The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-11-18
EXTREMES In DRAMATIC OUTPUT
OF NEW YORK THIS WEEK
BY FRANKLIN FYLEs.

New York, Nov. 17.-Betwixt the ex-
tremes of Robert Browning's "Pippa
Passes" written to be read but not act
ed, and Theodore Kremer's "A Woman
of Fire" written to be acted but not
read. the weeks dramatic output in
New York gives John Luther Longs
Madam Butterfly" written in no play
form whatever; and IT is interesting 10
consider the three contrasts of appeal
to audiences.
Lawrence Barrett shaped Browning S
"A Blot in the 'Scutcheon'' to be acted
with profit of fame and money; Sarah
Cowell LeMoyne, Eleanor Robson and
Otis Skinner, rare eiocutionists, deliv-
cred In a Balcony" to few pleased
audiences; but "Pippa Passes has not
been performed until now that Mrs. LIE
Moyne and Henry Miller put it on the
stage with full and adequate equip
ment. Even people of good culture
don't read Browning's longer and heav-
Ter compositions, and it is no aspersion
upon your intelligence when I remind
you that "Pippa Passes" is an assem-
blage of three short dramas utterly dis
connected, except that Pippa passes the
houses in which they take place, sing
ing a song with the refrain, Gods in
His Heaven-alIs right in the world"
That sentiment, being overheard i'm turn
by the paramOur of a widow whose hus-
tand he has murdered; by a sculptor
who has been tricked to accept as an
affinitive bride girl really ignorant
of art, but whose love and beauty COM
pensate for her lack of knowledge; and
by plunderer of priests estate, who
confesses his crime; and in each case
1t is presumed to have an effect on the
denouement. There is complete lack
of dramatic action in these pieces sep
arately, and nothing save the voice of
Pippa In her passing song to link them
together. They and the introduction,
interludes and addenda occupied four
hours.
Each section had its own distinct
cast, except that Mrs. LeMoyne played
both the guilty widow and the priest
who exposed the plunderer of his dead
brothers estate. Mr.. Miller directed
the handsome production, but did not
assign role to himself, and of the
eighteen otherwise facile players only
Mrs. LeMoyne possessed the elocution
airy power to speak Browning's often
obscure and involved language so as 90
clarity its purport. The theatre was
crowded by people with literary incli-
nations. to whom the performance gave
much satisfaction. but no theatrical en-
and last quarter hours.
AS a conscientious chronicler I ain
bound to write that Mabel Taliaferro
was the one object of anything but lit
erary interest in the presentation of
"Pippa Passes" Mabel was the Pippa
and she Was of no account as a speaker
of Browning's matter; but she is
young, daintily pretty, and as the Ital-
ian factory maiden on a holiday. she got
out of bed and dressed herself at the
beginning of the play in the morning
reversing the process at the end in the
evening. The first lift of the curtain re-
vealed her cherubic face on a pillow,
the rest of her being under a quilt up
to her chin. Daybreak awoke her 70
talk, talk and talk of the clear weather
and other things affecting her outing
Even the devotees of Browning didn't
seem TO mind that they couldn't hear
half she said, nor derive any enjoyment
from her utterance of the audible half
for all the while that the soliloquy last
ed she was doing humanity interesting
things.
The first of them was to stretch her
slim, white arms outside the coverlet,
the second was to swing her bare feet
free from under it and step out on the
floor in her nightgown, and the third
was to give glimpses of her ankles in
moment of dancing merrily to the
shimmering glintS of sunshine on the
wall. She was such a naive, graceful
unconscious creature that il seemed q
shame to watch her deftIy slide a che
mise over herself, and under cover of
il drop her nightie TO the floor, wash
her face and neck, arms and hands in
basin of water, put on a frock, and
thus complete her toilet, for she didn't
holiday.
After Pippa had. passed the places of
the three dramas, and returned home
it was evening, and she was as tired as
the audience. She chatted to herself
gain while undressing, and the Brown
ingites again gave the closest of atten-
tion--to her toilet activities This time.
the nightgown screened the shocking
of the shirt. with no mischance in the
change of garments to dismay Miss
TaliaferrO or to distract the watchers.
1t was to be seen that the neat and
tidy girl had avoided mud and dust in
pattering barefoot all day about the
village, for when she knelt to pray the
soles were as white as the toes were
pink. Once more, as the curtain went
down, her pretty head lay on the pill
low of innocent slumber.
<xk
The magazine story of Madam But
terhy" was oddly pathetic with its
American naval officers temporary
Japanese wife's permanent love of her
husband. David Belasco, who had made
a star actress of Louise Leslie Carter.
and was ready to do likewise with
Blanche Bates. saw the value of Longs
tale for his new venture. He enabled
Miss Bates to get into the hearts of
New Workers as Cho-Cho-San. but for
three weeks only, as unfortunately his
Naughty Anthony" the longer play In
the bill, was n ridiculous but not
amusing farce. The pitifuI charm of
Madam Butterfly" couldn't be killed
by the immediate death of Naughty
Anthony" but lived three months con-
tinuously at d Broadway vaudeville the
atre. Now, after years, it comes back
by the way of Italy as a grand opera
with music by the Puccini OF La
Bohme" and La Tosca.' Poor little
Cho-Cho-San has become such a volu-
BILE singer of her joys and sorrows that
three prima donnas are required to
voice her in each weeks relays provided
by the Savage company.
The singing version of "Madam Rut-