The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-06-13
CLYDE FITCH PLAY SCORES
"THE WOMAN IN TIE CASE"
WELL RECEIVED IN LONDON.
Fste Tempted Again by Miss Fannie ward
with "Eunloe''-steyenson's ''Trcas-
ure land on the stage Mile.
Genee Dances In u Little OpcrettA.

ure Island'' on the stage Mile.
Genee Dances In y Little Opcretta.
LONDON, June 1.-Two American and
two English plays made bids for London
favor this week. On Tuesday evening
Miss Fannie Ward, ~undaunted by previous
discouragements, tempted fate again at
the Hicks Theatre with a sort OF drawing
ROOM melodrama called @Eunice.' the
;oint work Of Lee Arthur and Forrest
Halsey.
The plot OF the piece seemed to be a re-
hash of several familiar dramas. 'Frou-
Frou,' Camille and la Tosca,' while
a whole scene was frankly reminiscent Of
The Secret OF Polichinelle.' Eunice,
an artists model, has become entangled
with a scoundrel named Clyde Topniey,
who has promised to marry her. With
the object Of getting into society 80 that
he can make money at bridge he passes
her of as his daughter.
As such she meets a wealthy young
American, Bruce Van Allen, who falls in
love with her and begs her to be his wife.
Tounlev is denounced at the Van Aliens
by his former wife, who meets him there,
and having lost all his money instead
OF winning, as he hoped. he makes of for
Venezuela. leaving Eunice without friends
or money. In despair she marries Bruce
against the wishes OF his family.
Unhappily for herself Eunice keeps from
her husband the truth of her relations
with Topnley. and Of course when her
supposed father returns to New York after
some years Bruce insists upon his being
received at their house, to the horror OF
Eunice and the delight of Tonnlev. In
the end Eunice, driven to frenzy by Torn
lev, drives a knife into his heart.
She confesses the crime to her hus-
hand. but escapes the ignominy Of a public
trial because her real father. Tonniey's
dissipated butler, takes the burden Of the
crime upon himself and commits suicide.
Bruce generates Eunice in his own mind
and hers by calling in the "unwritten
law and all ends happily.
As Eunice Miss Ward certainly had a
difficult part to play, yet once or twice
she made the puppet creation almost
convincing. but the story of the play
never rang true and the audience laughed
many times when it should have been
deeply impressed.
The many Americans present gave Miss
Ward an enthusiastic reception, and II.
Reeves Smith as Tounley and Charles
Cartwright as the butler were warmly
welcomed on their first entrances, but the
play itself had a cool reception, and it
is to be hoped that Miss Ward has some
other piece to fall back upon il she has
taken a long lease Of the theatre. The
stay OF Funice in London will he very
brief.
On Wednesday evening Herbert Sheath
produced Clyde Fitch's The Woman in
the Case playing the part of Julian
voted wife. Margaret. and Miss Violet as
Claire Forster. The piece was splendidly
acted.
Miss V~anbrugh (Nlrs. Arthur Bourchier),
who always plays the very high bred
lady with a stainless past. was a great
surprise as Claire. She entered so into
the spirit Of the part that the essentially
English first night audience was divided
between admiration OF her art and a slight
sense Of grievance that she should manage
to enact such a woman sc we'll.
Only one mistake Miss Vanbrugh made
and that was in the way that she dressed
Claire. She made her look grotesque.
1t is quite possible that the English proto-
type Of Claire might get herself up in
such a way as Miss Vanbrugh did, but the
American one never would. There was
nothing American about Miss Vanbrugh's
Claire! She was very English, but she was
acreation all the same.
The drama was very we'll received. The
short last act so surprised the audien ce
that it took away a little from the en- =
thusiasm which had been reused by the
other acts, but still the piece had a far
heartier welcome than most Americ an
plays get from English audiences.
Mr.. Fagan's play -The Earth which
Miss Ashwell produced a little while ago,
made one hope that his next attempt
would be equally good, and when Cyril
Maude advertised A Merry Devil by
]. B. Pagan, as his new venture at the
Playhouse all London looked for another
such clever drama as Pagan a writ 9.
But, alas. this Merry Devil must have
been an early effort Of Mr.. Fagan's which
has been touched up for presentation.
1t is called a Florentine farce and shows
on the authors part n strong familiarity
with Shakespeare and all his works. A
young Italian beauty. heart whole and
fancy free, Madonna Gerddd Cdpponi,
has any number OF suitors and plays jokes
upon them, mocking and ridiculing them
until she meets her match in one Sir
Philip Liiey, who whips her well-of the
s~tage-and conquers her proud spirit
oven as Petruchio tanned his shrew.
Mr.. Maude and his wife are 80 popular
that they always have gala first nights.
so as usual they were received with an
enthusiasm that would seem to bode
well for the play, except that experience
teaches that in the case OF two favorite
players such az these first night applause
does not always mean success and il is
probable the Merry Devil will soon join
those other i'll fated productions which
had brief runs in London this spring.
At the Afternoon Theatre on Friday
MIR. Tree presented Admiral Guinea"
by W. f. Henley and Robert Louis Steven
son. in place Of The Showing Upof Blanco
Posnet." which was censored just be-
lore its projected production. Admiral
Guinea proved to be merely a literary
play. all talk and no action till the last
act. when there is really a stirring situa-
ton.
The rascalIv Pew OF Treasure Island
lame ia brought back to life by the play
rob his former captain. Admiral Guinea.
40 called because be was for many years a
slave trader. 1t Is in the last act that the
attempted robbery occurs and Pen, who
Is blind, burns his hand on a lighted candle
when he thought he was alone In a dark
ened room. He hears footsteps pacing up
and down toe. and almOSt pOes mad with