The Washington herald., 1906-12-23

Corespondence o. The Washington Herald.
New York, Dec. 22.-This is a dull
week in theatrical matters. Not be-
cause 1t IS the week before Christmas.
hut because there is so much Christ
mas cheer in the hearts Of managers.
over the numerous successes on Broad
way. that the abundance Of prosperity
IS degenerating into a condition Of
apathy. Managers cannot readily re-
call a season quite as good as this.
For once, theaters that are not well
patronized are exceptions. Usually. II
is the other way. Long runs are the
order. John Drew Is drawing 10 a
close a prosperous season in His
House IN order at the Empire and to-
night witnesses the last performances
Of Madam Butterfly" at the Garden
Theater marking the longest run ever
scored by a grand opera ia New YORK.
The last week Of the engagement was
signalized by a unique matinee on
Wednesday, when the three prime
donne Of the company appeared each IN
one act Of the opera.
ularity at the Hudson, and at the
Belasco The Rose OF the Rancho"
has settled down 10 a steady run.
which viii last out the season. The
unique Spanish California play suffered
no diminution Of patronage on account
Of the ante-holiday sentiment aud ap-
peals vitality TO the fashionables. This
is also true Of THE New York Idea" at
the Lyric. where Mrs Fiske continues
20 satirize the divorce habit of New
Yorks exclusive society in Langdon
MitcbeITs comedy.
No play has been discussed in a
more controversial spirit than this.
People will insist on taking it seri-
ously. and you hear them say that it
is not true picture Of the conditions
which IT persihages. Even the critics
are at odds, and it is comicaI 10 read
their aftermath of indignant prOtesta-
ton that this should pass for an ex-
pl0itation OF an existing disease. They
conceive IL 10 he their duty to protect
our upper circles from the irreverent
Ievity OF the Philadelphia playwright
and they point out circumstantially
episodes in the comedy as too incon-
sistent for belief For instance, they
say. how ridiculousiy improbable is the
pOstponemcnt Of the wedding from
20 o'clock, because the bride takes a
sudden notion to go 10 the races with
one Of her variety Of admirers. Yet
this is in fact one Of the most delicious
bits Of mordant satire in the piece. re-
garded with due allowance for the ex-
aEEeration which belongs TO the very
nature Of a satirlcal comedy 1t has
the touch OF Thackeray. We have
glOried so long In our self-infation
that this pricking Of our vanity finds
us unduly sensitive and knocks US all
agasp- Nevertheless, hundreds OF
divorces attend the performances and
laugh as heartily as their neighbors
We are entering upon a period Of self
examination in our plays: Of criticism
and ceusUre Of national faults. There
are at this moment three performances
on the stage. enjoying an unmistakabIe
vogue. which deal urgently with our
vanity one has just been referred 10.
another is Madam Butterfly. en- which
a trusting Cho-Cho San commits hara-kar
because Of her betrayal by an American
naval officer. and the third IS The Rose
of the Rancho in which an ugly blot
on our ledger in dealing with the land
troubles Of early California is graphically
revealed. When Kinkaid and his band
Of rufiians intrude upon the dreamy love
illness Of the Spanish culture in the old
mission garden, and this uncoUth product
# the Middle West, with a flourish or the
big jack-knife with which he is just then
peellng an orange snatched from the tree
tells the venerable padre that the day
Of the Indian and the Spaniard is gone
forever: the American is here there is
little TO enthuse over from q patriotic
point Of view. Kinkaid as a symbol Of a
higher civilization, as he imagines, IS too
richly grOtesqUe TO inspire Us with con-
ceit.
These are good symptoms. 1t shows
that the stage under the influence Of h.
sen, Hauptmann, and Sudermann. is get.
ting away from what the French call the
piece de Circumstance" II is giving us
something to think about As NazimOva
recently declared, it IS easy TO make peo-
pie laugh or cry; ii is harder to send them
out Of the theater with something TO
think about.
Ali but a few Of the better plays on the