Evening star., 1909-01-26
A NJ U S E N E Mt .
Relasco.

1.-The Return of Eve is the name of the
| new play in which Bertha Galland Is now
| appearing. and which opened an engage
ment at the Belasco Theater last night.
! 1t is described as "a realistic reality" and
the name of its author Mr.. Lee Wilson
Dodd. has not been familiar on the pro-
grams. The theme of the play is favor
lite one among playwrights of imaginative
rather than realistic tendencies; the IN
| PRODUCTION into the artifcialities of mod
ern society of nature absolutely un-
touched by hypocrisy. free even from the
generous deceits of conventional courtesy.
a certain lingering impression that w. s.
Gilbert spoke the last word on this sub
ject in his delightful comedy, "Pygmalion
and Galatea. does not prevent enjoyment
of the modernized picture of ingenious
innocence efface interest in the aWak-
ening to the Importance of social
forms. The story is not rapid in develop
ment, a ponderOuS burden of preliminary
explanation being bravely borne by Maude
Turner Gordon in the role of a worldly
matron who, because of Ewes money, un-
dertakes the task of bringing her out. Eve
and Adam have been reared In an mac
cessible wilderness, remote from the con-
tact of self-seeking and pertidious man
kind. Their. lives were thus ordered by
an eccentric socioiogist. who committed
them to the care of sort of patriarchaI
Davy Crockett. we'll played by Frank
Losee. Much description of the buoyant
charms of Eve keys expectation to point
that makes it seem doubtful whether any
actress could realize the picture. Yet
Miss Galland does realize 1t completely.
Her appearance on the stage is a revela-
ton of girlish fascinations. One moment
figure of classic simplicity and the next
q rustic accustomed to travel roughShOd
both in speech we'll as in physical mo-
tion she is refined and idealized reincar-
nation of ''Wycherly's Country Wife.
Miss Galland always plays with fine per-
ception of effect: her work is so nicely ad-
justed on lines technique that tempera-
ment and sympathy become to some ex-
tent negligible considerations AS Eve she
is beautiful to look upon. pleasant to hear.
perfect as the inspiration of tableaux
which have superb scenery and costumes
of ingenious elegance as accessories.
II the first act is Gilbertian, and some
of the brisk satire which livens the con-
versation warrants the epithet. the second
act is more or less Shakespearean. Like
Timon of Athens. this Eve, grown cyni-
cal. calls her guests to a final banquet, a
festal farewell to her opulence and power.
and dismisses them with jeers and epi-
thets.
The last act shows the interior of the
cabin where she dwells in the forest to
which she has returned. Here occurs the
reconciliation with Adam, who has loved
her with all the devotion of primitive in
nOcence despite the scandal into which
she has quite Inadvertently and unmerit-
edly fallen.
Adam is played by Lester Lornegan. 1t
is in the first and second acts that inter-
est is warmest. In the last act the denoue-
ment seems needlessly deferred. The pro-
duction is one of extraordinary beauty.
the setting for the second act. a palatial
interior, being remarkable even in this
season of scenic lavfShneSS.