New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-12-06
LONDON DRAMA
Niss Ashweu IN q Pleasant Play
Miss DdUis's Return.

london, November %
A transition from unpleasant 70 pleasant plays
f. q dangerous experiment for ternperaihen-4
.c+resa Miss Ashwell IL an emorionaA AcHeS''
with mind, body and nerves suited 70 S0H'
PSYCHOLOGICAL drama. intense IN Fe1isA -
morbid in tendencies. In Irene "ycherieS 90"
has displayed remarkable power, and ner netn0o
was even finer and moro intense IN concen'Ee'oH
energy in 1.-THE Sway Boat"i and her only riVei
In narrowing drama with prooiemsrcs-
acter is Mrs Patrick Campbell. she H. now
..r .ba manager Of her own theatre the Knss-
nav and sha has been warned that playSoerS
ar. rspelled when q distressing evening enes
unhsnnsly. 80 she has selected among SCOTS
Of plays By new writer's Mr.. Herman Cnltons
'.CSrit" which may not be light comedy yet snos
nIe.santIy. She pays the penalty when the
critics bluntly tell her that her CHARACTERISTIC
qualities are sacrificed and that she lacks scope
for her highly strung realism Xer soreiS ensrS
is compensation for lack OF agony when she ap-
pears in tho final love scene, sweetly gracious
and sparkling with feminine charm. The su-
dtenca is cheered by the promise Of happiness
when husband and wife have learned 70 up
preciate each other, and II not haunted with
"reminiscences Of a dismal night In theatre
The play is a variant OF "The STOPPING Lady"
with q Socialist carpenter In place Of tbs Radi-
cal butcher. The heroine, Firth Winter. comes
from . country family with proud social tradi-
tons and an accumulated stock % bad debts.
She is flirting with Dick Trayers. man OF her
own class with Ave hundred . year, when she
is forced TO face the situation created By an
extraordinary will. An eccentric old man. whose
life had been saved by the sturdy carpenter, has
bequeathed a large fortune to him and TO her.
dividing It between them on tbs sote condition
that they become man and wife The stage
abounds in fantastic Wills. but there has seldom
been q wilder vagary Of freakish cid age. The
carpenter and the proud. ar1stocretio heroine
have never met. and their fortunes are zrtin-
cially linked together By the cSprtcss OF .
whimsical dotard, who is grateful 20 the man
sAA honors the friendship Of the girls father.
II one cannot accept this artificial foundation
for a play he ought TO leave the theatre soon
after the curtain rises rather than to spend ths
evening arguing whether the theme 10 ccnvtnc-
ing or not. If this incredible postulats can be
tolerated, there will follow an agreeable enter
tainment opening with an anomalous marriage
similar to the one In 'Le Maitrs dss Forsss"
The authors scheme is the familiar one OF .
loveless marriage. IN which tina high spirited
wife gradually learns TO adore her husband be-
cause he has nobility OF character Each has 70
be protected at the outset from the reproaoh OF
sordidness In marrying for money. She needs
the money for that we'll worn stage property a
spendthr1ft father. and the vzorkingman wants
1t because he Is an ardent Socialist, eager to
help on the cause Of downtrodden labor Tn.
proud lady stoops to take the rough hand of the
carpenter. Jim Barr. after fitting the irrespon
sible Dick Travers. with his extravaeant tastes
and nne manners. He makes II easier for her
to do 1t because he has the sensitiveness Of
nature required for self-sacrince and renuncia-
ton. He declares II to be q marriage only I'm
name and leaves her at liberty to live her own
life. unhampered by the III bred awkward and
blunt husband, who Is at home only among
working people. Mr.. Norman McKInnel plavs
the part with 80 much earnestness and NATURAL
ness that the carpenter soon becomes a raaI
character-another Adam Bede The ".,.oo,,nz
lady" In touched at once by his naxnantrnt,,-
and Is put In tho way OF falling in love with
him. only notable exhibition OF self-sacrinoe
Is needed Tor the nnal conquest and surrender
The paywright's work is cut out for hin, .,a
he has merely 70 follow the pattern Razor,
the wife can ind out how noble a man q. .h
carpenter, her fashionable lover must r.va.I
his own baseness and ignoble qualities r)ic.<
Travers Ia constantly hanging about after bar
marriage and scandalous tongues ara wa~xJr~
about their relations: and he finally eores. ri.
way into her eoudoir at midnight and in
oynicaIY Indifferent when she begs him TO ex-
tricate her from n compromising position TIL.
husband 10 knocking at the door befor. the
exciting talk is ended and the lover has n h.
bundled into a cupboard-the familiar retreat
for audacious rakes. Now comes the .urnr,..
or the play. and II is not one requiring much
!nventiveness The carpenter has found IN .
secret drawer later will by the eccentric
millionaire. which revokes the previous one
and leaves all the money to the woman. Tn.
carpenter no longer divides tho fortune with
her. and. instead OF secretly destroying tho will
gives up everything and announces his intention
OF going back 20 tina bench and earning his liv-
Ina rs a lowly workingman The playwright.
manipulation Of wills TO suit the sxiEeneies Of
hts plot Is carried long way; but there 4. thu
best possbls opening for agreeable eonelu-
sion. The ignobs lover II let cut % the cum
board with seornful adnopition; tire wife steals
downstairs 10 tho secret drawer and dsstrovs
the will by which the carpenter 10 made penni-
iess; and down comes tho curtain at last altar
touching love Scene IN which the stoopin~
lady is happy prisoner In her husbands strong
arms. MlAs Ashwsli aota with power ana char,
throughout thls play and Ia well supported nv
all her associates While there Is littls
originality IN the general scheme OF this drama.