The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-25
FALLEN IDOL" AT
COMEDY THEATRE
Ncw Play by Guy Bolton Is
Love Romance of Check
cred Pattern.
acting OF HIGH QUALITY
I'm, iollcn ,dol"-u the Comedy Thea

-
% almost seemed as II The Fallen
Idol" acted a. the Comedy Theatre ON
-..id.y night WIS going to explain an
...,r.,n, mystery NJ the theatre. There
v.a. Indications that 1t might show the
,r.u,cs v.tn which managers select
.ul,,s Tvo-'hirds of those seen on the
Ncv York stage In the last two years
hive hrcl incNpiclbie on any theory.
Gu. Bottoms now drama must have read
,,H no. sentences, while no, at all OF the
tl,l.r,s idipm and as purely narrative
h. character as ir they had been intended
fo. q place between the covers Of a book,
read smoothly
n must be that works " this kind inn
rrc.s theatre managers who are usually
ignorant Of what is good literature or
what l- mo-. so long ass u Is sufficiently
p-,',r'Ipus Smooth writing. then. does
tnc triek Vet every theatre manager Of
experience kIows that the play which
reads we'll Is less likely To- act well than
a drama which tx built FOR the stage.
Take some OF the old farcos, such as
Nl,rHys "lil=h Life Below Stairs, "
classics in their time, which afford to-
dty BOO reading no suggestion of the source
OF 'h,.g l1ugct lty. But they acted well
iu heir day and il il not necessary that
they should read well FOR later genera
t.uus Even at this day some Of the
dramas of rincro are already bombastic
and artificial To- the reader Eut their
dramatic force is not diminished
THE Fallen Idol SniiIe som, of its
predecessors, does not act as well rs it
must have read 20 the managers, Its fiction
concerns young woman of wealth
married To- AN eminent virtuoso--Italian
o, hIt--of the piano. As side line in
n, irt Do manages an oper;. company
which is strangely untrue 10 musical life
H. is ,bc object of the admiration OF this
young wife who is ia reality ia love with
lor cousin, Young sculptor. Mr.. Boil
tons play moves in highly artistic
mIcu
She even enables this young man to get
enough money to complete prize work
Nn.ol has been awarded to him 1t is
20 nIA" him famous II happens, how
ever. that his model is discarded mis-
tre.s ~ tho pianist. She is even the
mother OF his child II is TO gain money
10 support this crippled child that she is
shout 10 sue the virtuoso. now a physical
wreck himself Thai the woman ne loves
NAY b" spared all scandal. the sculptor
gives Tho money meant for his US,
. the deserted model The pianist is
thus saved. But his wife finds the check
believes her Young lover raithless and
on'i learns tho truth when the pianis
husband has taken an overdose Of medi
CO." and died in harness-,hat is at tn,
keyboard
Nlr Bolton shows some greater under.
s1nd.ng of dramatic values In "Th,
FALLEN idol' than he did in The Rule OF
Three But there are no traces OF tn,
d"matist's methods as yet In his worl,
lie transfers his fiction to the stage anC
there by means Of dialogue the story {,
explained. Naturally such u process elm
ir1'cs al possibility or suspense or OF anN
compelling interest. because II is not tn,
process Of the theatre. Such stencils mus
Of necessity be brought forward again. be
cause OF ten plays seen on the stage min,
possess this same fault.
Mr.. Bottoms characters speak a Ian
F1t-e which was never that OF any human
beings. Love- says the heroine to he
devoted admirer, is active When {
feels itself betrayed ii becomes retroac
tive The quotation may not he exact
hut 10 would nevertheless be deserving o
George Monroes unanswerable rejoinder
EVEN so" There are some snar
speeches allotted to young woman VIII
proves her truth to type by talking ahou
modern dances. they are like Mr.. Boil
tons wit in his other play. altogether O
N" author, never OF the character or tn
situation.
Janet Beechcr save delightful por
trait ~ the high minded young American
woman who had made such a bad bargain
Of her marriage with the pianist. Tn
sincerity and naturaluess OF her actin
did much to remove the copy book fms
from the speeches allotted to her. Mari
Chambers delivered the rapid fire hume
OF the woman OF the world with vivacitS
and Florence Rockwell played the mode
with pathos and without affectation
The acting Of the play was throuGhou
excellent although Albert Brunng's wi
was as LITTLE true to life as his Germa
accent for an Italian virtuoso. Davi
Towclls performance OF the sculptor va
smother charming portrayal OF youn
manhood. Mr.. Powell does not seem alb
To glow with the fire OF love even in hi
most impassioued minutes But in a
o'hcr respects his acting of tho sculpto
was a most natural and prepossessin