The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-09-09

ny among their men now writing Tor
the stage: and 20 Broadway is thea
trically proud this week with plays
which are, by common agreement, the
very best of the two Englishmen's
work. In this example OF Pinero, the
name of John Drew is added to the
eclat, and Johns name is one to con-
jure nodish attention with: and AL
though Jones' piece has no starred
actor, the ado over its introduction In
New York ahead of London Is helped
by the presence of the author. SO
autumn starts In this town with lite
rary and artistic distinction I'm drama.
The portion OF Henry Arthur Jones
THE Hypocrites." which makes 1t q
marvel. Is less than a minute in dura-
ton, and is not reached until the end
of the third act. The preceding two
hours have been occupied by the eff
forts of an English county family to
suppress q scandal It's low fortunes
were to have been lifted by It's sons
marriage to an heiress. Suddenly the
prospect OF prosperity was obscured
by the intrusion of pitiful girl whom
he has lead astray. If tho heiress learns
what he had done, she would refuse
ents conspired with their lawyer, ply
sician and pestor-hypocrites all, with
unreal plety-to kill truth and honor.
The cuiprit swore that he was guilt
less. The girl was bribed, by main
tenance for her and the forthcoming
child. TO sign q declaration that he was
not its father. The only opponent to
the measures was youn curate,
obdurately conscientious, and resolute-
ly determined that they should not pre-
vail against truth and honor. He was
hnv a6 Offered
the reward OF a passionate If he yield
ed, and the penalty Of expulsion from
the church If he stood fast: but he
would not be a hyDocrite. and they
formally doomed him at meeting Of
all the parties concerned. That
brought the action w TO the minute
of the dramatic CONFUSION.
'"You are hypocrites and liars" the
curate cries. in absolutely hopeless de-
nunciation of those who had defeated
him; "all damned hypocrites and liars
even you-and he filings out his
hand towards the miserable girl.
He has been exceedingly kind to her,
and his righteous anger is more than
she can bear. She falls into the arms
of her recreant lover, the sight of her
distress makes him manly. he blurts
out a confession, and the audiences
applause couldn't be heartier if what
they see were actual life. THE Hy-
pocrites'' is triumph of mastery sim
gularity. But if an unknown John
Jones, instead OF the authoritative
Henry Arthur, had written 1t, no the
atrical manager would have capital
lied the seemingly forlorn hope Of a
play I'm (which right up TO the end of
the third act all the characters save
one. and including the principal low
ers, are contemplate.
X
Who says that no play can succeed
without lOVers7 Here is His House
in Order" taking the town, and no one
in it saying IT love you" The author
Is Arthur Wing Pinero, and from no
dramat!st less authoritative would any
manager have accepted it's lack of am
ormous interest. But the point is that
having got to the public ii entertains
strongly notwithstanding that presum-
able weakness. That is the most sa-
lent fact about the new Pinero piece
Another popularity is that it presents
Pinero's first absolutely stainless he
roine Margaret Ellington is she. / use
that name rather than that Of the fic-
tional character because you may have
seen the actress and know what a vi
tai, healthful, handsome human crea-
ture she is. Yet she is the center of q
family cyclone with no phenomena OF
cOurtship or divorce.
The heroine of His House i'm Order
is the second wife of man whose first
wife was a model of domestic method
which the second is not. He brings IL
sister-in-law, with an advisory
| brother-in-law, father-in-laW and
mother-in-law-bloo relatives of tn,
dead wife, and unaffiliated with the
/ live one-to keep his house in order
! SO the Ellington bride IS ignored
snubbed browbeaten and bullyragged
/ while the memory of her predecessor
in wedlock is hung with garlands anC
circled with a halo. She is of too spir
| tied a nature to endure the cruelt.
! calmly. but her rebellious outbreak
are futile At length she hits upOl
! the unsupported fact that the sanctifiet
| first wife was an adulteress. Tha
| gives her a weapon with which sh
may vanquish her prosecutors. Blu
! she foregoes its use, and instead gain
| by admirable renunciation her prope
| place in her husbands esteem and a
the head of his household. The pla,
is a brilliant Pinero experiment, an
Margaret Illington's acting in it is
corruscating outburst.
Nevertheless; John Drew is the lead
Ter of the company, and he is by tn
play enabled to put his professions
house in order. Drew has not Of lat
years had roles helping him to NOR
than hold his place In popularity. II
isn't as young as he used TO be, and
is hard to create stage heroes for mid
dle-aged actors.
81 thank you" he said to the audi
ence on the opening night, and the
hesitated with a quiZzical smile.
thank you for-another season"
Which meant that Pinero had give
to Drew a character with which t
gain instead of losing vogue. Drew j:
as George Alexander was in Londor
a Diplomatic brother of the plays hus
band. He takes up the pitiful caus
of the wife, recommends her to the au
dience's sympathy, guides her throug
the family storms and delivers her int
happy sunshine
In the abundance Of new stage mat
ter. T have no space for details of thi
Pinero play. And, anyway, / thin
you would rather read how Margare
Ellington has to appear against her wi
as a smoker of cigarettes. Some &C
tresses are not averse 10 the assump
ton of smart loaferism, but most c
them like TO yield to the tobacco hab
even in make-believe. Pinero's heroin
| doesn't smoke In sight, but q cigarett