Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-12-30
NEXT WEEK:
The Biographical Adventures
Of 'Penna. Dutch" Comedy
The Adapter of Helen Martins Barnabetta Tell. Few
of the Adventures That Novel Went Through
Before it Became "Erstwhile Susan"
BY MARIAN DE FOREST

Tr.s a Christening experience, dramntiring
novel; also valuable experience. pro-
.,dsd one has sense Of humor and It
demonstrates afresh the facts that books
aopt talk, that characters cannot be trans
,,rrel unchanged from the printed page to
The theatre.
when Mrs Martin sent me her book
aparnabetta." and asked n I was sum
st.ntiy Interested 20 put II into a play. !
s"rtdcd that II might make q sweet aud
snpeating little comedy, with Barnabetta
NJ chief figure and Juliet, Ersiwhiie Susan.
- stopmother on call whenever needed To
supply the fun. -.t-., 49,.
counted without Mrs Fiske, and without
snpreciatIng the difference between book
Characters and the visualized characters,
characters that must stamp their person.
si,,v upon a scene and give tn play The
,,bsscribabIe necessary difficult attribute
nbirh for lack OF a better term, we cau
atmosphere. ,-..t
tried TO make the play a real dramau-
,ailon, but In the attempt was Obliged TO
-, away from the Pennsylvania Dutch
s,,,osnbere transporting the little house
bold drudge from Reinhartz station 10 a
boarding school In the book poor little
unsophsticated Barnabetta struggles be-
tween her love for Bostonese snOb OF a
college president and her admiration ana
f,iendship for Judge Jordan. II takes her
Snonths 10 appreciate the difference and 10
reailze that Barrett does not ring true
with an honest desire to do my fun
auty by the author ! wrote the original
comedy In four acts The author wrote me
that she was delighted. but | was not.
did not feel that we had play. AZ this
polnt I threw aside the book which | have
never opened since. Wise beyond his years
fol s1RN NHNNHw wiEFlNN NNN In
Knve us his rule for making dramatizo.
lion: "I read the book throw II away and
when I have forgotten enough I start writ
ing" and the reason is plain. Novelist and
playwright seldom speak the same language
occasionally some soul Is versatile enough
90 do both. but instances are Few and
methods are never the same
After putting away for a few weeks the
manuscript OF "Barnabettu," tho play,
took II out again and equipped with n
trusty blue pencil cut every line | thought
was "booky," killed on few characters
boiled down the college experiences OF
Barnabetta and introduced some OF BarnaS
betta's people from her home town. trust
ing to Juliet, optimistic. buoyant. humorous
Juliet. to gnpply the something knew was
lacking In the college scene.
For the first and only time In our
acquaintance Juliet failed me. However. the
play was certainly improved. sent II to
Aa popular character actor, She returned
Ahe script with this comment MY dear
dhe idea is bully and the play Is worth
while but it's too long and you need to
build Juliet. The right woman VIII make
n fortune with it but should be very bad
In IT,"
None the less I hesitated at FIRST about
turning comedy with a Cluderella-like
star into n character play, SO sent the
script to one OF Americas greatest man
ayers Back II came with the statement
that the name part was not big enough
for the young star that he was exploiting
and for whom he was interested In the
play Appended was friendly bit Of ad-
vice TO rewrte "Barnabetta" for the char
acter role OF Juliet.
Then one Of the Corey & Ritter firm read
the manuscript. lie liked the play and
asked II would be willing to make some
changes. No one lOnged to make them az
much as I did. Thereupon we decided that
"Barnabetta" should be done over for the
Juliet role. ! shut myself In my study for
= week and achieved version number three.
But can't we eliminate the college
scene2" was the comment when the revised
manuscript went back We can was my
reply, but I'll have to Kill off the profess
Bor." And forthwith several more murders
were committed one entire act was s!aush-