Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-03-10

Special Correspondence.
I oNDoN,Mar 22. If Michael Nor
ton and Michael Mortcn's
dwarf are not highly pleased
with themselves and each other at
present then they ought to be, for
by their united cleverness they have
Just succeeded In making a really big
success In a way that few persons
thought would be possible, or perhaps
even desirable. For. thanks to the
dwarf, who appears In IT, the American
playwrights new piece THE Little
Stranger" which was produced at the
Criterion this week, seems likely to be
the biggest kind Of hit, and, thanks to
Mr., Morton the midget, whose name Is
Edward Garrett and who Is only six
teen, has revealed himself as a really
amazing prodigy, who Is liable 70 at
tract no little attention II he can go on
as he has begun, That he will make
his bow In the United States I'm due
course Is practically certain, for judg-
ing by its London reception, THE Little
Stranger" Is sure to cross the Atlantic.
and 1t is doubtful II another Edward
Garrett could be found over there TO
play the queer part on which the entire
piece depends.
But now TO explain why the success
of THE Little Stranger" is triumph,
IN its way. for both Michael Morton
and his midget star. This dramatist
IL, Of course, the adapter OF Tolstoy's
Resurrection" and n few words Will
show that his new piece is so fantastic
as to be almost unpleasant. In fact.
one doubted much II II would go
down" with English audiences for II
is all about a dwarf masqueradlng as
a baby into whose body its fathers
soul has supposedly entered, and by
this deception bringing CONSERVATION
10 the Infants mother and 10 all IT.
other relatives. The same idea, Il will
Oe remembered, was used in Edward
van Zile's story "Clarissa's Trouble
some Baby" and believe that Morton
has acknowledged his partial Indebted
ness 10 that lively tale.
IN the play Mrs. Dick Allenby, n
young married woman, has gone dat
~ on splritualsm as exploited by
humbug named Vronsky. and to cure
her friend " her husbands calls IN
a professional lusionist who has
dwarf assistant. IL seems that this
midget bears q remarkable resemblance
to Mrs Allenbys baby, so after that
lady has been told that her husband
has been drowned in the Thames her
real Infant Is spirited away, the dwarf
takes IT. place and the young wife
becomes convinced that her husbands
spirit has entered the baby's body And
then we have the spectacle Of a dear
little plnk-and-white, fluffy, prattllng
and berlbhoned infant suddenly assum-
lfa, Is ID ft,n
ing the servants hither and thither, re-
plying Rot" 10 the customary terms
Of cndoarment, smoking cigarettes,
drinking whisky, and generally fright
enlng the entire household out Of It's
wits.
OF course all ends well with Mrs.
Allenby cured and In repossession Of
her husband and infant, and with the
masquerHdlng midget packed of, but
It IS rather a repulslve idea, and in the
hands Of any but a skllful dramatist
would have offended everyone
That. however, Is where Michael Nor
ton has scored. for he has conceived
HE situations 50 Cleverly and kept the
fact that II Is all huge Joke so con-
stantly to the fore that with a few eN-
ceptIons the first night audience simply
rocked with laughter and subsequent
NNVl'IlftS NNNe gone ana uoHe likcWlhe.
But the real honors undoubtedly lie
with the dwarf For II the sixteen year
old Edward Garrett who stands no
more than three feet high. were not
uncommonly clever and a born coined
tan. n Is painful 10 think what would
have happened to Mr.. Morton's piece.
a youth whose physical DEVELOPMENT
has been arrested In quite an eNtraor-
binary way nothing but kind
Of genius on CARROTS part could
have made his performance amusing,
but as II Is his laughter-maklng quail
ties are the talk OF the town. Taking
the whole burden of Morton's farce on
his dImiuutive shoulders. he makes Il
go with a bans from start to finish. The
other actors merely play up TO hinl--the
little dwarf Is literally the whole show,
Meanwhile. In theatrical circles the