The Washington herald., 1908-01-19
NEW YORK THEATERS.

ance in English Of The Reckoning" by
Arthur schmtzler. one OF the younger
German dramatists. was seen last year
at the little Berkeley Lyceum in this city
IN the part Of Christine Weiring appeared
Katherine Grey. The play was so dis
tinct in character and so simple in treat
ment, yet so moving IN its pathos. and
Miss Grey acted the emotional role OF
the sentimental Christine so conyincingly
In spite Of her lapse into strident decla-
nation and hysterla in the bigger mo-
ments, that considerable interest was in
spired by the event and much favorable
comment followed. But the hoodou
which Is believed to attach 10 the Berke-
ley (once known as Mrs. Osborn's Play
house, clung so persistently 10 the heels
Of The Reckoning that il was with
drawn.
1t was revived Monday evening AT the
Madison Square Theater, which Of late
has shared somewhat in the unlucky re-
pute Of the Berkeley. though not IN the
same degree. Katherine Grey was again
seen as Christine. and Robert CONFESS
as Theodore Kaiser. Otherwise the cast
was changed. Amy Ricard playing the
ngenue role of Mitzi Schlaeger, The in
souciaut little milliner. played by Phyllis
Rankin in the original production here.
In the role Of the baron, in which Al
bert Bruuing made a decided impression,
appeared Walter d. Greene with equal eG-
feet, although the baron has but one
scene Of little more than a dozen words.
The piece was well received, and after
running as long as II viii at the Madi-
son Square, vii! be used as a matinee
card next season when Miss Grey is to
be starred in new play.
"The Reckoning" is Of the new school.
but in spite of its tragic tone is a bright
little drama Of compelling interest.
strictly Viennese in color and locale. II
Fl We're Frence It would be impossible to
conceive the verify Of the honest love
that obtains between Fritz S0mmer. the
young bon vivant and bachelor. and the
poor girl Christine, who has a heart only
for him, and who with her gay friend
Mitzi, and the latter's steady" Theodore
bosom friend Of Fritz. Dartakes Of little
midnight suppers in Fritz's apartments
But Fritz has had an affair with the
haT0n's wife and is distressed by fear
that the jealous husband has been made
aware Of the fact
In the midst OF their happy supper the
bell rings. A stranger is announced
Fritz ushers his friends into the next
room ana admits the baron. The scene
between them Is short Fritz'z letter,
10 the baroness are returned by the hus-
band and a challenge passes. There Is
an intervening day between the meeting
and the duel Christine IS not permitted
% know the truth. The interval is euent
in deiusive JOY. Fritz feels that It is the
last time DE shall be IN the presence %,
his trusting Christine. that he viii fall III
the duel and leave Ler Ia ignorance of
bis fate. And so 80 comes to pass. The
young man is killed and buried ere
Theodore comes 10 break the news u
the poor girl
Then there Is woe and misery. She Is
even denied the melancholy consolation ui
seeing him ia his coffin, Tor who is shs
and what is she To those who bemoar
his death as a son and friend? She the
simple child Of the old musician et tHe
theater, But her grief cannot be re-.
strained. Her fathers appeals are IN
vain, and vain the representations ot
Theodore Christine goes 10 his grave
and as she leaves the.little room with irs
old-fashioued furniture and it's flowers
the old wlite-ha.red father bows his head
and says. 'She Will never return"
schnitzler is one OF the cIeverest men
Of the day. with tendency 10 depict the
-outre and bizarre I'm life. and with q mar
velous skill in complicating his problems
and unraveliug them % a logical issue
This was shown in a curtain raiser, "Ths
Literary Sense" which preceded "Ths
Reckoning II would require a column
TO follow the involutious Of this farce. vet
it occupied no more than twenty minutes
.n the playing. II was one OF three SINH
lar one-act pieces featured al the German
IneateT here a few weeks ago. I shall
not undertake 10 tell the story The in
terest is concentrated on a romantic Won
an who has written poetry and a move
and is in love with q u0bleman who has
no sentiment for poetry and detests blue
stockings, but who is authority on horses
and dueis. She has Incorporated i'm he,
novel a sentimental correspondence that
once passed between her and literary
bohemian with whom she was I'm love
This same bohemian has done likewise
with the same correspondence. which he
has embodied in novel just issued.
our little blue stocking IS Mortified u
discover that this sacred correspondence
has thus been desecrated and fears the
worst when the two novels shall fall
into the hands of the belHgerent noble
man. The situation is complicated still
more when the baron returns from the
publisher with the first copy of her book
just OF the press. But the happy ending
is secured when his inamorata herself
throws the volume into the FIRE. apparent
ly 10 please him, and as he has stopped
the press and paid the publisher for de-
stroyi1g the whole issue, he IS kept IN
ignorance OF the truth as to the ladys
little peccadilIo.
All this sounds serious. But Schnitzler
is one Of those writer's whose seriousness
always verges on travesty, whose solemn
~ is always ready 10 be upset by a lest
So instead of gravity we have farce
which proves sometimes explosive. Amy
Ricard played the literary lady and Rob
ert CONFESS the baron. while Walter D.
hemian.
Now the Madison Square Theater also
has fallen prey to the prevailing fad OF
abolishing the orchestra, for which the
fashion was set by BelascO when he
opened the new Stuyvesant with David
Warfield in "A Grand Army Man" The
Belasco Theater followed suit when ''The
Warrens Of Virginia" came to that play.
house. Mrs. Fiske abolished the orches-
ira and IS playing "RosmershoIm'' at the
Lyric without music, Belasco substituted
chimes, which announce the rising of the
curtain The other theateTS simply turn
down the light to indicate that the cur
tain Is about 10 rise.
The translation of Henri Bernstein's &
latest play. Samson" has reached this