The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-09-27

OF me letter II y nao felI
that her desire 10 ave Temple was per-
haps the profnptings Of q passion for him
sHll Illicit (for she was the sort OF woman
to magnify the marriage VOW rather
than the promptings Of justice andhonor.
With the first Of these problems something
more than mechanical narration could
have been impaired 10 the drama before
the destruction Of the letter. With-the
latter or q kindred problem born OF a
real reaction On life something moro than
meiodramaHo emotonalism could have
been impaired to the drama after the
destruction Of the letter. But no such
problems were presented. The lady bah
bied eternaliy Of saving her boys good
nane.' while you were aippoaed 70 weep
for her plight. As q matter Of fact unless
you had checked your sense Of reality 10
the Goa room you despised her percep-
tons and soorned her standards. How
much finer 1t would have been had she
con tinued to love her husband Then her
plight would indeed have been pitfui.
Bot he was only tho father Of her boys'
after all.
There have been plays before now. how
ever. which violated common sense In
their conventional psychology but yet
continued by well wrought story and
piled up suspense to enthrali the beholder.
(Sonae Of them have been seen In Mr..
Belasco's theatres.) "Tbe Thief was
hardly one Of them, for though It's chief
interest obviously lay In the narrative
its Psychology responded In the main
to the test Of reality. But @The Fighting
Hope IL not q vel! wrought story. It 10
very clumsily wrought. Few first acts
have reached the New York stage recently
where the exposition was 90 crudely.
90 badly. 10 uniDterestingly made. That
through the entire play Coincidence. not
Miss Bates. plays the leading part may
perhaps be forgiven by the l~enient. who
will urge that q writer Of meiodrama
should be allowed some license. But that
a heroine 10 compelled to be emotional
by stating to the audience just what the
passions are that pull her 10 surely I'm
f~orgivable. especially when the audience.
having half an eye at least. know already.
Poor Miss Bates. with trembling lip and
swelling bosom, had to face the house
and say. Nov. II ] do &C and so this will
be the result; but. on the contrary. II
! do so and 30. which / undoubtedly wish
TO do, the following will happen or
words to that effect. It wa about as
potent owe the spectators emotions as
a recitation Of the third proposition Of
Euclid. Ii this the way to write q strong
play, q good play7 IL this the way es-
pecially 10 write melodrama, where above
all characters must be In action. must
make their passions known by deeds2
Toward the end Of the second act (there
are but three) Mrs.. Granger. having found
and burned the all important letter. IL
asked by Temple to get It for him from
the safe. AT last you think. sitting
up and oeasing to look at Everett Shinn's
mural decorations. .all this clumsy and
elaborate preparation Is going to re-
suit in something. The melodrama is
under way at lastl' Mrs. Granger goes
toward the safe. What 10 she going TO
dor How is she going to get out OF her
dilemms1 What has the playwright OF
surprises up his sieeve2
And this 10 what he had: Mrs. Grdn0er
said she was stricken with q headache.
staggered out Of the room and the our
tain fell! The act ended where the author
Of sThe Thief would probably have
begun it. Is this q thrilling climax'7
Is this good m~elodramaf
But the last act. you say? Granted the
last act 10 exciting. though common sense
and probability continue 10 be thrown
to the winds. though Temples non-in-
terference with Mrs.. Granger after he
learns who she Is and what she has done
represents q sublimity Of heroism Tor
foolishness) only possible in stage heroes.
though Grdnoer'a exhibition OF villainy
is grossly theatrical In its thoroughness
and his appearance on the scene at all q
wild stretch OF coincidence; granted that
the act 10 exciting, mono the less-why
is 1t excitingi II 10 exciting not from any
unexpected development In the charac-
tiers, any new turns Of psychology; not
from any unexpected posture Of events
either. since you had been prepared to
expect Grdnoer's infdelity, and Mrs.
Granger devises no new plans at all to
cover her deed. 1t IL exciting simply
and solely because Miss Bates. the actress.
lets herself co. because she pounds her
husband, screams Mt the top Of her lungs;
because a revolver shot rings out of stage,
and the white face Of q woman, horror
struck. CLEANS In the surrounding gloom.
Therein lies the excitement OF this third
act. @ pretty easy. theatrical kind Of
excitement. having about as much re-
lation to true drama as-as the other two
acts have.
It Ia not pleasant to write thus severely
Of . new play In ono Of Mr.. Belasco's
theatres. At a time when O many man.
agers and producers are In the theatrical
business not because they love 1t as a
means Of artistic expression but because
II Is O profitable trade, Mr.. Belasoo lie un-
queativnably an artist. He has unaues-
tionably done much to raise the standard
Of scenic truth and beauty in this country,
10 improve public taste in the matter OF
surface fidelity to nature and the acting
Of minor roles. He has given US David
Warheld. too. and built for US n Of our
most beautiful Theatres. But all this
should not be an excuse but an added rea-
SOD for condemnation rather when he
produces such q false and clumsy and wo-
fully artificial play as THE Fighting
Hope
It 10 Mr.. Belasoo's opportunity to be a
leader. In this play he is taking q long
step backward. At q time when Eugene
Walter 10 getting raw life upon the stage
In the first act Of Paid In Full and Thomas