The Washington times., 1907-11-17


~ He week has been f,ll-some of
the people also. but not all the
theaters. There has been so
much doing that we can appro-
Priately call it a play-storm.
Mrs. Patrick Campbell, capable and
overestimated actress, began gathering
some more American dollars (Which she
likes and affects 10 despisel al the Lyric
with a production of THE Second Mrs.
Tanqueray" Monday evening, and is
running the gamut Of her repertoire at
the same place She Is effective and
temperamentai ia her work when she
cares to try, but, very ike Mrs. Leslie
Carter. she often underestimate her
audience in this country, and, therefore,
dawdles and loafs through her part The
ultra English tinctuFe Of the Mrs Camp
bell atmosphere and the assumed Gel
eLrity of the stellar name and repu-
tation serve to draw partial houses
that is about all. Advancement
progress, newness, even intense thrills
from exceptional exhibitions OF artistic
strength we are denied in this Mrs. Pat
ngagement-and. OF COURSE. the plays
belong to a past dramatic Ie-iod which
excuse for Mrs. Patrick Cumpbelrs ap-
pearance In these vehiciss at the present
time and place must be that she needs,
or wants, the money.
"The Christian Pilgrim"
l. We don't have to hike far along the
Great White Way to find something
spectacular and overpowering, any
way, as an antidote to the ancient
flavor Of the Lyric offerings, for at the
Liberty nightly now is the astounding
and MISUNDERSTANDING THE Christian
Pilgrim" which has already devastated
the critical kindness of the Capital OF
the United States. What In the world
is to be thought, or said, Of this stu
pendous effort to dramatic a psyche
logical study of the phenomena of
Christian conversion? Oh, lets accept
I It rs a beautiful. Illustrated lecture,
and not try to match the Elusive beau
( ties of Bunyan's great work in the
resulting stage production here put
! forward. As long ago as three years
Miss Crosman told me. way out on
/ the Pacific coast, where she was play
/ ing in her road company, that she and
| her husband were saving up and put
ting all they could spare into this
Christian Pilgrim" enterprise. in
which they expected the triumph OF
their lives As a drama It cannot
stand. As a spectacle, It may appeal
/ To many people who rarely visit the
! yheater! II does no one any harm-ex-
cept the misguided Miss Crosman and
/ her business and professional assO-
eiates. who will lose a pile of money on
| the venture
! I believe many prominent people o.
! the theater have been itching TO stage
some grand religious theme ever since
the circus methods that were successful
with ben Hur" The bunch has spread
in various directions and has taken OF
several different forms It has led t,
symbolic plays. THE Light Eternal,
..The Prince of India" ''The Evangel
ist and all the long list Of huge, pre-
MYSTERIOUS enormides Of the stage. Tn
told fortunes have been dropped beforu
the mistaken deluge has reached IL
flood. May It now be Quelled. Tn
theatergoing public doesn't want any
thing but a real play-or a play witt
real music. which is opera. And d.
believe that the pubic is exactly righ
in manifesting invariably the fact tina
II wants a play that tells something new
or at least eliminates some known
fundamental. vital life rule The civil
/ cation Of today is the biggest dramati
/ theme-fountain mankind ever had from
which 10 draw, and the theater neve
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