New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-09-06
STAGE AFFAIRS
SAVOY THEATRE.
Carlotta Nillson in Diana of Dobson's.'

).
Diana OF Dobson's" the play which began the
season at the Savoy Theatre last night, and In
which Miss Carlotta Nison impersonated the prin-
eipai character. a shop girl who became
unexpectedly wealthysand spent a small fortune
playing the lady then lived TO repent her folly.
The working girl: her hard lot, her miserable pit
lance and eternal struggle with the world and the
devfl-the latter represented by ayaricious en-
ployers-is a popular topic for discussion among
well fed socialists and numerous writers for the
stage. In meiodrama there is THE Working Girfs
Wrongs" Why Mary Quit" and Martha OF the
Paterson Silk Mills all of which set forth the ter
rible struggles of fair dansels to protect them
selves against bad men In the end virtue trf-
urnphs and the audience is nightly pleased
Diana of Dobson's" turns the mirror in another
direction. II portrays the usual terrible srug-
giles against poverty the one hand ana the
temtaptions of the devil the other.
There four acts in It and the first discoses
Diana Massngbird, good looking and not without
the charm common TO her sex. She drass heI
tired body into the iormftory of London drapery
establishment There is group of shop girls there
all weary. complaining of their cruel fate dream
ing of what might have been. The eternal drudg-
cry of girls life. CT working girl. hangs neaVv
in that dormitory- Diana is plain spoken she
is sick to the heart of working for pittance.
Poor Diana! Presently messenger enters he
gives her letter. She tears it open. Her eyes
sparkle with nfe and. in moment OF ex-
hflarating joy she makes known TO her less fortu-
thing necessary to make momentary queen OF
Dobson girl-rnoney
A relative died and remembered her She re-
ceived allowance equivalent to $500. Diana's
mode of living changed. and at once She had long
wished to spend what she termed an hour or
glorious nfe"-only hour. She did.
She went to Switzerland and posed as widow
of means She dressed herself IN expensive
gowns she drank, she danced; she entertained this
and that; In a word, she stated to the full every
T07S xx-fEF Of harh aa-- with q
himself her feet-at the feet Of Diana of Dob
sons. What more could poor working lass de-
sire? Then came the reaction There was limit
the fund left her In the last act Diana is dis
covered in Londons graveyard for its living things.
the Thames Embankment- There the little girl with
a goddesss name is sitting a bench filed with
the wreckage Of humanity. A crust would seem
luxury A beside her lights his pipe
Before the match went out she and the man were
reviewing the past. 1t Captain Bretherton,
gentleman who wished to marry her a few mo-
ments before she had reached the end Of her 'glor
hour" She plain spoken, as has been
indicated. At that time she told the captain every
thing, that she was not widow, that the last
minute of the "glorous hour at hand-that.
in fact, she only Diana Of Dobson's The
captain reconsdered his promises. Now. on the
banks OF the Thames, they were equal Both were
washed ashore and in the mad rush the waters
had torn away their vanity and left them as naked
almost as the day the two came into the world
Diana and the captain took a new view OF LIE and
OF living. and among that human wreckage mace
pledges of love.
There are two good scenes in this play, and the
second is better than the first. The first is In the
third act when Captain Bretherton mumoles his
vows to Diana Bretherton is not the ordinary
stage Englshman. He is more Ike a human be-
ing who has been nurtured like house plant
He is manly enough know that. though he had
gone to oxford and Elton and other places OF
learning, he is still unprepared to make a living
himself. Richard Bennett acted that charac-
naturally and with simplicity that was art
fuI. The second and best scene occurs in the last
act on the banks OF the Thames Bretherton was
hit hard by Dana's singing rebuke. She had told
him that he a man; that he could not
make q living for himself. He tried hard and
fell in the gutter He could have existed his
allowance, but refused touch ii. When he
recognized Diana he told her again and again that
he had loved her for herself only, and now that's
they were equal she could have hesitancy IN
accepting him. Diana fell into his arms Carlotta
Nillson has invested Diana with the charm Of
natural acting, and Diana is interesting because Of
that