The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-11-27
TRVING'S IDEA OF RODION
DpsrOfEvskY'S NOVEL ~ THE
STAGE ~ LONDON.

Crime ami Punishment Dramatixrd ~
The tn~rittrn l-aw'-The Result
Not S,ir-cssfui New version Of vice
Versa" Madr-Two Curtain Raisers.
LONDON Nov 10 Lawrence Irving
crea ed the only theatrical sensation OF
| tn. we,,k when he produced The I'm
written Law at the Garrick Theatre on
Tuesday evening. He had not been seen
Oh the London stage for some years
When il was announced that he was to
produce his own,v srsion Of Dostoicvsky =
Crime and Punishment which he calls
The Unwritten Law" interest was
aroused. for London had never had n
hramaii zation OF the Russian master
piece and IL seemed fitting that an Irving
should do it. A large and distinguished
audtenc. gathered ON the first night at
the theatre.
III. first act pass ri muster. for Their"
was Some slight trace of the original
story in II. hut after thar IT was all
Irv ing's work Dostoievsky disappeared
in q whirl Of LAW renee Irving's own
ideas and opinions and the actor-play-
wright himself in the part of Rodion
Rdskoinikof tore ebout IN fashion
which would have pleased the shilling a
seat audience AZ the Elephant and Castle.
whsge The Girl Who Took tho Wrong
Turning is being given. bat which dis
tinCty displea-ei the, West End audience.
MIR. lrving's Rodioa is "A mailman. one
who shiyers and shakes and shudders
and howls during the whole four acts.
He murders purely rom sentiment
He has only once seen the girl for whom
he commits tho crime. hut that Once
WAS enough He feels he must remove
her oppressor from her path. and when
h.. has done il he busies himself giving
tn" police clues 81 they can arrest him.
The Sonia Of Miss Mabel Hackney M
a dropping. crushed creature as innocent
rs a lamb She fell on her knees half
"A dozen times IN the piece and prayed
Sometimes the prayers were extempore,
ana once she went through the Lords
Prayer from beginning To end and sue
ceedsd in converting ROdion on the spot.
At the close of the last act the audience
appaud"d mildly, whsreupon Mr.. Irving
asked permission 20 make n speech. and
then explained that his play had been
offered 10 Mr. Alexander and TO Sir
Beerbohm Tree and as they had refused
it he was obliged to produce il. He CON
cluCi.,d 10y leading forward his wife. who
still wore her crushed and dropping man
her with her Sonia dress and informing
the audience that the company called her
the holy terror" he added: Il say,
God bless the holy terror. Then the
curtain fell and disillusioned audience
made it's silent way out into the open air.
The newspapers treated the whole
thing most kindly They grew quite
enthusiastic about Mr.. lrving's acting.
and since they could say nothing good
Of the play they hardly mentioned il.
while they also tactfully ignored the
speech Had IL been an American who
produced such version Of a great story
and acted il in such fashion his fate would
have heen very different He would
have been told how ridiculous his play was
and how wanting in the true essentials
of art American drama was anyway.
and above all how impossible was his own
rendition Of the part u Rodion.
Mr.. Anstey has made a version of his
fantastic story vice Versa Other
people have done il before him. of course
but he nas never been wholly satisfied
with their efforts. and so has had try at
it, He has done very well. The play
was produced n the Comedy on Monday
evening and met with success.
MIR Ansrey has introduced one or two
fresh characters. including a new uncle
for Dick and "A little girl who is the bosom
friend OF Dick' = youthful sweet heart The
school scene l. Very funny, with Arthur
Playfair as a ponderous and severe DR.
Grims'ops and a lot Of England's clever
boy actors for the youngsters under his
rule
Two on. act plays have been we'll re-
Caived recently One il an old play
which made "A first appearance at n matt
nae several years ago when IL was called
The Escape, OF John Narchmant, and met
with small favor. Now IL has been re-
written and ~ The Maker Of Nets il is
preceding Mrs Skef'ington- and bring
ing vhe people 10 now occupy the stalls
Of the theatre half an hour earlier TO see
it, When you can say that Of n curtain
IA User IN London II il high praise for a. a
rule It Is only the pit and gallery that care
to soc the first piec" unless il Is very
ClaV ~ one
The Maker Of Nets il a dramatic little
sketch. John HGrchm1nt has escaped from
prison, where h. was serving "A sentence
for assault on an old enemy. and he makes
his way back TO his native village 10 see
his Sweetheart. only to learn from her that
she, has married hia enemy.
Miss Kate Cutler IL appearing at the
Coliseum in a trifie called The Episode
on IN. ancient theme of the sweetheart
disguised a. "A burglar in order 10 brighten
his best girl. In this case the best girl
IL not IN the least fri ghtened. She sees
through him at once. but pretends for
q Will. that she does not. In the end there
~ 4 pretty love scene.
The various woman suffrage societies
united and gave matinee on FRIDAY for
the benefit II tho cause. and new plays