New-York tribune., 1908-09-23
STAGE AFFAIRS
STUYVESANT THEATRE.
Blanche Bates in "The Fighting Hope"

Blanche Bates in "The Fighting Hope
Mr. Belssco inaugurated last night the second
season at his playhouse. the stuyvesant, in
West 4fth street with drama called THE Fight
ing Hope" made by William ]. Huribut, and In
which Miss Blanche Bates appeared as Anna. the
wife of convicted thief. Miss Bates has long
wished for part and in this instance there can
b. no question of her personal success, hut Anna
is less noble character than that of The Girl Of
the Golden West or of Madame Butterfly This
is the story of The Fighting Hope" as told in
three acts: Burton Temple. head of trust COM
pany. is suspected of being accessory to the
wreeking of that institution. His cashier, Robert
Granger the time the curtain rises the first
act is in prison for 'overceTtfying' q check for
thousands of dollars On the Of popular out
burst against him Temple Is discovered in his Ii
brary. \ woman enters, gives the name of Anna
Dale. and is employed his stenographer she IS
the wife of Granger. She has to the Temple
home ii the hope of finding some evidence to prove
her husband innocent. The moment she nenolus
Temple she recalls whom she admired in her
younger days-her Ideal A month elapses be-
the first and second acts. Anna has come TO
love her employer. though. &c. her children 8
sake she hopes to prove her husband innocent
There is 10 be trial The public demanded II
and Temple was forced TO yield.
During the progress of the second act one OF
Temples detectives arrives with confession from
Granger. The cashiers statement vindcated Tenn
pie Anna reads it. thinks only Of the children
and inlpusively destroys it But Anna, IN ner
Quieter moments reflected en- the fine qualities of
Temple; he was her ideal big. noble. generous
loving. honest: her husband the incarnation OF
everything opposed to the Ideal: he was thef
and she know later, unfaithfuL Now.
when these Annas have blundered III their first
choice of husband they transfer their love VITA
amazing facility from one subject TO another. In
this instance it was taken from the ignoble and
placed the feet of the noble.
Such things occur every hour in the world OF
fancy and in tne underworld of crime ana DE-
bauchery. The curtain descends on the second act
with Anna deliberating whether she should crush
the gnoble and spare the noble consign the father
of ner children to living death to save Temple
the innocent. The impelling motive Of Anna s
thoughts is love- love for her children. not love
for her husband. but for Burton Temple. her
ideal the new altar of her devotion Anna loves
her children with mothers love. Her passion
for Temple is born of adm alton for nobility and
of natural aninals1n- Anna could not admire with
loving. and what Anna loved she loved deeply
intensely
When the curtain rlse~ on the third and last
act Granger has escaped from his prison He
comes to her for protection She is about to yield
when Temples confidential man arrives He die
tates letter to Anna. 1t concerns her husband
IT shows that he had relations with another
woman When this confdant has departed she de-
mands an explanation Granger confesses ohe
denouuces him.
Surrounded on all sides he stoops to the lowest in
hnal escape
able nature 10 his wife. He calmly inttlnates that
he suspects her to be Temples mistress. More. he
offers to condone the sin if only Anna VIII save
him. Temple enters at this moment He warns
Temple that he will swear that Anna is his mis-
tress and Temple fully appreciates the value
OF that threat. Anna is between two fires
While she is rackng her brain in an effort to
save the situation the police have reached the
door. They traced Granger to Temples home.
Granger falls on his knees and implorcs his wife
to save him. She refuses. only to reent, and while
the officers are pushing through side door throws
open a window. Granger darts through it like a
nadman. A moment later a shot is heard. The
ignoble is separated from himself; the noble. Tenn
pie and Anna. are left TO their own thoughts.
There can be question OF the success of The
Fighting Hope and the character of Anna ad-
rnirably acted by Miss Bates would be more at
tractive were il not painfully apparent that
despite numerous protestations to the contrary
she was secretly wishing for something to happen
that would permit her to marry the banker. OF
course no sensible woman could be expected to love
or make a sacrifice for man of Changers type;
and the public will overlook the mote in Annals eye
because of the beam in her husbands, and enjoy
for months to come her fighting hope The last
act is by all odds the strongest There is too much
talking in the first and second But tho third act
IS powerful and the acting in it impressive Miss
Bates won rounds Of meritsd applause at the end
of a violent scene between her and Granger, when
she had learned that he stole to keep mistress
Charles Richman gave dignifed and effective por-
trayaI Of the young banker Mr.. Richman's act
ing is always impressive. The others in the cast
Mr Cope Mr. Hansel and Miss Loretta Wells were
no less pleasing. M. Belasco was called upon for
q speech and said ne happy"
CAST OF CHARACTERS
rurton Temple Charles RichInar
isSLor. C:ranger ............. Howell Hanse