The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-16
From the New York sun.

From the New York Sun.
TT seems as If Paula Tanqueray might
take the place of the departed Lady
of the Camelias as the test OF the
emotional actress ability. Certainly the
symbols by which her traits may be ihdl-
Gated are less at variance with the taste
of the day. Then the social study of
high life in England in the late SOS VIII
always possess one advantage over Du-
mas translated play. Piner6 will come
to every generation TO which ambitious
actresses past their first youth may seek
TO introduce him in his original package,
as it were Dumas's play has ever been
known in translation The translation Is
moreover, appallingly bald in form ana
untrue to the spirit of the drama. More
than one actress attracted by the oppor-
tunities for the mere display OF techn'cai
virtuosity in the leading role has con'em-
plated "a revival of the old work only 10
shudder at the task of speaking the anti
ouated iargon in which most of the char
acters express their emotions.
SO Pinero will always have the adVan-
tage of appealing to the English-speaking
world in the words he wrote NO other
plav Of the English writer's wears hait
so well as this study of fascinating
and dangerous figure in modern society,"
He had then come sufficiently under the
influence of the realists-perhaps that is
the easiest name to call them by-put he
had not lost the sense of beauty, Whicn
seems now to have deserted him alto
,ether. Fine in It's technical and psyche
logical elements as "His House III order
was. there was sordid commonplaceness
about the middle class characters of that
play which made the general effect rather
stuffy, 1.-THE Thunderbolt kept closely TO
this same uninteresting milieu and in It's
use in comedy Mr. Pinero has met with
inyariable disaster. 1t was that uninter-
esting family that made preserving Mr..
Panmure" to commonplace for any IN
terest--especially in view of the trivial
situation on which he had endeavored to
form his comedy: midi Channel is drab
enough, with scarcely figure imaginative
or poetic in all it's middle class set.
But Paula was brilliant bird, some
what dimmed possibly in the splendors of
her plumage, but still a woman to con-
uuer the hearts of men. So was the
Princess Pannonia, a veritable princess
lointaine, coming from Mer mysterious
eastern home to contrast with quaint lit
tie Fay Zulai, the composite product of
the transient world whose school had al
ways been the pension and the hotel draw
ing room. Then the beautiful Rose Tre-
lawny was another charming incarnation
of young womanhood. Pineros imagi-
nation bloomed in this play of "Trelawny
of the Wells,'' built on his own recol-
lections of youth. He viewed them in
the rosy haze of the distant years and
something of the affection and sentiment
with which the memories still inspired
him, some of the idealism of those young
days has been impaired to every scene OF
! this play of theatrical life. With the
| passing fashions it is scarcely to be ex-
| pected that the delightful comedy will
| not date There is in it none of the genius
| that will preserve its flavor for all time
But very fine and fragrant that flavor re-
mains today.
! From this beautiful gallery Of figures