The sun., 1909-06-27
CONAN N DOYLE'S PLAY A Hit
TEE "FIRES OF FATE" GIVEN BY
LEWIS WALLER IN LONDON.

Z THE "FJRES OF FAIE' GiF EN- DI
|. LEWIS WALLER IN LONDON.
Isgisnamed Morality Play and Really q
stirrtng Meiodrama-Du Dublin and Man
tsf% chesscr snow what Repertory Thea
Il urea Can Do-The Other Novelties
LONDON, June 18.-After a winter OF
theatrical failures Lewis Waller is once
more on the very crest Of the wave Of
success. At the Lyric Theatre, the scene
OF his former bids FOR favor. he pro-
duced last night so-called morality play
by Sir A. Conan Doyle. called "The Fires
OF Fate
Morality play is surely misnomer.
and melodrama covers the case more
accurately, for as a morality play or even
as a dramatic sermon 'The Fires OF Fate
could scarcely be taken seriously, but as
stirring melodrama 1t reused the first
night audience to such pitch OF enthusi-
asm that they yelled over 1t.
The first act opens with certain
Col. Egerton calling upon famous
physician about some trifing pains
which have troubled him. The physician
tells him the truth regarding his con-
dtion, which ls that he is doomed to die
within year Of spinal sclerosis. Nothing
short OF miracle can save him. though
there Is a record Of a victim Of the same
disease being shaken back to life. as it
were. ii d railway accident.
The Colonel, Frustrated by this dag
nosis, decides that the best course for
him Is suicide. but Is persuaded against
taking the step by an optimistic parson
who believes that suffering nobly borne
Is OF great service in the universal scheme
of things and that Col. Egerton may do
moral good by keeping alive and meeting
his fate bravely.
a trip to the Nile, and on the steamer
meets charming young American with
whom he falls in love. He refrains from
disclosing his passion to her. as he looks
upon. himself as q dying man.
The types OF tourists on the steamer
were Hfelike piotures-the globe trotting
American, the argumentative French
man, the gay Irishman. the canny SCOT.
the elegant youth. the chanting dragoman.
&c. The travellers are attacked by
fanatieel dervishes, and in the course Of a
fight realistically reproduced the Colonel
receives blow on the head which knocks
him senseless He manages on recover
ing consciousness to crawl to where he
can signal for help and thus save the
party from destruction.
OF course the blow on the head has
saved him. The audience knew it would,
but when In the last act the doctor tested
the sclerosis symptoms again and pro-
nounced the patient cured, the Wallerites
screamed with Joy as the curtain fell
on the handsome Colonel with his charm
ing American clasped to his manly
breast. .-..---..,,r-
Waller acted with his usual dash and
vigor. and made, as always. brave and
handsome hero.
MIR. and Mrs, Martin Harvey gave
yesterday q matinee performance Of
.The World and His Wife, which Mr..
and Mrs. Faversham produced in New
York last winter A translation Of this
Spanish play has been given in London
before under the title Of 4Calumny.'
Mr.. Harvey's performance Of Ernesto
was very fine, and Henry Ainley as Don
Julien acted with the force and sincerity
which no brings TO all his parts. Mrs.
Harvey as Tsodord was inadequate. She
never suggested the beauty or innocence
Of the unfortunate wife, and in the big
scenes she almost ruined what would
otherwise have been a fine performance.
Dublin and Manchester have been show
ing London what they have done with
repertory theatres while the metropolis
has been considering the expediency OF
tory companies are delighting London
audiences with the excellent perform
ances they are giving at the Court
and Coronet theatres. The Manchester
company. organized and managed by
Miss Herniman. has In the last week
manner .Widower's Houses by q.
B. Shaw: Sudermann's Yale Of Content
Galsworthy's Silver Box" Edward Gar
nett's The Feud.' and McEvoy's when
he Devil Was H." The success Of the
bmpany is all the more noteworthy. as
ndon ordinarily looks upon Manchester
s. IN a scorn even greater than boetoh
The company from the Abbey. Theatre,
Dublin, has confined its attention while
in London to typically Irish plays. Der
vogilla,s by Lady Gregory; many Of W. B,
Yeats's poetical dramas and the late Mr..
Synge's comedies have been in its roper
toire Perhaps it's greatest success has
been achieved in -The Playboy OF the
Western World lively satire on the
Irish people by Synge. which 80 enraged
Dublin when il was first presented there
by this same company that the perform
ance was not allowed to continue.
London is still talking about the last
play the Stage Society produced before
closing it's season. II was called "A Mod.
ern Aspasia' and was written by well
known journalist, Hamilton Fyfe. Un-
doubtedly, Mr.. Fyfe wrote this comedy
to amuse himself He could never have
hoped that in these days Of rigorous CEN
sorship it would ever get performance
except by one OF the Sunday night play
producing societies.
"A Modern Aspasia" points no moral,
comes TO no conclusion, but IL is clever and
interesting. Edpdrd Meredith possesses
as his wife Muriel. selfish. easy going
woman, unwilling to bear the responsi
bAities Of matrimony and quite regard
less OF what her husband does in his lei
sure so long as he lets her alone and gives
her a share Of his worldly goods.
4 Meredith has different ideas OF what
marriage means and establishes Mar
garst Warren in cottage in Surrey and
epends as much Of his time as he can with
her. He and Hdrgdre have two children
whom they adore. This double menage
has been going on for some time when
the play opens, but the arrival OF an old
friend, the Bishop OF Patagonia. brings
matters to a crisis. The cottage In Surrey
10 discovered and Margaret and Muriel
stand face to face.