New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-03
FAMOUS PLAY CUT TO
BITS FOR VAUDEVILLE
The Judiciary Attacked by the
Author of THE Lure" in His
New Play, THE Last Resort.
EpiloSue 70 Mariana" \ PLAY by Jose
r,bcgaray The Palace Theatre
-~tfr- CAST
By ARTHUR RJHi.

4. vas in 1880 shortly after some %
r.. becaray's plays had been translated
into English. that Mr.. Shaw called atten-
,iop 10 the dramatic qualities OF the last
scene OF Mariana" and said that IT
come adapter would only change the
rsme Of the piece from Mariana TO
..noniel and transfer all the lady's best
s,.oches 10 the gentleman. some English
.,,or-managcr would produce il as soon
,s he realized its existence" say in
,ventv wears or So as Mr.. Shaw de-
murely observed.
4. tho Palace Theatre Yesterday Miss
pe~,ba Kalich duly presented the cpl
loy,,s 10 Echegaray's Mariana" within
y.ar ~ any rate. Of the date set by the
redoubtable G. b. S. 1t was the hrst
lime that II had been seen on this side OF
the water. but not the first time Mari
ana" had been played IN English. MI
Daly Is said 10 have tried To get II Tor
Miss Ada Rehan. and Miss Elizabeth
Robins did get 1t for herself and played
,,,hs whole play-at the Court Theatre
- London. IN 1891, with cast including
Mr. II. B. Irving and Miss Mabel Hack
nov Mr.. Martin Harvey. Mr.. hermann
Vein and Miss Sitgreaves.
The play IS important not only as one
~ The most successful of the famous
Snaniard's dramas-it was received with
.xt-er,a favor when first produced in Ma
did in 1soe-but as one of the very few OF
his pIays which can be transferred WIN
comparative ease 10 the English stage
"El Gran Galeoto" Is one of the others
and that was presented here by MI
r.,arshau as The World and HIS
we" The announcement that an
actress go gifted as Miss Kalich was 10
present 'Mariana''-both her appearance
and her powers of emotional acting III ner
for tbA part-was, therefore. much more
than usually interesting, however impos-
sihla II might seem TO boil II down for
vaudeville.
Tho result was completely dlsappoulu-
ing OF any favor of the original tne'e
Was scarce a trace, and the brlet actIoh
shrsnk down as do so many or these d.
tennis 70 compress some great novel OF
NAV into a vaudeville turn into the
,.gulation domestic triangle-which might
ba,s been laid anywhere and written Dy
snvbodv-endlng with the relentless nus
hand killing his wife. IL was vague ana
,att,,. and the vaudeville audience, fresh
from laughing at the witty joshing of
,oan, known as The Nutcrackers," lis
tened with undisguised restlessness anu
were glad when It was done.
Little notion as the brief turn" gives
NJ the quality of Echegaray's work. IL
vet bears his name and deserves tnere-
fore a little explanation. Mariana
is full-sized play about woman
who is loved by, and herself falls des-
neratelv in love with, the son Of
man who. in Marianas childhood, eloped
with Marianas mother. Although they
arc NOT IN any way related, she cannot
hiring herself 20 marry the son of the man
whom she has grown TO loathe' anu 10
save herself from her own frailty, mar
rIes an eminently respectable gentleman,
much older than she, the possessor Oh
a strong will and a punctlllous opanIsh
sense OF honor. On the evening or her
marriage her persistent lover forces him.
self into her presence. She can resist no
longer, and, calling in her huspahu' All
uounceg that she loves Daniel; always mas
loved him. IS now going away with hin'
and asks-knowing we'll what VIII nap
p.n-what her husband intends to 90. for
answer he levels q pistol and shoots her
dead.
With the background and development
given Il by Echegaray-the background
that IS 10 say, OF people whose nouoh'
OF the position of women and whose couo
of personal honor sometimes seem almost
Oriental contrasted with ours-and the
development given BY one who combines
social sophistication with dramatic shln'
The story becomes something very OH
ferent from the lurid melodrama 1t might
sppear 10 be. Mariana's infatuation be
comes a relentless pursuing fate. fate
with a dash OF modern realism ana
psychology, and the denouement' 10 "hio"
she marches with open eyes almost
gladly, a tragedy foreordained.
EchegaNay IL no mere play carpenter
but T. man who knows his world thor
oughiv. who was Cabinet Minister before
ever hs began to write for the theatre
and n tho specific talent Of the dramatist
brought the wit, case OF manner and de-
yeioped Intelligence OF an accomplished
man OF affairs.
All this quality Is. OF course. lost In
he version given at the Palace We put
see A meaningless female figure, when
ssys good night TO husband ereets a
ioyer, an-bang,-it IS over.
As Nariana's lover starts 10 carry her
N IN his arms the guilty flight OF her
mother. which she witnessed as chiIo'
comes sickening back over hcr. inc
dramatic effect Of this. completely lost on
reatcrday's audience. results largely from
Mariana long speech in the second ac',
rot heard here N all n will give as wen
40 ANYTHING. perhaps, an idea of bche-
garays manner
"Jl,teu. Vas eight years old.
must have been or . o'clock IN we
morning J was sleeping in my cflo. anu
; Gfcsmt that ! wa8 giving great many
Misses 10 my doll. becauso ~ had cai'e'
me mamma The doll soon began 70
las me in return. but 30 nercely that u
capsed me pain. and the doll became
very large, snd ~ WAS my mother one
VA holding me IN her arms. and Il
1ss not sleeping nov: IL var no dream
va awake. Behind my mother there
T3s man standing n was Alvarado'
Who vas saying, Come. Ny mOiner
sai1. 80. not without hcr' md he 500
Devil iaks II. then. nm her The rest
sss Ike another drcain-.a nightmare
anything that whirls sou away aud VIII
not ~ sou breathe ~ mother dressed