Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-01-05

l
many Of the ordinary pitfalls. A reading
Of the work primarily results In visu-
alization OF the emotional author of Tn
diana" not the leading comedienue - the
American theatre. Thus Mr.. Mocller's
first obstacle has been surmountcd at the
outset.
Almot equally gratifying is his es'sb.
lishment of an atmosphere" relieving
him from many of the alleged obligations
OF the historical dranatist, His laid
able aim has been not so much to dra-
Matte the whole picturesque life OF his
heroine as TO portray with an acute pen,
In which satire and affcctionate interest
are adroitiy mingled. the serio-comlc and
sentimental yet artistically richly pro
ductive Bohemianism Of Nine. Dude
want and the un que circle OF irrespon-
sible geniuses In which she moved and
which she dominated.
The piece : thus plo'iess Its charac.
teriyation leans toward caricature. but
as such a method f. finely In key with
the spirit ~ the work the humor Is usu.
ally delightful--neycr offensive. Though
not always sustaining the highest level
OF brilliancy. the i alogue has an un.
forced quality. too seldom found in so
called clever plays, and sometimes II at
tains genuine flavor of wit. This is par.
ticularly evident In the keen portrait Of
Heine Alfred de Musset and omnivor.
GU George" are in each others arms.
II am being pushed into 8. corner" la.
mcnts the German lyricist. Nothing
fills a room like love-
Love fil,s this play. too love OF the
remarkable. Unsuitable aud yet curiously
pra ,tical Dudcvaut type. The liaisons
with Dc Muesct and ragclio form the
basis of this dclectabi stage product.
. -
the curtain falls. hS Tor the high cost
of loving" all charges are promptly paid
by the indcfatigablc Georges prodigon
literary activity aud hcr skill in novc,l2.
ing her owu personal sentimental mo.
tives, u trait which Mr.. Mooller cmrhp.
sizes with richly irunic potency. Re.
ports Of Mrs. Fi.ke's Broadway sue.
cess In this play arc easily credible. She
has an excellent vehicle and one whose
charm should be far more definite before
the foo'lights than In pub 'Ication dress
hBSUEDLY captioned for English
IAcars. "Iiadda Padda" (Alfred A.
NnopD belongs not at all to the lament
able class Of freak drama which it at
first suggests The play originates in
perhaps the least known civilized coun-
try Of the globe. Iceland. That this
great Island lies almost wholly within
the temperate zone. aud its coastal win
ters are decidedly mlder than Minnesota,
that II was u valiant independent re-
public for centuries. that its heroic lit
eraturc is one Of the most glorious in
Europe that II IL inhabited by eighty
thousand persons, whose standard of
education Is conspicuously high, that
the inspiration of its old saga writer's
L. L..
activity are facts vita which the out
side world has scant familiarity. Mr..
kamban is "A new name to English
readers. but Denmark. whittier much
lcelandic culture must necessarily grav-
itate. has hailed him as a dramatist
of vital distinction and at home In his
tiny but highly critical Reykjavik he
ranks as the exponent OF an art rich
with promise.
Inevitably much OF the appeal of a
piece SO typical of the country of its
origin as "IIadda Padda" is must evap-
crate in Translation. But Sadie Luise
Pcllcr's English version still retains
much native fire. suggestions Of "A fine
poetic imagination aud IA sure grasp
both Of dramatic technique and charac-
ter values. The simple structure il
raised about an elemental tale Of two
sisters cnamored OF the same man aud
the tragic death of the elder girl in
which motives of passion, reFcnge and
pity are cloqucntly blended Is "a sceue
instinct with the Tcnnysonlan formula
Dark, true and tender Is the North"
The whining soul-siskucss Of many OF
the foreign dramatistS. too speedily fiat
tered with English translatious, is hap
PLY indscernble In "IIadda Padda,"
The play has none OF tre madness of
Strindberg. none of the willful peryersity
of Chekov and the Russians. 1t H.
sane. sincere. strong and touching It's
success in English is conceivable. al
framework might possibly initiate
against that
ENRANKLY a stage play. but even
l. more frankly an essay in special
pleading and propaganda, is the " tt-
cheney" George II. DoraE. New York;
OF Messrs. Davis and Sheehan. The
single act and scene reveals AN En-
peror." to whom Scientist" exultGntly
displays mo. 24I." l soldier discharged
from the hospital and now 80 patched
together with ingenious artificial con-
trivances that he is a ruthless machine,
hardly human. The Emperor savagey
re1OlceS tnat MS stricken SoIdiery can
be thus restored to Efficiency" Left
alone with his Frankenstein. the mon
arch Is strangled by the met illic fingers
of the man-machine. whose heart, none
the less, still throbs with passion and
the lust Of richly justified revenge.
The essential quality of the piece is
shallow and snowy melodrama. There
is no literary distinction and merely
superficial Characterization. But the
power Of an idea is impressively pres
ent. and on the stage its full force would
be likely to disarm sober analytical
criticism. That such was the case is
evidenced by the glowing letter of In
dorsement written by Theodore Roose-
welt after witnessing a performance of
the play at New York's Greenwich VIII
lage Theatre this autumn.
DERUSAL Of the three plays cited
above is not Of course compensation
for the dearth OF significant new dramas
on our early 1918 stage. but the h ibit
OF play reading offers a certain solace
during periodical theatrical "slumps."
and II is incontestable that familiarity
with interesting new footlight works
fosters desire to see them acted which
may. In time. bear fruit. H. C.
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