Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-11-29
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| AUDlIORlO M-f1enfY Miller most
successful play, 1.-THE Great Divide"
will be given this week by Lewis S.
Stone and his company at the Auditor
ium. Mr.. Miller still is playing this
unquestionably great American drama
In the high price syndicate theaters of
the east, and this weeks production
at the Auditorium will be the first
| presentation of the play by any stock
company in any city.
1.-THE Great Divide" was written by
| William Vaughn Moody, professor of
English literature at the University of
Chicago. It's production by Henry
| Miller and Margaret Anglin year and
half ago is said to have been the
most successful presentation OF an
American play that has been made dur
| ing the past decade. AS dramatic
product pure and simple 1.-THE Great
| Divide" is an admirable example of
what play should be. 1t has wealth
of melodramatic instances, II fascinat-
| ing love story, much comedy of high
| character, and at the same time 1t
| comes as near to being a problem play
as Wilde or Pinero or Henry Arthur
Jones has ever written. AS literary
product 1.-THE Great Divide" has been
prominent among recent theatrical sue
| cesses-its literary quality IS of such
worth that ii is being used as model
| of American play construction in
number of large colleges of the east.
| Lewis s. Stone win have the part
of Stephen Client, originated by Henry
Miller, a strong, rugged, robust mining
man, who is brought up in the noun
| tains of Arizona The development OF
Clients character and the uplifting or
the mans nature are capitally brought
out during the progress of the play.
| Florence Oakley will have the role or
. al, T0r5an otfryfna1lV nlaVed DV Mar
garet Anglin. Every other member OF
| the Stone company will be engaged In
| the production of 1.-THE Great Divide
Scenic Artist Brunton has prepared
series of exceptionally beautiful stage
pictures for the production, the sec
ond act scene in particular being
product of scenic beauty. This Is the
scene that shows Clients cabin on the
edge of an Arizona canyon.
",rhe Great Divide" is another play
| that costs the management OF the stone
| company $1,000 a week for the right 10
play 1t, and is an eloquent Illustration
of Mr. stones effort to provide the
Auditorium patrons with the very best
nlays that are available-plays that are
still being given in the east at the
| usual So scale of prices and which are
presented here at the Auditorium scale
of popular prices. There will be mat
inee performances of THE Great Dr.
vide" Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
Following 1.-THE Great Divide" the
Stone company will he seen In The
| only Way" In which Mr.. stone WILL
of course, have the part OF Sydney
Carton, his greatest local achleVe-
fnent.
BELASCO-Los Angeles playgoers,
always keen for plays of dramatic IN
| teres and also, as has been proved by
attendance, fond of the richly dramatic
allied with the religious element, VIII
be glad to welcome at the Belasco thea
ter this week Christian drama, Inc
Light Eternal" by Martin V. Merle, a
California boy and a graduate of the
Jesuit college at Santa Clara, has been
said by no less an authority than the
New York Sun to be far the superior
OF ben Hur,' 1.-THE Holy City" OF
1.-THE Sign of the Cross" The play
laid in the time ,of the Neros. Is
most remarkable exposition OF the
heroism that the early Christian went
through for his faith. Yet there is
nothing in maudlin sentimentality
about it, 1T has a fine love story
written through it, the characters are
natural, and the situations are or tine
most plausible kind. Mr.. Merle mas
taken the daughter of Rom n project,
who. pagan in her belief, falls in love
with a Christian unwittingly. Warned
of her lovers belief in new faith by
his rival in love, she spurns him and,
true to her god, signs his death war
rant. He is sent to his fate with many
others after a dramatic refusal 10 re-
nounce the Living God" HIS retusal
and his adherence to his Christianity
wins her back to him, and in the last
act she pronounces herself follower
of his God.
IT can be imagined that this lends it,
self to the best of situations ana TO a
scenic display heretofore unequaled
in ulays of this character in Los An
geles Mr.. Merle produced this play
short while ago on the coast, but later
took it to New York and, with the aid
of the Shuberts and Aenry Miller, made
a new production of it. There are five
great scenes, all different, and all espe-
cially painted for this prod elton by
Henry Miller's scenic artist, Mr.. Cooke,
now of the Beilsco staff. The great
scene of the play is the fourth act.
wher, the project attempts to wean the
hero from his faith and where the cross
appears to guide him.
1t readily can be perceived that the
play will lend itself to the abilities of
the Relasco cast. Mr. Van Buren, will
mlls a magnncent looking and acting
Marco, the hero Miss Kline. who al
ready has shown great temperamental
qualities, should shine as the Roman
maiden of varying moods, and the part
should be an admirable test of her
abilities. The other members OF the
cast are well placed. The costumes are
classic and of the period, and in many
OF the scenes there will be nearly a
hundred persons on the stage
Mr.. Merle is directing the rehearsals.
and that alone should be a guarantee
of what will be offered. Many of the
clergy of the city have signified their
Intentions of witnessing the produc-
lions of the play which appeals alike
to those of religious tendencies and
those who like strong dramatic situa-
tons.