The Washington herald., 1908-01-19

/ The BeIascO-"The Great Divide"
The national drama" the ''long await
ed great American play" William
Vaughn Moody's THE Great Divide, ="
with Margaret Anglin and Henry Miller
in their original roles. is the prospect
for the patrons OF the Belasco Theter
the coming week "The Great Divide"
presents the strange phenomenon of a
play being splendid literature and an un-
usual example OF constructive dramatic
art, and at the same time an overwhelm-
ing popular success. Mr., Moody seems
TO have solved the problem of coupling
artistic perfection with those qualities OF
dramatic appeal which win the scholarly
and the unthinking alike. In all that
has been written about The Great Di-
vide" in newspapers and magazines, dis
sertations upon it's symbolism and eth
ical purpose invariably have been pre-
fixed and ended with declarations CT its
amazing charm as mere theatrical enter
tainment.
'The Great Divide" has been called the
great American play" because 1t is be-
lieved 70 body forth more typical phases
of American character than any OF its
predecessors, and because II gives a
broad and powerful exposition OF human
nature as it has developed under the vari-
Gus influences existing IN this country
BY reason of two acts being represented
as taking place in Arizona and several OF
the dramatis persOnae being OF the noun
tains and plains, the play has been
classed enormously under the general
head OF Western drama" The last
scene is a village in Massachusetts. and
most Of the characters there are Puritans
so Il might as easily be called a down
East play. But il is neither-iJ is Tar
| from being sectional in this restricted
meaning. The hero is a rough Western
er the heroine a refined girl Of proud
New England descent. Thus the pro-
tagonists represent two Of the strongest
forces in American progress and civiliza-
tion, and the stormy course of their shiI
OF love, dramatically and vividly pictur-
ed, IS Ike unto the spirit of the East
contending with the spirit of the West
I Love and understanding come into theig
1 hearts after a period Of strife and con-
tentiOn, like the welding Of the antago-
nistic forces which have produced the
greatness Of our nation. 1t makes OF the
mountaineer a nobleT man and of the
Pilgrim daughter a finer woman. BOtn
characters are on a higher level at the
end of the play than at the beginning
and so powerfully and subtly is this
change wrought, the spectators feel 5he
uplift also.
Much of this effect is due 10 the mas
terful way in which Nh Miller and Miss
Angliu embOdy the characters and sug-
gest, step by step. their advancement
through the storm and stress which leads
10 love and happiness. Their work in
this play has been pronounced the finest
/ the co-stars ever have done, and this
not forgetting Miss Angln's Zira and
Mrs, Dane, and Mr. Miller's Sydney Car
ton IN The Only Way" his Hamlet. and
his Frederick Lemaitre. "The Great Dt
vide Will be seen here under exactly the
same conditions prevailing during IT'S rUT
I of season and half at the Princess
and Daly's theateTS. New York The pr0.
/ duction is the metropolitan originaI-mort
( elaborate than the cue shown i'm Pitts
I burg before-and the cast has undergone
i no essential change. still including Laurs
/ Hope Crews, Mrs. WHifeu. Charles Gott.
hold, Charles Wyngate. ". J Butler
Henry b. WalthaH, James Kirrwood
Nolan Gagne, Frank Browniee. Arnold
T Wilbur, Frederick Moore, and Arthur
! GarstUn.