Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-04
The Foreign Stage.
From a STAFF Correspondent.

From a Staff Correspondent
LONDON, February u. 1906
IL Michael Morton and Michael Morton
dwarf are not highly pleased with thehi-
.a,,,as IA each other at present, then they
ought to re for by their united cleVerness
tho,, have inst succeeded In making really
big success In a way that few persons
thought would be possible, or perhaps even
desirable For, thanks to the dwarf "ho
ennesrs in It. the American playwright >
new Niece THE Little Stranger, "hich
was produced at the Criterion TINS "eeh'
seams likely to be the biggest klna OF M
and thanks to Mr.. Morton, the inlose''
whose name is Edward Garrett, ana VINO 70
only sixteen. has revealed hlmseh as d
really amazing prodigy VINO Is iiaoie az
tract no little attention II ne can go on 90
ha has hepun. That he will make his bow
In the United States in due course Is p'ac-
ttca1Iv certain, for. judging by It's LONDON
reception. THE Little Stranger sute ~
oroas the Atlantic and 1t is doubtful II
another Edward Garrett could De lounu
over there TO play the queer part OH winch
the entire piece depends. ,..t
Michael Morton 8 new piece Is SO manassas
as 10 he almost unpleasant. In fact' one
douhted much II Il would "go down with
English audiences, for 1t Is all ABOUT
dwarf masquerading as a papy INTO WINS
body it's fathers soul has supposedly 'sH-
tered and by this deception bringing con,
,tarnation to the infants mother and TO all
it's other relatives. The same -iCea "aS
used in Edward van tiles story, tldt iis-
sa's Troublesome Baby, and acknoWieug
ment has been made of the partial inoepteo-
ness to that lively tale. In the play, Mrs.
Dick Allenby, a young married Womah' mas
become interested in so-cafied spirltaaishi
as exploited by humbug named Sronsky,
and TO cure her a friend of her husband
Ills in professional illuslonist who has
I dwarf assistant. 1t seems that Inns IhIuset
bears a remarkable resemblance 70 htla.
AIlenby's baby. so after that lauy mas
been told that her husband mas peen
drou-ned in the Thames her real infant IS
snirited away the dwarf takes It's place
and the young wife becomes conVin ced tnat
her husbands spirit has entered the oaps
body And then we have the spectacle OF
dear little pink-and-white, furry, pratlliiis
and beribboned infant suddenly assuming
the airs of a full-grown man, ordering tne
servants hither and thither, replying ROT!
IN the customary terms of endeafnlent,
smoking cigarettes, drinking spirits ana
generally frightening the entire household.
OF course. all ends well, with Mrs. Allen
by cured and in repossession or hef huSpailo
and infant and with the masqueradlng
midget packed off, but it is rather repul-
sive idea and in the hands of any but a
slxilful dramatist would have offended
every one.
has scored for he has conceived his situa-
tions so cleverly and kept the fact that
London audiences found only amusement IN
the piece
But the real honors undoubtedly lie with
the dwarf For If the sixteen-year-old Ed
ward Garrett who stands no more thaa
three feet high, were not uneommonly ieVer
and a born comedian, 1t is painful 10 think
what would have happened. Nothing but a
kind of genius on CARROTS part could have
made his performance amusing, but as II Is
his laughter making qualities are the tax
of the town. Taking the whole burden OF
Morton's farce on his diniuutive shoulders,
he makes it go with bang from start to
finish. The other actors merely play up to
him-the little dwarf Is literally the whole
show.
Meanwhile In theatrical circles the topic
of the moment is how Garrett was "discov-
cred" by Michael Morton. 1t seems that II
was after a lengthy and rather hopeless
search. The American dramatist wrote
The Little Stranger" two years or more
ago and Immediately began casting about
for dwarf to play the name part. FINALLY
he found Garrett. who had appeared IN q
child's part in Madame Butterfly at Gov
ent Garden. and at once realized that he
had discovered what he wanted. The dimin-
utive youth needed training, however, and
so in order to make an actor or him, the
wainwright carried him off TO his house in
the country and kept him there for over
three months while developing the latent
talent that he believed was In him. Finally
was organized q company 10 support the
dwarf In The Little Stranger, ana the
niece was sent on tour In the provinces,
where IT took 80 hugely that its success In
London was undobuted. And judging from
the enthusiasm of the first night at the Crl-
terion. the warmth of most of the mo-
tees" and the sensation that Edward Gar
rett has made the career of THE Little
Stranger" will be long and prosperous.
In other words, 1t is pleasing most play
goers here and probably will please most
playgoers I'm America immensely. But to
some people the spectacle which THE Little
Stranger" and its dwarf comedian affords
has proved extremely unpleasant, and pro-
tests have not been wanting here against
such exploitation of q physical affiiction.
One of them came from the Times critic,
who In a scathing notice described the
whole exhibition as simply iamentable.'
But as was remarked at the beginning Mr.
Morton and Mr.. Morton's dwarf are In a
position to laugh at adverse criticism, for
they it," and going to be- In all
probability, for several months to come.