Omaha daily bee., 1907-01-13
Gossip About Plays, Players and PlayhOuses

has survived only her contemporaries and
not her capac ty for coed work. Her NJ g
Hardcastle is one that will be remembered
as is the Mrs. Malaprop Of Mrs. Drew. A
fine old woman.
After all. 1.-THE plays the thing" "she
Stops to Conquer has been enacted many
a time since that first night when Davy
Garrick and his company made London
roar with delight at its quaintness. When
analysed, 1t Is neither better nor worse
than many another play that has had a
moment and then dropped out OF sight 1t
Is simple in it's conception, simple In Its
construction, and even simpler in its enact
ment But II is this very element OF sim
pllcity that gives Il vogue. II is so easy to
make your point too subtle Oscar Wilde,
as an illustration. was master Of
epigram. His plays are polished, and
fairly scintiate with wit Of high degree,
but how many can recall the incidents Of
one OF them7 All their brilliance is for
gotten. simply because It is cold, hard,
cynical briliance. with the lustre Of the
diamond and with its unyielding surface.
And this is true to a greater or lesser
degree OF a vast majority Of the moderns,
who spend their time in devislng new ways
for saying old things, and who conceive a
surprise and then-b build a drama around Il.
%
II is no reflection on public intellect or
taste to say that the bumptious humor Of
Tony Lumpkin appeals more to the lis
tener than do the epigrammatic flashes Of
some one OF the heroes of the society
drama OF the day Nothing elevating turks
concealed in any part of the Goldsmith
comedy, nor does 1t undertake to teach
any needed lesson 1t merely follows out
to its logical conclusion a rather coarse
and certainly embarrassing joke played by
a needless wight on his stepfather. Mis-
taken identity has served to bolster up
many a comedy; in fact II is a never fall
ing expedlent for the authors and always
serves its purpose. Tony Lumpkin discov-
cred the identity Of Marlowe and Hastings
and bethought himself to give them wrong
directions for the malicious purpose OF an
noying his stepfather and his daughter
The daughter discovered the mistake Of
the young men and determined to humor
them in It for time at least, Out OF this
simple material is constructed the comedy
that has endured for a century and half
and is likely TO go on as long as the
English language is spoken. Why? For
the very reason that II is simple 1t ap-
asks for no other deep thought. It's senti-
ments are wholesome. its humor is broad
and its action is free from any mysterious
complications If you are going to write
a play for the great public, keep this in
mind, and follow Goldsmith rather than
Wilde.
Omaha was introduced to another near
star during the week, Miss Maud Fealy.
She is a very attractive little person, with a
certain air about her that appeals to the
auditor, but she did not evince her possess
sion, even prospective, of those qualities
essential to stellar eminence. She is young
though. and may develop to the point where
she can impress and hold an audience,
something she cannot do now Miss Fealy
is deeply versed in stag technique and ex-
hibits her slender possessions to the very
best advantage. but she lacks breadth as
well as depth
Another actress who visited Omaha dur
ing the week was Miss Marie Pavey, who
was given the most delightful evidence of
the fact that she had not been forgotten
by her friends. Miss Pavey was kept so
busy while in the city that she hardly had
time to attend to her duties at the theater
She showed, though. that she had made
the advance expected of her in her art,
and, while playing a part in a wild and
wierd meodrama Of the impossible type
she endowed the role with unusual inter-
est by her splendid Interpretation OF It.
1t offered some excellent opportunities for
emotional work. and these were fully taken
advantage of. 1t showed more clearly than
ever that Miss Pavey is possessed OF I'M
common ability as an actress. She has per-
sonal beauty, fine voice and an analytical
mind which closely values the requirements
of part, and the physical strength to en-
duTe much. 1t is not a wild prediction to