The Washington herald., 1909-03-21


were seen in Broadway this week, two on
one and the same night and the third on
Wednesday evening or the latter. Ber-
tha Galland in THE Return OF Eve" I
shall speak in my next letter. The Mon
day night new offerings were Clyde
Fitch's comedy. The Bachelor" and the
English suffragette play, Votes for
Women" which was put on at Wallack's.
''The Bachelor succeeded Carlotta Mill
son at Maxine Elliott's Theater It fea-
lures Charles Cherry. the English leading
man who supported Miss Elliott so ad-
mirably as the German princellng IN Her
Great Match" some years ago. and more
recently played the intrudIng young law
yer in Girls" In the cast with him Is
Ruth MaycKfe. the pretty youngster in
this latter farce in which she made quite
an impression along the Great White
Way. Now she is playing a sweet type
writer girl in the Office OF George Goodale,
broker, who is the bachelor in the case.
1t Is one of the most incOnseqUential
stories that ever formed the slender
skeleton Of even Fitch play. but IL Is
richly embellished with Fitchian local
color and the peculiar Fitch touches and
effects, stage decorations. &c. which do
more 20 make his ware 90 than the
deepest plot and the subtIest psychology
doubtless would The girl is in love with
her employer who. Of course. is a woman
hater. or az least confirmed celibate.
Out Of pity for the girls infatuation for
him, Goodale engages himself to her on
the mere say-so of her veal OF a young
brother that Millicent secretly pines for
him. His heart is not in the deal But
when Millicent jilts him because she has
Just learned that she is indebted TO her
ubiquitous and Jealous young brother for
her betrothal, he wakes up and discovers
that he really is in love with her
And so, when he makes her come to the
ofice again after the split-up. he dictates
a love letter 10 her on the typewriter.
nlelts her heart, and has her dissolve in
his affectionate embrace. whereupon the
curtain falls. The piece is hastily writ
ten, and you wouldn't be able 10 descry
the psychology with a microscope But
somehow Fitch exercised his usual infal-
lible conjury, and for all any one IS safe
IN saying the piece will run 800 nights.
though one takes long chances in betting
that way. One never can tell.
Mary Shaw plays the heroine OF Votes
for Women and II it rested with her
alone the piece would have made one OF
the biggest hits OF the season. She IS
so sure and so thorough in whatever she
undertakes that she forms half the at
traction. But the fate Of the suffragette
play hangs in the balance. II the Won
derful mob scene in Trafalgar Square.
put on by the Actors Society with anaz-
ing realism and f1delity 10 nature is able
10 make up for the conventional material
which Miss Elizabeth Robins has woven
into her play in the nature of a plot. IT
is not improbable that il Will be running
at Wallacks when the roses bloom again
n midsummer SO far as acting can
make il go. Il is sure Of approval And
the great suffragette meeting in Trafalgar
Square is, after all, the nerve center Of
the interest.
For the rest, the story deals with a
woman with e past who becomes prouli-
nent in the woman's movement after
ten years have drawn the curtain Of
forgetfUlness over her unhappy love af-
fair with Geoffrey Stonor. Then she
turns up as the dark angel Of retributiOn
between her betrayer and a young girl
ne wants 10 marry. He Is within reach
Of a cabinet portfolio. The woman with
the past can crush him. The younger
woman discovers the truth and insists
on Stonor making reparation. He sub
mits, and offers his hand 10 the wrOnged
one But her heart is greater than we
bargain for. This suffragette leader
gives up her claim, and lets the younger
woman dream out her love as Stonor's 5
wife.
The piece had a wonderful first night
All the suffragette leaders in town were
present. The lobby looked Ike a military
camp. with its profusiOn Of banners and
flags, and the boxes were occupied by
the champions OF the cause, who ap-
plauded TO the echo.
Your humble servant is gradually COM
ing TO the conclusion that there are more
good plays excluded from Broadway than
are produced along that sophisticated but
undiscriminating travel-worn thorough
fare. We had two occasions last week to
Tevel IN the glory OF simple primroses at
the rivers brln OF which the usual pro-
fesstonal managers had taken no notice
One was Henry James comedy, Olsen
gagged" the other was "A Struggle Of
Souls" by Pierre Hyacinthe LOyson. a
French writer. a play which. I believe,
has made some stir in Paris. Both were
presented at special afternoon perform
ances, the first for the benefit OF a hos
pital, at the Hudson Theater and the
other by the pupils OF dramatic school
at the Empire. Dorothy Donnelly who
has been chafng under the suspicion that
she may pass her young life IN the roles
OF adventuresses and such like people
was responsible for 'Disengaged.' But
for her ambition to show her friends what
she could do IN the light comedy part OF
q young widow with a turn for parlor
fe
never have seen Mr. James comedy
which Is written in the good, clean, crisp
English we should expect on the part OF
society people, and for that reason alone
would be considered unavailable FOR
broadway The piece has a light, frothy
consistency, and depends for its effect
largely on the spirit IN which Il IS In
terpreted. Miss Donneily surrounded her
self with picked cast from half the the
aters In town, and managed to give her
audience real treat. Incidentally. she
showed that she is very clever in light
comedy. and her infectious laugh is as
potent IN a good as in a sinister cause.
The play pleased. too, in spite of its Eng
lish setting and rather thin thread Of plot.
Although The Struggle Of Souls was
done by undergraduates. II was done
well enough to make It thoroughly inter
esting, and IL held the audience In a state
Of profound suspense which I have sal
dom seen equaled. 1t is a thesis play.
dealing with the conflict between reH-
gion and scientific materialism IN the
household OF a distinguished naturalist
who has written an immortal work on the
origin OF man. bringing back proof from
Java which is a direct contradiction Of
the teachings of the priests to whom his
wife and child are slavish subjects. The