Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-09
Stage Suggests Drama and Other Things

- HE difficulties that stand In the
II" way Of dramatlzing a success
ful novel were never more WV
@ idly illustrated than in the case
NINdNW Of THE Right cf-Way." Soon
- after the novel was published
its tremendous possibilities we're debated
at considerable length by managers. but
It was finally concluded that dramatiza-
ton was impossible, because the atmos-
phere OF the novel could not be repro
duced on the stage. The life Of Charley
steele. first as the brilliant leader Of the
Quebec bar, then AZ the incompetent man,
bereft OF memory and capable only of
the simplest mental efforts. and. finally,
again the man OF tremendous Intellectual
force. chastened by experience and direct
ing his power for good, Is a figure 30
vast in it's scope as to defy presentation on
the stage. No play could possibly give
more than a meager outline OF the course
Travelled by this man in his spiritual de-
velopment.
This Is said with no intention to disparage
the labors Of Mr.. Presley, who realized
fully the futility OF undertaking to make
a drama from the book alone, and who,
therefore. availed himself OF the expedlent
Of writing a play Independent Of the novel
yet retaining its characters in their relative
position and adopting as a background a
portion OF the locale OF the novel. The
drama achieved by Mr.. Presley Is a really
strong and in every way a satisfactory
piece of work. Its chiefcst handicap lies
in the fact that people who have read the
Parker novel are disappointed by the OPEN
ing scenes Of the Presley play. After the
predatory Incidents are cleared away
md NHa raaI or4Io1 80 tfa 1rauna oYp
mences, It moves swiftly and stralghtly to
its elimination, and shows the virile
strength that holds the public interest. Tho
company that presented this piece at the
Boyd theater for a Weekend engagement
owes nothing to the original cast, unless
II be the credit given to Mr.. Roberts for
: his efforts in staging the play for its
present tour. Mr.. Hallett Thompson is In
every way much better suited to the part
of Charley steele than was Guy Standing
and makes much more of his opportuni-
ties. Mr.. Anderson is quite as well quail
fled to visualize Joe Portugais as was
mir. Roberts. and mis- efforts are meeting
with deserved success. The supporting
company Is made up of capable actors
and the whole Is most pleasing.
d
"What do the people want?' was asked
one day recently by an unusually thought
full man engaged in the theatrical business.
He is not an actor. but all his life has
been connected with the business depart
ment Of the theater. His service has been
largely with the better theaters Of New
York, with an occasional venture on the
road such as he Is now making at the
head OF one OF the first class travelling
companies. And then he answered the
q question; Look at The Girl from Rec
tors The No. 2 company which went
y through Omaha recently is organized on a
basis that merely serves to emphasize the
vulgarity OF the piece. The men and
women in IT are not sufficiently clever to
abate in any jot the offensiveness Of the
dialogue or situations, and occasionally
seem to take pleasure in making it as
broad as possible. This piece universally
has been denounced by the newspapers. and
. even from the pulpit, yet l know that the
company had at the time it left Omaha
accumulated a profit Of more than $4,000
on the season. The Moulin Rouge an
other piece OF the same kind, with sim
liar company, and The Blue Mouse ditto,
are both big moneymakers. while we'll con-
structed dramas, carefully staged and
capably enacted by competent and con-
scientious actors are failing every day for
the want OF public patronage. What en-
couragement does this situation offer to
the producing managerg"
.
= Comment on this statement seems entirely
out Of place. For many, many years man
ayers have been blamed for the low stand
ard set at the theaters, and yet has this
censure been justly visited upon the man
agerlal head? why, in Omaha we have FIRE.
ouently had the spectacle Of the discrim,
mating public passing by a play of pur'
pose, carefully written and intelligently
presented, to crowd the theater where wa,
being offered an exhibition whose CHIEF
calm TO attention was the fact that &
was risque to an extreme. II has been this
support of the meretricious to the disadvan
tage of the. meritorlous that has driven th'
producing manager to despair. Managers
are but human; no matter how artistic II
temperament, how ambitious in design
nor to what high ideal they pay devotion
they are still subject to the immutsble Law
b of supply and demand. Unless their ven
lures be profitable they continue in bust
ness, The most they can do is to set theil
wares before the public to permit a free
choice and then II the public showers IL
favors on the salaclous. the manager
while partlceps criminis Is only partly 4
blame. The public must accept fits shart
W AAAg ANoBOAAsAbAAlA9H
Il last we have emerged from the gloom
Our horizon is no iongor bounded by tina
hygtan darkness which surrounds the un
dkvcloped Intelligence. We have burgeoner
and blossomed, and are coming into TIA
full fruitage Of our national life at tn
theater. And just to show how this
. true, all we have TO do is to point out tn
fact that His Gracious Mightiness, the cza
of all the Russias, is lending us In
premiere danseuse OF the st Petersbur
Imperial opera. Member of his household
recipient of the highest favor froi
the hands OF the autocrst OF a
the Russias, Pavlova OF the Twinl
lirg Toes is going to shine upon u
for thirty nights. Fifteen OF these night
will be devoted to the Metropolitan oper
of New York City, for which Paylova wi
receive $1,000 per. The other fifteen night
are being wildly scrambled for, and wi
undoubtedly be the occasions of sue
demonstration and outpouring Of America
populace and dollars. as win excel eve
the storied days Of Jenny Lind. Neillso
or Patti.
Who is PaVlova2 Why, bless your ignol