Evening star., 1909-06-13
The Foreign Stage
By Malcolm Watson.
Special Correspondence Of The Star.

JuHS .,
X MEXICAN playwrights have had
~ a fair innings during the past
~ week. OF three productions a,
~ West End theaters they are able
to claim two. Neither. l am
afraid. Is likely to set the Thames on Are:
but one at least has been received with
considerable favor. I refer to Clyde
Fitchs THE Woman in the Case" pro-
duced under Herbert Sieath's manage
ment at the Garrick. In securing the
piece for this country he fully intended
that the heroine's part should be played
by his wife, Ellis Jeffreys; but as she
could not be released from her engage
ment at His Majesty's Sleath had to re.
consider his arrangements. l am inclined
to think that ''The Woman In the Case"
is destined to enjoy greater favor on this
side than any Of Fitch's pieces which
have been seen here. 1t is, OF course.
melodrama Of a rather primitive pattern,
but the story is powerful and the sus-
pense cleverly maintained.
The frst-night audience yielded itself
whole-heartedly to the tension of the
scene. In particular the second and third
acts held the attention of the spectators.
and in each case the curtain fell to loud
applause. The fourth tailed of rather
the ardor OF those present. The best
work was done by Violet Vanbrugh. who
took the part of Claire Foster and scored
something like triumph In 1t. She has
drawn since she appeared as Yanetta in
The Arm OF the Law AS Margaret
Rolfe. Grace Lane took second honors,
but she passed the line long way behind
chanical and unresponsive, and the great
scene in which Margaret lures Claire on
to confess the truth about PhiHp Longs
death would have gained enormously had
1t been played by two actresses Of equal
merit The present theatrical season Is
admittedly a bad one, but The Woman
In the Case" should serve to keep the
Garrick going until the time comes for
Arthur Bourchier's temperance in AL
fred Sutro's new play.
4 4
The other American play, 'Eunice."
must. in my opinion. be written down
frank failure. 1t has not yet been done
on your side. but understand Fannie
Ward intends TO take 1t on the road next
autumn. Marc Klaw, under whose direc-
ton II was produced at the Hicks Thea
ter. had every confidence In 1t. The day
before its presentation he himself told
me that it was Of kind to knock Lon
DON" The authors, Lee Arthur and For
rest Halsey, seem to have gone for In
spiration to the Paris stage of twenty-five
years ago. At every turn recollections of
we'll known popular French plays are con-
jured up. One can we'll imagine that
Fannie Ward was tempted by the princi-
pal part. which Is something Of blend
Of Frou-Frou and Camille. but STACEY and
artificial to a degree. 1t gave her, at
any rate. an opportunity for several emo
tional outbursts. Of which she made the
most. her art, however. is still rather ele-
,x1l~ lANv ov.l
to unlearn before she can match herself
against a Bernhard or q Rejane. Charles
Cartwright essayed the role OF dodder-
ing old butler. victim to the morphia
habit, while H. Reeves Smith as CLYDE
Townley, the Stanford White of the
piece, which Is obviously based on the
Thaw case, played with earnestness II no
great brilliancy.
The sensation of the week. such as 1t
Is. has been provided by Beerbohm Tree,
who. in letter 10 the Daily Telegraph.
announced that he had abandoned his in
tention of presenting Hall Gaines new
play. The White Prophet" which was to
have been his autumn production at His
Majesty's. Manager and author have
hastened to declare that although they
are parting company they do SO on the
best of terms and by mutual agreement.
There has been lot OF talk to the effect
that the licenser placed his ban on the
piece, or on certain passages in 1t. but
this is merely irresponsible chatter. /
happen to be behind the scenes and am
able to give the true version OF the diff
Guilty. The principal character in The
White Prophet" for which Tree had cast
himself, Is an incorporating fanatic
whose hatred of the English and Of their
occupation Of Egypt he is at no pains
to conceal. Tree naturally considered that
hA hor hno ,{rC ne hiyv, n
utter such violent and rebellious senti
ments from the stage of His Majesty's
Theater. and in the circumstances he
had no alternative but to let the piece
go.
Possibly he was the more easily moved
to take this step by reason OF the fact
that he has just secured the rights In a
new play by which he places no small
store This Is o La ad Fol- ,ooby by n5og Eugene
1.-The work of his life BY it he is prepar-
ed to stand or fall. 1t Is modelled on a
pretty large scale: the story goes back to
the ancient Egyptians and is based on the
questionable right OF a man to undermine
the faith of others when he has nothing
to offer them by way of alternative. 1t
is the old and ever new question Of the
conflict between science and religion. OF a
nations belief in the power Of a mystic
rious agency capable OF working good or
evil. Possibly in writing his play Brieux
had in his eye the annual pilgrimage OF
believers to Lourdes. although prudent
enough to disguise the fact by antedat-
ing his plot some thousands OF years.
Whether 1t turns out success or
failure Tree said to me the other day,
Il felt that, having regard to the re-
markable qualities Of the play. I simply
had to do it at His Majestys.' That he
has no personal bias may be judged by
the circumstance that the part he will
himself sustain In 1t is, comparatively
speaking, one of minor Importance.
The third production Of the week is
James Bernard Fagan's Florentine farce.
"A Merry Devil presented by Cyril
Maude at the Playhouse. George Alexan-
der had the play for time. but was pru-
dent enough, as the event showed. to
abandon his option on It, "A Merry
Devil" II ! mistake not. saw the light
some little time ago In America under the
title, l believe. of The Miracle" and
proved fiat failure on your side. l am
persuaded that its chances of success will
not be greater with US / may just note
in closing the temperance of Adelaide
Genee at His Majesty's In THE Dryad."
She received. of course. the warmest OF
welcomes, but / am bound to add the
house was not as full as 1t might have
been