Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-02-22
IN LONDON 7HEA7ERS.

She refuses moreover to return, and
finally throws herself into the arms OF
Fernand who, nobly lying as usual, says
at first that II Is too late. But he does
not mean 1t bit, and we are lell 10
infer that despite Paul Bourget, the
divorce court will be set to work, ana
that 1t will be the happiness OF FERN
and" thereafter. At the Gymnase Mile
Regnier is Jacquelin and Abel Tarride,
Fernand and both play eXcellently. IN
French IL Is not a half bad evening
amusement, but, in English, we nae
our dootsl" According to report, now
ever, the American rights alreau- are
disposed of, and for the English ones
negotiations are pending. Evidently
the spell of recent French winners is
strong upon Anglo Saxon manage
ments
That weird genius Beerbohm Tree
has found part that suits MIN IN
Locke's Beloved Vagabond." 1t inter
ests him so much that in the second
act he forgets he Is MIR. Tree and be-
comes the real Paragot. OF course, no
one who is as fond of a novel as most
readers are of "rhe Beloved Nagabond
will ever be satisfied with any drama
tization of that novel, but Mr.. Locke
has at least made what promises 10
be successful play out of this book
which In the book. amounts to little,
and living us minimum of the at
mosphere which made most of the
charm of his novel.
successful American playwright OBJ
served to the writer yesterday that
whenever he undertook TO dramatize
a novel he carefully abstained from
reading that novel, but had some one
else read 1t and then tell him the story
Then he went to work and wrote the
pla'- After that, he read the novel to
see IL there was anything in II what
would be of any use to the play. Ap-
parently this Is what Mr.. Locke did. so
far as he could, with his own novel,
remembering only the slight plot and
FORGETTING pretty much all else except
what would be of special use to the
character actor for whom the play was
being written 1t Is a pity to quarrel
with the result. for with all its failure
TO convey across the footlights more
than 1.-THE of the charm OF the novel
II has more Imagination, character and
cham than nine out of every TO plays
London sees.
In the first act we find CASTOR de
Nerac as q Partisan of fashion and
promising genius about to wed the
daughter of an English nobleman, who
has become involved in a bank scan
dial To get the funds needed to save
with a rich and villainous French
count to leave Paris without word
of explanation to his bride to-be. He
does II so quixotically and paradoxical-
~ and epigrammatically that the audi
ence tries to forget what a silly thing
1t is to do.
In the next act we find the noble
CASTOR become the houseless, thirsty,
Glrty, occasionally joyous, and always
sentimental philosopher Paragot. And
here he Is at his best. For the delights
OF this act one forgives the long-drawn-
out reconciliation in the last act be-
tween the partially besotted Paragot
and the lady of his dreams, In the
book the philosopher WEEDS the waif
Blanquette. whom he had be-
frlended on his wanderings; but in the
play. as a mistaken concession to the
atrlcal traditions, he is restored to the
arms of the gracious lady whom he
had surrendered to the Villainous and
fortunately moribund French count.
The enthusiasm of the first night audi
ence. which was unrestrained at the
end of the second act. was so much
cooled by this third act that perhaps
Mr.. Tree will see the error OF his ways
and permit Mr.. Locke to change the
ending.
CURTIS BROWN.