The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-07-20
Dreamy Tragedy Seen on a Syluan Stage
UNBIDDEN BIRD MARBLES
Vaudeville Sketches Blossom Luxurlantly; Mile
Dazie, the Dancer, Surprises by Appearing
in Stock Company in Minor Role
By Vanderheyden Fyles

A T last we know the stage man
~ ager capable Of producing
tragic fantasy by Maurice Maeter-.
linck In the vague, elusive spirit OF
Its poetic author. II took the frat
performance In America OF "Agla-
vaine and Selysette" 10 inform us.
Have You ever read a Ma eterinck
play and then put down the book and
thought out how you could produce 10
on an ordinary theater stage with the
same effect the words had made on
you? Or. better still. have YOU ever
observed the work Of doing such a
thing in progress. or been a pa,iicl-
gives no stage dlrectIons in his manu-
script, beyond mentioning that the
walls OF the hut become radiant or
''the graveyard turns into field OF
lilies" II taxed the scenic genius OF
Hamilton Bell and the resoprceful
Platt. working for many months, in
associa ton with the discriminating
taste or Winthrop Ames, TO realize
''The Blue Bird and beautiful as the
of the fairy tale still fell little short
OF the effect of the unadorped words
on the lima gination, But that Is as
inevitable a s to expect any produc"
tion Of "a Midsummer Nights
Dream" to accomplish as much as
oHdheopcdte . .PliIl'cu HpeI y
A T the side OF a country road In
n Westchester county, about an
hours ride from New York city,
stands a quaint little tea shop, hid
den amidst trees and flowers. 1t is
favorlte stopping place between the
numerous large estates that have
been laid out around Mount Kisco
by wealthy New Workers. Back Of
the tea house is a semi circular slope
Of grass that forms a natural amphi-
theater, For the stage a whIte-col-
umned pergola has been erected at the
foot Of this mount. Back OF II are
dense trees and flower garden.
through which runs little stream.
And that Is Martin Leonard's Brook
side theater. No better setting could
have been found for "AglaYaine and
Selysette." The words alone created
their own atmosphere" as words
may be relied on to 40 when they are
Ma eterllnck's s or Shakespeares while
nature at It's lovel!est lured us Into
the most receptive mood for poetry.
But still about that Maeterlinckian
play came with the sacrifctal death
OF poor, unhappy Selysette. a bird in
a tree that spread it's branches over
the stage began TO sing his evening
song. No deft touch by Belasco could
have added more effectively TO the
Maeterlinck should Immediately cable
to the Brookside theater and secure
the exclusive services Of that bird,
EoR the open-aIr performance.
Martha Leonard had considerate-
" curtailed "Aglavaine and Sely-
sette." reducing Il TO twelve scenes
ohscured the sad sorry OF the sisters
who both loved the same man TO
distraction, All Is we'll with Sely-
settle and Me!eander until AgTavaine
comes TO visit them Immediately
the husband is fascinated by her
beauty. She begins 10 love him, too
though in harmless sort OF way
Aglayaine sees only his good quail
ties. whereas Selysette Is conscious
of his faults, but loves him passion
ately- IN spite Of them. In the end
she determines to do away with her
In happiness with AgIavaine And
this she does In truly Macterlnck-
ian way, choosing to leap from her
tower.
WTALTER HAMPDEN was good
w selection for the only male role
In !, ~ the s, piece; o With his fine PHYSIQUE
some enough In his medaelval dress
to Justify the sisters capitulation;
and he spoke the noble verse admir-
ably, Mr., HaInpden (son OF ]. Hamn-
den Dougherty, the Brooklyn polt-
cian) had PLAYED the same part nine
years ago In London. when Granville
Barker made a very sympathetic pro-
duction of the TRAGEDY, then eight
years old in print, If l recollect cor
rectlv Mrs. Hampden. known pro
sette then as she was the other aft
ernoon. Edith Wynne Matthison was
TO have played Aslavaine, and she
would have lifted the performance
materially; but she was prevented
from appearing and Marta Leonard
parts We're PLAYED by Caroline New
combe. formerly Of the New theater.
and Walter Fowler. little hov Of
the neighhorhood, who thus made his
debut on the stage under the unusual
circumstances Of lmpersonating lit
tie girl. Do YOU suppose he viii grow
UP. histrionicallv. from Maeterlinck
10 George w. Monroe?
.HTHD SONG OF THE HEART"
sounds like something high
~ psychological and modern" from
the pen OF Hermann Sudermann but
" Is In fact, sentimental vaude-
VILE sketch brushed together bv the
experienced and has'y hand OF Ed
gar Allan Woolf The raison d'etre
OF II Us Sophye Barnard. well-dressed
IN two songs and stunning gown
by Melville Ellis. In fact Miss
Barnard Is quite In a class with
Fr!tzi scheT and Kitty Gordon-so
far as the gown goes Her role Is
mat OF grand opera prima donna
VINO has graduated from A Bowery
music hall TO "ThaIs" al the Metro
politan. The man who ran the
downtown Joint has accompa MED her
on her upward flight posing as a
German impressario Also the nrirs
donna has ACQUIRED husband. He
was born In High Life! therefore his
FAMILY would not stand for the mar
riage and has succeeded IN separot.
Ing the couple. The prima donna
is ready for -'Thais." With $1,000
audience In front and nothing much
on her back But Hubby Is I'm the
family box; and presently. he breaks
away from his astoundinglv arIsto-
cratic relatives and comes around ~
the singers dressing room He tolls
her that their little girl is I'll M homo
and. In her delIrlum. has cried for
ner mamma. This harrows That's n
lot. and she declares she cannot
sing But the resourccful ImpreSN
sario remembers the Svengali rne,hod
and hypnotlzes Mrs Mary Carder
smith onto the stage. However
lust as yOu can load hove. -