The Washington herald., 1909-10-31
THE THEATER IN NEW YORK
FRANKLIN FYLES ENTERTAININGLY CHATS OF THE
LATEST PLAYS ON AND ABOUT BROADWAY

dramas here are so much in contrast. so
Illustrative OF contrary purposes and pro-
cesses, that ] hope you will find the fol-
lowing accounts Of them readable
"Springtime' Is 1--WE mems efforts to
create heroine with whom one Of those
mems wife may be popularized OF
course, the husband is the quintet's capt.
talist That is theatrical business
Israel Is an Israelite's dramatic pres
entation OF the Christian versus Jewish
animosity, which extends throughout the
civilized world. That has been a dramatic
subject for unnumbered plays from
Leah. the Forsaken." down TO last
springs The House Next Door" and
Meyer and Son"
Henri Bernstein. the Israelite author OF
Israel" is a Partisan, and naturally
makes the French anti-Semitlc movement
the Theme Of his play. For the same
Partisan reason. and despite his serious
intent to deal digninedly with a pOrten-
tous subject, he makes adultery the gist
Of his fiction. The Prince OF Clar is
jew hater and batter of the most rabid
sort The Jew on whom he concentrates
his antagonism is Justin Gutlleb, a veal
thy banker. The prince is a leader
among those Frenchmen who made a
martyr Of Dreyfus. and put the jew
Christian clash into politics. He deems
II a duty 10 force q duel upon Gutleb
unless he abjectly quits a club to which
both belong. The Christians superior
skill at fencing will make him sure
and safe 90 kin the jew, but when they
cross rapiers, and the older man bravelv
awaits a mortal thrust the Younger
wounds him very slightly and declares
himself satisfied. Why this strange
change Of purpose? The Christian has
learned that the jew he chose for vi
carious slaughter is his father.
The duel isn't fought in the play. but
the cause Of It's shift from real TO mock
makes the middle act OF the three a
powerful forty minutes OF drama The
princes mother, a proud duchess, is
agonized by the prospect that her son
VIII XIII his father. She beCs her long
ago par3mour 90 funk, He viii die at
his sons hands rather than be- q
cowardly representative OF Judaism.
She implores her son to quail urging that
the duel viii make him murderer: but
he declares that the cause Of which he
Is the champion demands IT, Her frantic
appeals arouses his curiosity as TO her mo-
tive, however, and a long dialogue. writ
ten and spoken intensely. leads 10 the
mothers confession 10 the count that
he is the W5gitmate son Of the jew
whom he has picked out for slaughter
Good Acting in Israel"
The phrenzy OF the prince is maniacal
on learning that he Is half n Jew. The
actor is a Graham Browne, from London
and so explosive that "a few snickersd
at him; but the many came at once to
his support with applause Another Lon
doner, Constance Collier, acts the mother
eXCenenty; but she is so obviously a
Jewess that her assignment 20 the role
Of the Christian woman seems singular.
and her Israelite lover Of tie bv-gone
Iaison is personated finely by the any
thing but Jewish Edwin Arden That
doesn't matter though. and nothing has
been more honestly applaudcd by New
Workers i'm a long while than this scene
~ a mother driven by a son 10 divulge
her shame.
A friend OF the author tells me that
hc wrote that middle third OF Israel"
first and rapidly, out of his minds full
ness Of the subject That was easy. The
acts 10 precede and follow were harder.
The play starts IN a Paris club. A half
IInTOHH
Prince Glars intention TO drive Justin
Gutlieb out while the banker has bur
one defender; but between the six and
the one. the pro and con. of boycotting
Hebrews is thoroughly gone over Then
the prince comes IN, waylays Gutlieb. and
does not strike his face with "a glOvc-as
usual I'm stage prOvOcations TO dues-
but knocks his hat off with a cane The
curtain goes down with neither Of the
plays two women having been seen.
Probably Bernstein tagged his brain
much more over the final act He had
revealed the Israelite father to the Chris
tian son with grievous effect on them and
the mother. What is 10 become Of me 90
tho son cried I'm HIS agony. He hated
his father. despised his mother. and what
was left in life for him but the ridicule
or his friends and foes alike Suicide.
That seemed TO him the logical answer.
and the author wrote a suicidal denoue-
meut The sons death was "a logical es-
cape from his humiliatng predicament:
and French audiences do not dislike
mortuary conclusions; but he may have
had a thrifty eye on the American pref
erence for happy wedlock for an out
come. Paris saw but one woman IN the
whole play, the mother. and she IN the
second act only In the amendment for
New York. a gentle girl friend OF the
prince Is introduced 10 do nothing until
he is about 70 shoot himself Then she
asks him to live because she loves him
and he consents TO live with her as hap
PLY as possible
There is no denying the Christian an
tipathy en- New York TO Jews nor the
Jewish desire 20 keep separate from
Christians. and considering that Jews
are liberal supporters of theaters. a play
dealing with the Semitic problem is a
risky venture. ] heard some clashes OF
opinion IN 'Israel's" first audience. but ]
think 70 straddles the racial fence
adroitly
Nell I'm "SprinEtime."
Never have I seen such contrariety OF
opinion as that which was for and
against Nell and "Springtme" at us
start in New York. Nell is Mabel Italia
ferro with a new name and Spring
time" is a new play made for her 50
carefully that the process may interest
you Nell was one of several TaIiaferrc
sisters who We're trained by their mother
for child parts. Their small size
and naive air qualified them tc
defy the Gerry law against performers
under sixteen. unless licensed by the
mayor. Nell is twenty now, yet might
50 on playing children: but she is the
wife of Frederick Thompson, who made
a fortune with Luna Park, at Coney
Island, and ne has the means OF max
ing m adult star actress Of her He
did H. Won rpnpu1bpr with polly ~