Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-11-10

~ actress who Las displayed 80 much
charm as has Miss NJ nnte Duprae
can brave the per..s Of comparison. even
as she has braved tae periIs of that al
ways hazardous enterprise. the dream
play The only other actress VII 1se name
somes % mind as consriouously success
fGl in the dream play is Ma ggie Mitchell
Maggie Mitchell without whom the holi-
day season in Washington was incom-
piete: Maggie Mitchell who Fanchon
could say, An. Father Barbaud," in a
way 10 win the heart out of YOU and
wheedle whole house fun OF people into
smiles or tears just as she wheedled the
crusty old man who was 10 be Fanchon s
father-in-law. whether he would or no
Maggie Mitchell was one of a trio Of
stars. with Lotta a little more fetching
in comedy, perhaps but less close in her
appeals 10 sympathy and Lydia, Thomp
son. the reigning queen Of bu-lesque, in
the era when burIesques still retained
audacious possibilities because lights and
hnespun rufles had not grown common
place.
'Io-le' was the title Of the dream play
which held conspicuous though not a
premier place IN Maggie MitchelTs
reperorv. Charming as il was to auditors
WHO We're willing 70 help the author out
with a little imagination on their own side
It left with people of more superficial OBJ
servattor the same impression as that left
by The Road to Yesterday" 1t was not
easy To coherenuy connect prologue,
dream and epiloeue; TO distinguish clearly
between what actually happened and
what was only supposed to occur.
There is certain popular reluctance
about accepting the play which deals with
psychic phenomena. The average drama
is of Itself sufficiently dreamy in its re-
moteness from proha bility. The most
classic effort III that line which the stage
boasts is the Shakespeare fantasy in
which TtJania. Oberon and Puck play
havoc with human affairs for the mere
sport of it. The ladies' who Joined their
intellectual forces to evolve the Dupree
play take the midsummer night idea as
the foundation for their fanciful creation.
or 1t might better be said that they en-
ploy il as 4 bUttress to reinforce the re-
incarnation sugge stion, which. however
picturesque II may be. is bound to re-
main more or less abstrucs. The motive
Of the play is a mystical maze of fairies
and philosophy. While the public has
placed its hand on its heart and assured
Miss Maude Adams that ii believes IN
fairies. 1t is less prompt in assuring Miss
Dupree. who has many expressive traits
in common with Miss Adams, that II be-
lieves in philosophy The public has tim
id. shrinking sort Of consciousness. When
il bears such words as morals or
philosophy il suspects an effort to i'm
prove its mind and shuts its eyes and
holds back like Il small boy having his
face washed FOR school. Once through
with 1t. there is a sense of refreshnent
and satisfaction "A Message from
Mars was another dream play whose
charming qualities were loudly extOlled,
but whose way TO popular appreciation
was slowly won.
There has been much technical discus
sion concerning the propriety of the
aside the drama. and something of
the same objection presents Itself even
more strongly in The Road TO Yester-
DAY. The a0surdityof a character 5 think
ing aloud Tor the benefit OF the audience,
telling his Utmost thoughts while the other
members of the cast oblig. ngly become
deaf for the occasion, has been caviled at
since drama first was. II is excused. be-
cause as rule it has the magnetism of
the player to carry the interest through
the incident The magic of personality
is evoked, and the spectator is so busiy
engaged in putting himself in the Charac
Ter place thar The actors speech IS but
the echo OF his own thought. In the
dream play the hypnousm is even more
complete. and the danger of rude awaken
ing cOrrespondiug!y greater. The specta-
tor Is compelled % perceive only through
tho consciousness ot the dreamer and 20
maintain the Illusion consistently IT is neces-
sary that the central character shall not
b. absent from the scene a moment of
tie time. This elementary principle is
c -sregarded once or twice in The Road
To Yesterday. and Ne result is that the
auditor IS left cropping and surprised
Abandoned in dre4miaud' Terrible fate.
Here is a dream going right ahead with
out the dreamer. Things are occurring
without her knowledge which are abso-
l.tely essential 10 the unfolding of her
own dream. Immediately Miss Dupree
steps on the stage tho psychological pro-
pr.eties are restored. The audience is
prepared TO accept anything that happens
10 the heroine. so long she is In evil
dence TO personally conduct the tour.
"Al:ce in Wonderland" could not have
been followed more faithfully. Nothing
too surprising could happen. Even the
gentle White WhItylesy. whose chival
r5Us kindliness had so often delighted pa
irons Of stock company productions here
could he an out-and -out vilIain-in
dream.
The p!aywrighting Of the present is con-
dlCted in defiance ~ the adage about too
many cooks sPoiing The broth And as
sl-edly much Of our theatric cousomme
has OF late beer lacking in vital and
sustaining quality. An Old program re-
Veals the fact that the play above re-
1erred to. LORE. was presented without
any credit % authorship whatever.
Doubtless an adaptation the work of
transcribing II for the American stage
was rot considered Of sufficient inpor-
lance 10 warrant exploitation on the nro-
gram Joseph Jefferson mad, no TODD
An'Nt the authorship of Rip Van Win
kie No one was decked our in ~.
literary plumage Of Washington Irvine
on the theory that the preparation Of =
stage version is a work of occult diff
'u.t- Mark Twain came forward
sqdarc!y with the announcement of his
own Gramatization of the John r Raw
mond play Of The Gild@d Age the nro-
gram making no mention of Charles DYd