New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-11-23
THE DRAM A
"SEPTIMUS" AT PHE HACKETT
THEATRE

upon w J. LOcke's novel of that name
Every one who knew "Saptimus''-and on
a planet strewn with novels * tbere a
reader OF fiction who does not know
L"ckes charming. nay. bewitching. book
had asked IN advance IL the thing could
pe d"ne-a dramatization Of il. DRAMATIC
eIs rush I'm where dramatists fear to tread.
rlhu story or situation and let FAN
tasy. charm. all the rest OF il 20 and hang
'Sen rom the nearest lamppOst. There
Is the canon by which most dramatizers
"i DOCKS govern themselves Would Sep
umus share the usual fate? How should
the enchanting I.ockery Of that delicious
tale get over the fOotIights? Can Won
convey across seas the odor of the rose
ana leave the rose behind? How shall a
PloHp' oook, grease paint, decorated can
Vas ahc passion for effective curtains
aod anything or in any way lend them
serves 10 that intangible, indescriba Die
guahty. that fascination, woven into
Lockes story? Dialogue can be lifted
fehes borrowed. people can he dressed
IKE the characters OF a story. but the
stage can as easily miss the spirit as the
illustrators do
And what the Devil could do cleveriy
year ago he might not do to-day. clever as
ne Is; iCr the DeNll WAS To have a hand i'm
'''N'NiNs Nitpl - AfilSS ltNl Hau 10
be driven from the mind. where it had I'm
gered long. Well. Arliss exercised his Devil
drove him forth With wave Of the hand
shght word or two. and a lift OF an eve
ia. hou forgot that sardOniC figure of a
recent season as soon as the artist who
had placed aim before YOU appeared or last
nights scene. There was Septimus in the
flesh and spirit-Septmus, the stray child
OF thlrty-iive. who didn't bother. who found
the noisy day the time FOR sleep. break
tasted al p. m. and not having red hair
diunt want his money N hand because he
might meet a man who would sell him a
Sas engine or a seconI han1 dentists chair:
Sepumus. whose divine simplicity made
him the guardian angel Of troubled souls:
Septimus, the inventor. who was born
with machinery in his blood" but insisted
or remaining human. so that IL ever a
woman should care for me I shouldn't hurt
her" Yes. there vas SePlimus. all but the
StruwelpeteT hair. ArlisS couldn't manage
that. or didn't Perhaps lac finds wigs OBJ
noXious
Septimus himself? Yes. Arliss who is.
as every one knows. sage artist OF re-
markabIe quality. plays SeItimus 10 the
life. after playing the Devil with astonish-
ing-some found Il even fascinating-id
ity. according To popular and particular no
tionS concerning that famous gentleman.
Arises simplicity last night had all the
captivating quality Of Locke's minor-angel
and major-man The anticipated danger
was never encountered. The risk was, of
course. that in making Septimus simple
the stage would make him a simpleton.
sheer fool or that the crowd in the the
atre might thus regard him. Bat moth
ing of the sort occurred And that fact
shows what 2 remarkable actor GEORGE
Arliss is. He knew. and made every one
see. that the simplicity Of Septimus is sim
pliCity Of soul. that the Uizest man and the
truost hero is this inconseqUentill fellow
10 whom the gauds OF this world are as
dust. and loyalty Is AL
But the resto DID they make a play Of
II? Yes. PLAY If A sort. and not poor
sort. either. Put il had precious little 70
90 with Locke's hook. Bear i'm mind the
first law Of dramatizing-nov Consider
the stage first, and do what YOU like with
n" book. Obedience % this law makes
fuzzy. pretty Emmy the leading female
figure of the play. Fora Middemist be-
comes quite q secondary character. Glenn
Sypher, who would naturally be expected 10
aIfprd the comic relief. is Of no account
whatever But. even so. why do they make
him an American? Locke made him "A big.
bury Englishman.' There is no explain
ing transformations OF this kind and there
is no sense in them. But rs dramatizers
are expected ~ 10 something ION. their
own" this change was probably regarded
a perquisite for the playwright
Wissleswick VAS expected 10 h. divert
ing, and ae proved 10 he so. An expert i'm
jails snd burgliug, he was hut an in
different valet and housekeeper. BY his
aid. or his presence. you perceive Sept
mus's relation 10 what some Of us con-
slider the mighty matters Of life. WiEgles-
wick's collection Of jimmies was useful 10
his patron and patient master What
for" asked Fora. i'm the book To kin
moths With" Septimus replied. dreamily
j. would be impossible Ia do without
Wiggleswick. whatever else happens in
transferring the book TO the stage
Wiggleswick IS dingy and battered back
ground against which Septimus occasion
ally is seen protestins-only that he never
professional nothing important really
matters Loyalty and love matter. but i'm
this workaday world are they 81 much ac-
count? How seldom encountered,
Now. the story was that Septimus loves.
adoTes, Zora, the Junoesque majesty or
NunsmeIe. London, and the known globe
He might as well worship the Venus uf
Milo or Diana an the Tower. But if his
aruors are hopeless. his devotion is match
less. Because he is devoted Go Fora he
marries Zora's sister. the pretty fluffy
Emmy. little Dresden china shepherdess Of
the stage. and this he does because Emmy
Is in trouble. because she has fallen be
Meath the Wiles OF the leading man Of her
theatre. And that painted idol has deserted
her and married some one else. Septimus is
the only one who knows. Straightway he
msrries Emmy, for Zoras sake. to save
her abroad, lives near her but not with
her. and when her child is born. why. OF
course. the little one takes Septimus's
name aud 81 course everything is al right
in this idiot world. Dora doesn't under
stand. and doesn't Try She thinks Septi-
mus is queer" that's all, unlike other
men. But a. she has been spared shock
stances from which Septimus has shielded
her sister why. the dear fellow has ac-
complished his purpose lie has done a
great thing for the woman he loves lie
does not think IL great thing. IL was
merely tho thing that had 10 be done
merely giving life, and hope and fortune
Tor the sake of the adored one who had to
sacrifice.
And then Septimus is quite willing. even
eager. to invent against himself charges
OF faithlessness and cruelty so that Emmy
IAN divorce him, be free of him which