The San Francisco call., 1906-07-08

would exalt him beyond any other
modern dramatist. = The Theater
(July).
A concert of much interest to Ameri-
cans was recently given in London at
Grosvenor House. under the Gistin-
gufshed patronage of the Duchess of
Marlborough and the Duchess of West
minister. Rudolph Aronson. the we'll
known manager. had the arran gements
in hand. Conspicuous among the per-
formers was Ference Hegedus. the vio-
lin virtuoSo. who has had phenomenal
success in England this season: Leon
Rennay, whose vocal equipment Is well
known. sang group of French songs
with purity of voice and refinement of
style; Paris Chambers, the. American
cornetist played berceuse by Tschai-
kowsky and Barthelemy's "Serenade
! Coquette" with beautiful tonal effects
and fine technique.
| had often heard him confess to
great distaste for seeing his own plays
on the stage.
Il have quite definite conceptions"
he said. 'of my own characters. and
the actors come between me and those
conceptions in some cases permanently
distorting obscuring them"
1t was one of the drawbacks to the
various festivals that had been held
from time TO time In his honor--in Ber-
lin. Meiningen, Copenhagen. Stockholm.
etc.-that he was always expected to
sit out one or more of his plays.
was reminded of DR.. Schlenther's ac-
count of the first production of
Ghosts in Germany. at the Augsburg
Stadttheater. Ibsen was present,
whether at tho dress-rehearsal or at
/ the performance / sdO not remember
He sat with friend in the stalls. and
throughout the evening kept on pinch
ing his companion and calculating
/ OH Oh in apparent agony, varying
the exclamation at some points-as
when Regina made her entrance In
peasant costume-with an emphatic 20
nein.'-WIlliam Archer In The Reader
( duly.
Although Maude Adams does not re-
turn to the Empire Theater New York
! In Peter Pan" until next December.
several hundred orders for seats for
/ this engagement have already been
/ filed at the box Office. One of these
came by wireless telegraph from a
passenger aboard an ocean liner en-
route for London. 1t read: Return
November-hold seats Peter Pan.
Edward A. Braden is going to offer
big production of Marie CorellFs IA
nous novel "Barabbas." in the early
fall. The authoress has made the dra-
mattzation herself. and perhaps she
will come TO this country 10 witness the
first production, which will be made In
New York City in October.
The play is laid In Jerusalem and it's
environments at the time of the trial
and crucifixion of Christ The BaraS-
bas of the play is the same Barabbas
of the Scriptures. only that the author
ess has made OF him n most interest
Ing. loYable character.
''Barabbas' is in four-nct and ten
scenes. Without n doubt II Will be
one of the most elaborately staged at
fractions ever seen in this country
Besides its intense dramatic interest. II
will contain a striking and correct Sc
ries of pictures of the greatest interest
of places in and around Jerusalem as
the scenes existed at the time of the
crucifixson.
corps of the best scenic artists in
New York are at the present time at
worla on the models for these scenes
Great pains and expense are being
gone to by Mr.. BTaden for the sake
of the absolute historical correctness.
and in the plar ''Barabbas" biblical
students will find a most engrossing
subject for study. Marie Corellfs
treatment of the divine tragedy is
unique in stage annals While it forms
n most interesting part. IL is really
only Incidental to the action of the
play.-New York Dramatic News.
Madame Longard de Longgarle's
heroine. after seeing "Otheilo," asks:
Were there no divorce courts in those
days?" This characteristicallv modern
inquiry is cited by Edith Searle Gross
man in the Contemporary Review rs
in some respects typical of the attitude
of the more sophisticated races toward
tragedy in general. If the 'Antigone"
and Electra" or Hamlet and Lear"
were for the first time offered to a
modern public. shorn of the authority
of tradition. no mana ger. she asserts.
would risk accepting them. no cultured
audience would stand the strain on
their nerves, and reviewer would
hesitate to condemn such revelations
of human agony.
The reason that these reSuScitated /
plays do not overwhelm us as it is. she {
explains. is partly because we are IA
miliar with the themes. but chiefly be-
cause we can only superfciasly realize
them" Modern society lis capable I
of producing a distinctive tragic litera-
ture because Ii forbids the expression I
of emotion and disapprOves OF any I
strong passion convention which |
has resulted. she thinks. In an actual
decadence- of feeling The prevailing
note of artificial optimism Is recognized /
as something NOR" than a mere lite /
ra-y fashion. In those countries, how
ever. which are less artifcially civil /
ized. the art of tragedy still fiourishes. /
In America. the writer observes. 'ft /
seems exiled from Boston and New /
York to the West" Norway, Hungary. /
Poland. Russia. and the far borders of /
the British Empire--to these countries 4
we may still look for stories with the 1
tragic note-Literary Digest.
san FrapciSco at CODey Island.
'The Pearl of Coney Island" seems /
to have added another winner to Its 1
already long list of amusements. for i
the new spectacular production which 4
has been created by Henry Lee. Henry /
Myers Mark A. Leuscher and Lawrence /
Marston has scored pronounced sue
cess 1t was first viewed on Saturday
night June 1e. by audience which .
tested the full capacity of the place.
For twenty eight minutes the en-
tLusiastic audience was entertained by
variety and spectacular tableaux which
proved TO be decidedly novel in all I
particulars.
The new amusement scheme was
presepted in perfectly equipped
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