The Washington herald., 1907-02-24

cautiousncss and giugcrly deft- /
q IL ness that are unintentionally
amusing the pathological phases of his I'M /
convincing plot in the entertaining little
play seen 81 the National Theater the
past week. Like the ndiscreet person
who thoughtlessIy starts talking about a
forbidden topic. Mr. Gillette seems ner-
vous an the time he is dealing with the
subject of his heros supposed illness,
The lines indicate that their writer was
rather impatient TO get them OFF his
hands or mind. so that he might pass
10 the expression OF ideas which he could
set forth with frankness and fullness,
without hemmins or having, hedging or
yelling. And 8Ir. William Gillette. as ac-
tor is distinctly responsive TO the mood
OF the playwright in tIis particular, hur-
ryiug ntry0usly through the scenes suS-|
Ecstiye of baciH and coo liver oil, as IL
conscious the suggestions were Iryins to
the interest. If not the patience, OF the
audience. The most obvious objection 10
the plot OF ~Cllrice' is that no man of the
intelligence of The hero could have been
succcss.uIly fooled about his own condi-
ton by any doctor He would have known
by previous experience with his lung
trouble whether the doctor report mad
q reasonable basis or not, FOR as an in
teiligsnt patient with a good chance OF
recovery ne would have been taught Go
watch his own symptoms and 70 know
the significance of changes i'm them. I'm
other words. the hero, under the circuM-
stances represented in the play. ought %
have been. ana IN real life wouiG have
beca, almost as well able 20 judge OF his
own condition as the average doctor. He
would certainly have known if his dis
ease had reasserJed itself 10 such au cS-
tent as 20 threaten a fatal termination
in "a few months. This is the chief rel-
SON why this latest Gillette play is uu-
convincing. Bur il isn't fair To DE too
eNacting with this aUthOr-act0r- lt is
difficult for him To ind suitable plays
in which to appear Ills limitations are
wcil-kn0Wn and conspicuous. Within
them he is one of our most inter
ostlng and entertaining players. Out
side o. them he is lost. wasted. futile
- the hero OF '-CIGrCc-' lie Iust skirts
the edge Of tie domain In which DE has
something Cd say that Us to the p1int and
effective. There is just enough of char
acter' To tle part 10 develop the Gillette
favor, not strongly. but SO that it can
be Gis-egned Enthusiastically.
IL isn't surprising jhat "The Love
Route" suspended operations for the sea-
son. perhaps Tor good. at The close of It's
weeks engagement here last night. IL is
a weak and meudaci0us play. q play that
doesn't keep it's promises. And no refer
cacc is here Intended 90 the ten-tgu loco
motive which the clever but mslrGpulous
advanc- agent promised 10 have on lhe
stage TO draw the train of real cars
across the scenery. but which was used
exclusively % draw advertising matter
on, of the building department The To-
connective actually seen on the stage was
probably pap.er-macLc, or something SIM
liar. The mendacity of THE Love Route
consisted ln arousiug i'm tine nrst act exc
peetat.ons. which were entirely repudl-
"jtt 10 tAe succeeding acts. The heroine
talked aliuI-agly and iEspirinsIy scrappy
t. tat bi0ated bOgdhcldors and raiIrl4d
bandits in their Office in the first act
Bus when she got down i'm Texas. on her
own ranch. there wasn't bit Of FIGHT
D. her. Things fiat-cucd out lamcutaIly
and Mr. Edward PcpIe ought 20 Doe
ashamed of himself for allowing such Ge.
s.+'-at'0A OF thc mclOdIaml iu his hands
Its very unusual thing that AR. Henry
Miller proposes TO DO. that of brfnrins
back TO Washington fora single perform
ance. "The Great Divide, in order TO give
our theater-goers au opportunity TO re.
consider the unfdyogabIe verdict supposed
10 have been rassedou il when il was frs
presented here. tt shows the verdict %,
the Washington public has considerable.
value to producers and actors. Washing
ton has had reason 10 know this for sev-
eTal years. but the public admission OF tn,
fact is none the less agreeable. That Mr.
Millers action is not Inspired either By q
desire for profit OF additional advcrtising
would seem TO be demonstrated by the adj
United success OF The Great Divide" n
New York during its prolonged season
there.
Signs accumulate that the drist from IN,
present realism OF the stage toward til,
romantic and poetic is steadily gathering
momentum in this country as in Franc
and England. When grand opera. thD
lofuest table land OF the realm of stag
art, was submerged by the wave of real
ism or naturalism with the completeness
shown in the works oil Puccini. it NIGH
be predicted the reaction could not be IA
distant. The wave must rcccde. Actor
managers OF the intelligence ana initia
tive Of Mr.. T. ii. Sothem have appre
ciaJed the situation earliest and turne,
from realism to classic, historic. an,
poetic plays Mr.. Sothern had the cour
age this season 10 produce a new poeti
drama by an American author. and hi
laudable enterprise has fortunately bee
warmly applauded by the public III
play is Percy Nuckaye's Jeanne dare
a beautiful and well-c0nstructed Gramati
rendering Of the most salient incidents II
the career of the Maid of Orleans. Thi
has been one Of the most successful pro
ductions of the season. demOnstratin
that the public is eager for "a change fror
the rather steady diet OF realistic drama
has had for years. And now il is au
nounced that Mr.. Mackayc has been com
missioned to write u poetic tragedy 70
Miss Bertha Kalisch. Richard Mansfel
has recognized the demand for new OF
der of drama, and his production o. Pee
Gyul' was an attempt TO meet il, al
though not very wise one,
Manager Henry W. Savage, the char
acteV and success OF whose enterprise
mark him as one of the most high-miudeC
intelligent, ana res0urcefuI men OF hi
class IN the country. has been telling
Western interviewer that we should hav
subsidized opera houses rs they DO abr0a.
II is his opinion that there Should be lirs
a government subyenuon and then iocs
nnns ~ y r.n,-al-lr1,nrt ..llrt-nr-iint, n