Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-08
T HE T HE E R.
Belasco Theater.

Many first productions have been MADE
in Washington under the auspices OF
David Belasco. some of them. like THE
Darling of the Gods instantaneous and
convincing successes: others, like
Naughty Anthony plays whose quail
ties did not impress themselves with any
great degree of force. 1t was in Naughty
Anthony" that Miss Blanche Bates made
the step into positive recognition as an
eminent actress, albeit the play itself was
chidden by the critics and neglected by
the public. Miss Bates was saved by
single SOMEONE which seems audaclous
enough in the description, but which was
quite innocent in its enactment. she rep
resented a character in the employ or a
hosiery firm, and displayed her wares by
removing one superimposed sample after
another from the natural habitat Of the
garment. The piece indicated possibilities
for Miss Bates as a queen OF burlesque'
but she chose the drama as her career,
and has made a most admirable record,
her greatest successes being in ro.es which
combine certain straightforward SIM
plicity of character with sentimental de-
votion and physical bravery.
1t may be that in Naughty Anthony
Miss Bates acquired a taste for shocking
her audiences just little. Although since
manned most demurely skirted, she Drift
ed toward the sWear-Word and made one
Of the scenes in THE Girl Of the Golden
West" highly effective by her piquant
use of the intersection which in cold type
is commonly indicated by capital II and
a dash But if Miss Bates desires pro-
family in her plays she should insist on
expressing 1t herself, with the delicacy
which only a thorough artist can com
mand. for in her latest vehicle, exhibited
;,I, 4n Of cn1 6-h1nO6p6
words grew harshly monotonous.
The entertainment last night, as an
nounced by the program. W. Blanche
Bates in The Fighting Hope. The
phrase has a determined and courageous
ring, which may commend 1t to New
York. where the crucial trial of its des-
TIMES will subsequently occur. 1t is fur
Their described as an American play OF
today by William j. Hurlbut. 1t conveys
one or two familiar suggestions in its plot
which none the less has a good strong
central idea of its own. Mr.. Hurlbut evil
IDENTIFY felt that the American financier
has been sufficiently abused, and makes
the hero, played by Charles Richman "a
man of affairs who. having made u for
tune honestly, is about to be thrown into
prison on a false charge of crooked prac-
tees The idea of the woman using her po
siton as confidential clerk to amasS evil
dence is appropriate for the development
of the plot which proceeds through much
dialogue, some of it so barren as 70 sound
dence is appropriated for the development
like improvisation. to the development of
discovery OF heroine who, having been
led by love to plot a terrible revenge
finds that her love has been utterly mis-
placed and that the object of her ven
geance is the real master of her affec-
tons. The climaXes are as rule anticl-
pated in the mind of the auditor many
minutes before they actually mature upon
the stage. An enormous we ght of re-
sponsibility Is left upon the actors at
| many critical junctures in the action, the
interest depending more upon their
| psychic moods implied by the speeches
| than upon the situations in which the
story places them.
| Miss Bates did not spare artistic effort
| Both in scenes of depressed emotion and
| of physical demonstration she drew I'M
| sparingly on a wonderful store of nerv
| Gus energy. Mr.. Richman ably seconded
| her endeavors. and a demonstration of
| fervid histrionism the performance was a
| remarkable one. In the last act the hus-
| band who has been the object Of the hero
| ines loyal but mistaken solicitude makes
| a long-deferred entrance. Dramatic in
| terest might have called for his APP
pearance earlier in the plot. but the fact
| that he was in the penitentiary is suf
| ticient excuse for his absence. He turns
up as an escaped convict and a most mat
ter-of-fact scamp, who deserves more
than the feminine fisticuffs which Miss
Eates is able to bestow. Realizing this.
the playwright provides for his removal
from the scene by means of gunshot
by penitentiary guard who catches him
as he is trying to escape through win
dow This clears the way for her mar
riage with the millionaire whose waste
basket she has been pillaging in quest of
evidence, and the inexorable popular de-
mand for happy ending is appeased.
The applause during the evening was
hearty and prolonged, flowers were
passed up onto the stage brief speeches
OF grateful appreciation were made by
Miss Bates and Mr.. Belasco. and the au-
thor was called before the curtain. 1t
was an audience Of wellwishers for all
concerned.