The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-10-31
Ne,O Plays in Gotham
BY FRANKLIN FYLEs.

York. Nell is Mabel Taliaferro with
new name, and 'Springtime" is new
play made for her SO carefully that the
process may interest you. Nell was one
of several Taliaferro sisters who were
trained by their mother for child parts;
Their small size and naive air qualified
them to defy the Gerry law against per-
formers under sixteen unless licensed py
the mayor. Nell is twenty now, yet might
go on playing children; but she Is the
wife of Frederic Thompson, who made a
fortune with Luna park, at Coney lsiana,
and he has the means OF making an aouiI
star actress of her. He did it, you re-
member, with Polly Of the Circus. Peo-
pie had to learn how to pronounce her
Taliaferro name, which hindered them IN
talking about her, and so 1t is changed
To get a suitable play wasn't so easy.
for Nell is so weakly Juvenile in looks
and action, voice and emotion, that moth
ing in the least demonstrative can be
given to her to do. AS a negative object,
she IS very lovely, but as positive she
wouldn't be liked at all. That is to say,
| Nell mustn't do much in a desirable play,
but may have many things done to her.
THOMPSON found in a story of George
Bronson Howard a maiden reared so Sc
| cludedly in the innocence of utter igno-
rance that she didn't know why folks
| married. 1t was a Louisiana Creole w1d-
over who thus made his home a cloister
| for his daughter. Thompson put ner INTO
| a scenario as being betrOthed by her
| father to a cousin whom she hadnt ever
seen; as meeting on the day set Tor her
| wedding a young stranger on his way to
/ fight with Jackson in the battle OF New
| Orleans; as falling headlong yet all I'M
/ knowing into love of him. and as rolloW'
| ing him into the forest becauSe-Wellr ne
| had kissed her, and she felt tow ards
| him a singularly adhesive sentiment.
Booth Harrington, the novelist, and
Harry Leon Wilson, editor OF comic
weeklies, were hired to write out play
on his plan. They created for the hero
inc a girl of Is in years, but no more thar
6 in purity Of mind for she hasn't curl.
osity enough as to the sexes, l Should
saw to wonder why half the people veal
trousers and half skirts. So here we have
a runaway girl who soils her reputation
smirches her family's honor and raises
hellaballoo in her parish, all with no no
ton that her escapade means anything
more than an Irresistible desire TO bt
with the young man whom she loves un
swares.
They say that Harrington and Wilson
gave Nell more to do than her ootlne
yet judicious husband would let her un
dertake, and the play had to be amended
for safety. When the manuscript wa
ready, he employed Winchel smith, al
actor and dramatist, to direct rehearsa1s
Howard Pyle, the artist, to make pic
lures for its character costumes, and Har
| ~ Rowe Shelly to compose accompany
ing tunes, while he set about electric de
vices to illuminate the scenes. As yol
I W,
you don't care a rap about; but l d.
! IL this time to show the extreme car
and cash that a managing husband VII
spend to give his precious wife chanc
! at fame on the stage.
An Audience at Odds.
J Again 1 say that had never seen a.
audience so at odds as the one at Spring
times" introduction. There was no neN
: production in rivalry; so all the frs
2 night contingent was there with its caus
tic wit, cynical humor and vitiated taste
= to deride a heroine who had no curl
! csity, much less any knowledge, as I
; sexuality. They were outnumberec
! though, by many women, and some meI
! who thought her the dearest, cutest III
I tie thing that ever was on any stage
! The remarks were disputatious, almos
quarreisone, even with the women
"She is just too sweet for anything,
"YesNanything but taffy for a sunda
. school picnic" And when one smal
, belle said:
! well. her purity is a good lesson I
! us wicked first nighters," another of tn
! same mOdish type retoTted:
That's so, and 1 expect they'll brin
out the paper slips and building brick
I play in words of one syllable.
. However, there is no reason to doul
i that, by going clear away from modeT
i realistic ways and means. getting into q
: untheatric atmosphere, and illustrating
V half fairy, half ultTa-Tomantic tai
/, Inomnson's wife Nell will prosper muC
; in 'Springtime."
. Having shown you in this example. no
. mich care has to be taken in maxim
n plays to serve specific purposes, ma
q "a we'll add an account of the schen
II TO hold up and silence Tenderloiners
e the parting audience. The usual call f
, the star actress was made after the me-
y to the last act man came out to SO
that Nell thought en- actress ought n
to nut aside her assumed character 3
fore the play was over; but that, If h
# friends desired to have her thank the
Il at the end of the performance, she wou
v be glad and proud to respond So tho