The Washington herald., 1906-11-04


industrious writer's for the stage yet IL
ought not to be difficult for an actress
Of the discernment and ambition of Miss
Hllda Spong TO find among pressnt-day
plsywrights one who can elaborate foI
her into acting form a story Of much
greater novelty and worth than that set
forth in John Hudson's Wife" the
rather mediocre drama In which she was
seen In Washington the past week
Perhaps the central idea, that Of a vii,
learning to love her husband devotedls
after a lOveless marriage. contracted
with fun and confessed knowledge that
her motives we're sordid, Is not as Crite
and threadbare a theme as others still
treated by the pIaywrights. But this
theme has not been handled by the au-
thors Of John Hudsons Wife" with
skill or plausibility either In essentials
or in detail Al times the treatment is
distinctly crude and only the clever. hon
est. and powerful work Of Miss Spong
and her exceptionally good assisting
company kept some Of the scenes from
falling 70 a rather low level. The sus-
pieion Is aroused that the play was
written originally with a view to pro-
duetion In minor houses. or possibly for
the deleetation OF the provinces, as
they would say IN England Yet the de-
fects in structure and dialogue we're not
sufficient 10 swamp the native ability and
the acquired skill Miss spong and her
eo-laborers put Into their performances.
so that on the whole they may fairly
be said TO have emerged from their task
with credit 10 themselves and profit 10
their audiences. Il is certain that in
plays Of higher literary and dramatic
caste Miss Spong will be everywhere rec
ognized as a valuable and priced addi-
ton to our list OF emotional actresses.
she has the PHYSICAL equipment. the sin
certify. the training, and the intelligence
TO do hne, If not great, things along that
line. and It is 10 be earnestly hoped an
other season she may be able 10 pro
vide herself with g play or repertory OF
plays entirely worthy Of her that viii
give adequate scope to her unusual gifts
and requirements.
There seems to be general complaint up
and down the road that the theatrical
season hasn't opened promisingIy from
the box-ofice point OF view. that business
isn't nearly as good as the unusual pros
peTity OF the popUlace and the large DER
capita circulation would seem to warrant
and that there are grave suspicious the
trouble Isn't due to the political campaign
in progress in most OF the States. There
Is feeling the season is not going 70 be
anything in the shape OF a record breaker
so far as receipts are concerned. What
fu
plain. The situation in New York ap-
pears to be about the same as on the
road That the public there isn't parting
with its money in exchange for dOubjfully
amusing amuSemen-s is SHOWN plainly
by the number Of ill-cCnsidered theatrical
enterprises that have quietly given I'D
the ghcst, besides a few that have wound
up their brief careers with explosions.
The fact that the Washington t-eatricstl
season has opened q little slow doesn't
necessarily mean IL will not boom later
In an election yelr bus ness, as well
as social matters invariably move slowly
in Washington until after the ballots have
been counted.
American playmakers are goody-goody
creatures compared with those OF Ger
many, according to statements made al a
recent meeting IN Hanover Of the Ger
man Associations for the Promotion Of
Public Morality which seems 20 be the
Comstockbund Of Kaiserland. The leading
speaker on this occasion declared thar
the poisoned palm for wickedness had
passed from the Partisan 70 the Berlin
stage. and il the facts he recited 10 sup
poTI Of his assertion were really facts. he
was not giving way 10 the habituaI Com
stockbund hysteria- The most astonish-
ing thing he said was that not one OF the
pieces produced on the Berlin stage IN the
last theatrical season dealt with pure love.
Every one OF them began with marriage
and ended with divorce, the dramatic de-
velOpment opening when hubby or WHEY
entered on their varied maneuvering after
forbidden fruit. II thus appears that the
IDEAL OF the Gretchen and August Of tfe
Berlin sage is no longer marriage. But
L also seems thai divorce has not yel
become so ccmmon in Kaiseriand as to BE-
dive5ted Of tn tinge Of romance. With
our dTsmatists, divorce as a dramatic
motif has rather gone out Of fashion
probably foT the reason that In real life
the sevF ing Of marriage bonds is an
everyday occurrence in most American
communities. Thus II would appear that
while the German stage Is much wick
edeT than ours, German society would
seem to be in one respect, At least, more
ObseTvant Of the conventions Of morality
In the most numerous class Of Berlin
thesters, according to the authority
quoted, the managers consciously, and cf
set purpose, make their profit out OF i'm
moral plays Of the sort that formerly /
used to be translated from the French. I
but are now native product with all the /
additional native coarseness. Suder- /
mann's latest play, The Boat Of Flow ,
ers," this authority declared to be knee
deep In lewdness, which shows the Lon |
don critics were not over-severe in their /
verdict on the TO doubt expurgated yer /
sion Of it produced there. In the worst 1
OF the Berlin theaters the managers
are not satisfied with mere lewdness /
They throw in a little blaspNemy as Z
papTika for the limbUrger. In a skit In l
one Of these theaters recently, St. Peter I
figured as one Of the characters, and sang
smutty songs.
A. late convoeation of dramatic au- 4
thors and managers In New York II was /!
decided that the name Of a play had very 4
little, If anything, to do with its success. /
David BeiascO doesn't appear to share /
this view fully. He continues to utilize 4
alliteration's artful aid IN naming his /
plays, evidently believing that the public /
eye and ear are attracted and held by the 4
recurrence OF the same letters and sounds 4
We had II in The Girl OF the Golden I
West in which Blanche Bates has had 4
such success; we have it again IN the
title Of Be.asco's newest output. ''The
Rose OF the Rancho" another California
play. which viii be produced in Boston