Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-05-09

Special Correspondence.
r ONDoN, April elf The Col
lego Widow" which Henry w
Savage, that astute ATerican
manager. is presenting in Lon
don has taught the native Britisher
anything It is that the American Ian
Ruage, as regards certain purple
patches of IT, Is a foreign tongue. The
audience at the Adelphia, while keenly
enjoying the show, are still struggling
manfully with George AIDES line OF
talk"
The management OF the American
farce have done all In their power to
help the English theater-gOer to some
sort OF an appreciation of American
slang "a la AIDE" For instance with
every program they give a glossary ex-
planning the plain-Engltsh English or
such choice bits as "a web-footed
rube." cutting up didoes" and sick
the widow on him" But although this
document is studied asslduously by the
audience | think they don't know any
more after than they did before read
ing it. For one thing the dialogue and
incidents move too rapidly for the
mental processes OF our British cous-
ms. This, even despite the fact that
the pace has been considerably lower
ed since the dress rehearsal The play
ers now take things slowly. judged
from the American standard, TO give
the audience an opportunity of under
standing some of the Chicago humor-
lists best efforts. But in vain. The
audience goes into commissions at every
performance over the compelling hui
NOR of the play, the humor that
makes the whole world kin" and which
is independent OF the slang, but 1T does
not and cannot appreciate the slang
The lines that were always good for
laugh" In the United states here
pass by unnOticed 1t is all absolutely
lost on the British audience. 1t rolls
off their comprehension like wafer OF
a ducks back; stub" Talmage, who
can't open his mouth without emitting
| a delicious piece of slang, gets rpples
of encouraging mirth only from the
Americans in the audience. But "Bub'
| Hicks. the ''web-footed Rube' and the
| Hon Elan Hicks both of Squantum-
VILE who wouldn't know a choice bit
| of slang If it came up to them in the
street and shook them by the hand
cant come on the stage without a
burst of joyous rapture from the stalls,
the pit. the balcony and the gallery.
All the slang that even George AIDE
| at his best is capable of writing could
never have made the play success
| If II did not have the clements of uni
versal humor.
WEAKNESS IN HUMoR.
| 1t Ii the weakness in humor that
| will probably make a good deal Of diff
| ference between the London conception
| OF Way Down East" and that OF
Mrs. Wigs and The College
| Widow" The antics OF HI Holler the
chore boy. and the tendency of the
| professor to sit on his hat and engage
In other elementary diversions, did not
| seem to make much appeal to the first
| night audience at the Aldwych Thea
| ter We Americans in the audience en-
| ioyed the pictures of farm life, but
| they We're so different from anything
| known here that the English specta
tors seemed rather puzzled, and con-
| siderahly bored by the trite story and
| the heart interest Just as they were
| bored by the little touch of heart In
| terest" in Mrs. Wigs of the Cabbage
| Patch" Edward r. Doyle, the gem
eral manager for William A. Brady,
learning that a condensed version Of
way Down East" is being presented
| in the music halls under the title of
Hearts of Gold" has instructed his
attorneys to sue for damages as we'll
as 10 at once stop any unauthorized
| versions Of his piece. Mr.. Doyle claims
| that Mr. Brady owns the sole produc-
ing rights In this country just the same
as he has in the United states for
many years past
Miss Fannie Ward has helped along