New-York tribune., 1909-11-30
THE DRAMA
DIVORCE" AT THE LYRIC
THEATRE

Paul Bourget wrote a novel "Un Di-
vorce." Then he dramatized his novel
And now Mr Stanislaus STANCE has made
an English version OF this drsmatization.
Yesterday afternoon at the Lyric Theatre
Mr. STANCES version OF N. Bourgeois play
was produced for the first time in New
York. II may be performed many times.
but no probability Of that sort was re-
vealed yesterday.
The play Is q preachment. from the point
Of view Of the Catholic Church. against
divorce. The advance notices give assur-
ance Of that So do the dramatized lines.
The play. therefore. comes forward under
disadvantage; il has to advocate some
thing; u has 4 mission to perform. Now, a
play may have the loftiest mission con-
ceivsble TO the mind OF man, and 1t may
al the same time he dull play. With re-
gard 10 the mission OF this Bourget play
there are al least two opinions. and each
Is strong and strongly backed by numbers.
With regard 10 the play and its presenta-
ton II Is not easy to see how there can
De more than one opinion. The play is
tedious the characters talk on stills, and
The acting. with two exceptions, is medi-
ccre, and in one case positively bad
As in many plays. the scene here is laid
In Paris. And as in many French plays
Anglo-SaAon 10 the last gasp. The story
concerns the family of Albert Darras, a
banker. who, though "a good, clean. just
man, as even the priest comedies. is
unbeliever and opposed 10 the Church.
Darras- a dozen or fourteen years before
the play begins. had married a woman who
had divorced her husband This woman,
Gabrielle, adopts her second husbands non
religious views. holding TO them until her
son (by the previous marr.age) falls in love
with trained nurse who Is accused OF "a
past Berthe Plsuat the nurse. is
socialist, and according to NJ. Bourget
and the Church a disbeliever In marriage
ceremonies, ecclesiastical or civil. Mile.
PlaUat i've years before married without
ceremony fellow socialist. who deserted her
I'm three Months and never troubled him
self 20 see the child Of this union or TO
know that there was a child. Lucien. her
present lover. the son of Gabrielle Darras is
ore Of those young men whom some play
wrights think of as high spirited and
manly, whereas they are really young
pTiss, who g about making every one un-
comfortable and upsettinE households
lucien is discontented because he has a
stepfather and because his mothers sec
ond marriage has not the sanction Of the
Church And being a high-souled young
man $50 many playwriehts are convinced
that noisy young men have high and great
soUIs) he afTronts his stepfatler, and gives
his mother unhappy DAYS on account Of
their entirely legal but cerically unrecog-
nized marriage. Then, with the consistency
OF youth OF his kind, he proposes 10 unite
himself 20 the nurse without the sanction
OF Church or law
In the mean time his mother. Gabrielle
Darras, becomes most unhappy and yearns
10 return % her religion and the Church.
A priest, who IS the confessor Of her
uother-in-law, reminds her that she IS out
side the nale OF the Church. because. al
though legally welded under the civil law,
she is Giving IT, sim while her first hus-
band lives Conveniently for the purposes
of the playwright the divorced man dies.
Gabrielle. who is on the point OF ceasing
10 Live in sim by leaving her second hus-
band. is persuaded By the priest 10 remain
where she is and 20 obey Darras in all
things. She tries 10 persuade Darras 10 a
Church marriage. He refuses We're he to
seek the recognition OF the ;'hurch he would
put himself in the position OF acknowledg-
ing that ne mad lived fourteen years with a
woman who was not his wife, and that
his little daughter is 1egitirnate He won't
DO this. because il would be untrue The
priest then assures Gabrielle that as Oar
ras is a good, clean. Just man, she may
regard him as her husbands he is. IN
deriaby. by the civil law-and that no
harm viii come Of il. one IS = little puz-
zIed by this clerical concession, IN view OF
the fact that b. Darras doesn't weld an
inch in his resistance 10 the claims OF the
Church 10 regulate his marriage. But his
wife seems satisfied, and the accommo-
dating priest disappears from the domici!e.
dilemma she assists her son into a dilemma
OF his own by refusing her consent 10 his
marriage with the socialist nurse. As IN
der the law Of France he cannot marry
without parental consent, he takes the
nurse without marriage. And the play
ends about where r. began. What then
becomes Of its mission? The answer is
far 10 seek.
Not only is the play unsatisfactory. but
Il Is not well cast. Miss Mauds Fealy
euac-s the nurse and iruparts 10 the char
acter the charm and temperament Of
teUDenny nail. Miss Mary Shaw plays the
wife Of Darras. and IN a manner 50 stacy
and incomprehensible that the part Is bur
lesqued; Mr. Eben PlymptOEs priest seems
20 be constantly Tepressing the fact that
he really belongs 10 the order depicted in
certain jolly and bacchanalian engravings,
ana liiV only persons on WLoin coiiIieIlu1-
ton may be expended are Miss Isabel
WaldrOn. as the invalid mOther-in-lRw;
Mr John Wesley. as Lucien and Mr. John
Gleudinning. as Darras
Neither Mr.. Westley nor Mr.. GiendinninG
suggests a French personality, but other
wise they 90 very well. There is one scene
in which they almost lift the play out OF
the commonplace. but not quite; the play
wright did not really leave them the chance.
There is material here for a strong and
convincing play. but as II stands It is not
strong nor convincing. and il cannot be
regarded as a serious contribution toward a
solution Of the problems Of divorce.
A w.
CAST OF DIVORCE"