The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-12-21
VNIHAT are our native dramatists
w coming to? Two American plays

w coming to? Two American plays
produced IN one evening and not
blush in either Of them! I dare not
think what the first nighters would
have done. how far their demonstra-
tions OF dismay might have led them,
had they not had more than hint or
the nature of each in advance. For
one, now called 1.-The Things That
Count" is an altered and improved
version OF play produced tentatively,
Angel" at some matinees, just a year
and two months ago, while the other
Is a stage arrangement OF The
Prodiigal Judge ono OF tho most
1t was in the first flush Of the
popularity Of 1.-THE Prodigal Judge"
that its author. Vaughan Kester. stil
In the vlgor OF his youth, expired on
tlful old Georgian mansion set little
back from the Potomac. In a large
and formal garden about six miles be-
low Mount Vernon and Marshall Han;
Il was generally expected that Paul
himself the author OF successful com
edies produced by Julia Marlowe, Ada
Rehan, the late Helena Modjeska and
others, would turn the story into
been done by George Middleton. a
family friend and Paul Kester's col
laborator in at least one play The
Intimate fact is Of interest to the
public because 1T gave some substan-
tiaI promise that the spirit of the
book would be sympathetically re-
talned. and that has been done.
While, OF course, the play. centers
about that lovable old humoug. the
Tennessee gentleman of the title,
Mr.. Middleton has omitted none OF the
memorable characters OF the book. de
divides the four acts into only four
scenes. showing MS Schlosson's tay-
Yta house
MaIroy's plantation. the courtroom
made famous by tho novel and the
garden OF the Quintard place-all. OF
Course, in 1895. with the administra-
tion OF Andrew Jackson as the back
ground for the tale OF intr1gues
against vast southern estates. How
ever, it Is the Judge who. dominates
and vitalizes the play, and the char
acter of the picturesque. incorporate.
Ingenious. boastful wholly loVable old
vaeabond needed an actor no less
genial In himself, broad in method
and skilful In ,, recourse 1n than Ie0lse safs
factorily as any actor one can pring
to mind.
AJRENCE BYRD. who started as
Il an actor. beginning by walking
on" with Julia Marowe and advanc-
ing rapidly 20 leading shakespearean
roles With Ben Greet, has written
sentimental comedy in "The Things
That Count" which occasionally errs
a little in over- r-sentimentaHty. but Is,
FOR the most part, a charming. gentle
little PLAY. Having glanced at the
programme and discovered that the
first act is In aristocratic Washington
sn,iare, with the other two In lower
East side tenement. we are not sur
nrised TO find the first group OF char
acters hard hearted. Chief among
these is an embittered old dowager
fFIorine Arnold), whose son, four
Years before. married an actress, was
considered by his parents to nave
formed a shocking neSallanee, Was
estranged from his wife by them. ana
subsroueutly expired. The 1ather
ALBERT Reed h0wsSyeT' @@tSsr snd MaS through o, sH
g Ssnliiv butler, has kept an eye on
his daughter. For has not that IRE,
proac chable young woman-pIaEeo
With rare tenderness and charm by
Alice Brady--been left With an In
fant daughter. ,r ,,d
fotbar has planned "A secret pilgrim
age accompa MED and assisted by the
| IStier and a young physician, who
suas his dead sons ohum. AS this
| rn1a "a filled by an actor no less en-
raeing than Howard EstapTook, thSy
Gre not y,,fn yopy angryf Miss s1I Rrudy W as his
| hsst friends widow, for his wife But
dunn ahead Of the plot. Swedish
aoJrt,apt (Hilda Englund). who Is IN
ioue with the butler, overhears just
enough OF the yuletide conspiracy 70
misinterpret It's purpose, s,s sne n voi1ss oeIIs
&c yIsit some unknown woman In
tonsmant. The stern old dowager
Foiio,ys him. There, on Christmas day,
aGa learns OF her mistake. but NOT
until she has become Infatuated WIKI