The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-01-13


New York birth and breeding; neither
had theatrical parentage, and both
made the transit from society TO tho
stage; but the portions of society from
which they stepped out were seperate
and distinct. Clara had grown up in
an overlook of Stuyvesant square,
which used to be TO New York what
Belgravia still is to London, a resi-
dence for very pretentioGs families.
Blanche had matured within sight OF
the Five Points. until recently our
Whitechapel for vice and squaler
DCnt mistake me TO mean that
Blanche's mental or moral culture was
less painstaking than Clara's, for her
father. Fatty Walsh, sum politician,
educated his daughter thoroughly, but
the fact remains that Blanche was a
growth OF the Five Points and Clara
OF Stuyvesant square. The coinci-
denceS are curious therefore. that
Clyde Fitch wrote 1.-The Truth" for
Clara Bloodgood, with a polite Fifth
avenue liar for her to personate, and
The Straight Road" for Blanche
Walsh, with en- impolite Bowery
drunkard for her to personate, and
that the two new plays were presented
at theatres directly across Broadway
from each other on the same evening.
The aptness Of the title of THE
rome is such an habitual and impulS-
i've liar that she can't tell the truth
even when she sincerely means to.
Thus, you see, Fitch's play is so sin
guar that Charles Frohman couldn't
have been expected to think twice. If
at all, of giving his prestige and money
to a production of it, if IL had come
from an unauthoritative author. And
Clara Bloodgood, not acting for liv-
fr,er t>,,N
have fiouted the suggestion that she
take up the role OF a Sapphire with an
Ananias father, but that it came from
the Fitch who is member of her
smart-set circle. and enlisted TO make
a successful actress of her. Happily
these conditions favored 1.-THE Truth"
and as a consequence we get q play
that is out of the ordinary in subject
and matter, IL not quite extraordinary
as dramatic revelation. Don't skip
these next sentences in dread that they
may lead into summary of the plot
shall write only that Clara Blood
good, as Fitch's peculiar heroine, by
foolish lying to her fond and trustful
husband, corvirces him that her really
clean relations with an unclean adj
mirer are foul. The first half of the
comedy is numerous with the woman's
impromptu lies, but the second half
is pitiful with the consequences of her
falsehoods, leading up to her regen-
Grafton, and the whole has the rare
merit of newness in design and facility
in execution.
For so many years have l observed
first night audiences that j detect at
sight anything unusual in their make
up. The social status OF Mrs. Blood
good, and the vogue of the theatre, ac-
counted for the presence of extremely
fashionable people at the Introduction
of THE Truth They clapped their
glcved hands at her entrance. yet
made no rude noise nor logged their
petite poise for the sake of friendli-
ness. But interspersed with these
mOdishly garbed and nicely hammered
ones were quite as many with con-
trasting aspects Of commoners. Just
as good as the genuine. swells, mind
you, but not bearing the brand of the
tenderioin. These were out of their
customary place, that was evident at
a glance, and l was puzzling myself
for a solution Of tie mystery of their
presence when it was cleared up by
the entrance of William j. Kelly on the
stage. He was hailed with applause
far louder and longer than had greet
ed the star actress. That was because
Kelly had been for several years the
leading man in a Harlem stock COM
pany, the stage idol of Harlem's fem
mime population, and his faithful
worshippers had come down from that
end of the town to the center to break
their half-dollar theatrical experience
with a two-dolar occasion when their
own Billy Kelly played the husband
to the sma,t-set Miss Bloodgood.
4
Houston Street Mol, the character
that Clyde Fitch conceived as suitable
TO the virile Blanche Walsh in writing
THE Straight Road" for her, swept
into first view in a drunken sidewalk
fight. She and another woman had
been thrown out by a bartender. She
was blear-eyed from drink, her face
white and bruised. her hair tOuSeled
and her ragged dress dirty. She mum
bled protests to the interference be-
meath her breath, scowled at the gen.
tie approach of a settlement worker,
and made vicious grabs at her an
tagonist This was graphic and lively
realism. and the revolving truthfulness
id rot seem TO repel the Broadway
audience The fight had started. we
were given to understand, because
Lazy Liz accused Houston Street Moll
of trying TO steal her man, while Mol,
it was affirmed. though habitually
drunk. was invulnerably Virtuous. To
keep her thus, the wealthy young set
tlement worker took her TO her heart
and advised a little soap and water;
the latter influence proving, presently,
10 be of Dubious value, as Moll, when
scrubbed, excited the opportunities of
the young fortune hunter VINO was en-
gagged to wed the wealthy philanthropy
list.
1t became clear almost Immediately
that the plot was out of Nellie the
Beautiful Cloak Model" by THE Gay
Lord Quex" It had the form Of the
former (Which l shall describe i'm this
letter. and the substance Of the lat
ter Mol. total abstainer and the
fiance of the bartender in whose saloon
she got her fighting drunk plans to
lure the faithless wooer 70 q fatal in-
discretion. The spectacle of this meet
ing forms the great scene of the
play Of which every detail is foreseen
by the most inexperienced person. If
one were inclined to take the writer
seriously. objection might be made to
the revolving details of the meeting of
the young cad. almost on the eve Of
his wedding. and Houston Street Mol
in the latters bedroom: and certainly
the cheap veneer Of Christian rever-
ence over the vicious falsity is repre-