to nuts,
Perses dutiully mixes her husband
cocktail. lie drinks IL and
then begins TO glover at her. while
the servants are IN the room he and
Perses manufacture small talk, but the
instant they leave he taunts her. By
the time the roas, is brought on. mat
tiers are nearing a climax. Perses stung
by his insults, calls him coward. He
was afraid TO fire his pistol she de-
clares. slowly and deliberately the lit.
tie man picks up the carving knife and
rising from his seat, remarks, Il may
have been too much Of coward TO kill
your lover but I've got pluck enough
TO wreak my vengeance upon you
Then ne stabs her Just beneath the
heart, utterly rulning her black velvet
dlnner-goWn and giving her mortal
wound.
They'll hang you for this" gasps
Perses, "and | hate TO think Of You
dying on the gallows" SO calling to
the butler who has just entered she
tells him that she Is dying and that she
wants him 70 remember that she had
stabbed herself with the carving knife.
Then with her last breath she turns 10
her husband and says AT least you
must admit that | die like a thorough
bred"
This scene. in spite Of some absurdl.
ties held the audience and brought
one real CLEAN oi IN ere INTO what
had been an unrea' ana extremely
STACEY performance. That capital act