Life — May 24, 1906 — page 15: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ROCEEDING from the general to the specific, it is noteworthy that two of the Season’s greatest pop= ular successes were writ- | ten here and that they deal with 5 purely American subjects. First The Girl of the Golden West,” putting in dramatic form a phase of American life which, though crude and now almost extinct, brought out the clementary’ emotions which are the strongest material for the dramatist. Next, “The Lion and the Mouse,” whose greatest claim to suc- cess was its utilizing, from a purely imaginary point of view, a personality and methods just now the focusof great public interest. Regarded simply as liter- ature, neither play isa great achievement, but they are both highly valuable in point- ing out to the American dramatist that he is not forced to go into the dark ages nor into foreign climes for his material. Of the foreign authors, Mr. Bernard Shaw has probably profited most in roya ties, although the long run of “Peter Pan” must thake Mr. Barrie a close second. Of Mr. Shaw’s plays prodyced this season, two have been successes, “Man and Super- man” and “Arms and the Man”; one failure, “John Bull's Other Island”; and one indexed by the police as indecent, Mrs. Warren's Profession.” Most notable of the other imported plays was Lavedan’s “The Ducl,” a play of serious interest, which, in spite of its sombre quality, achieved a considerable success. The pro- duction of Schiller’s “Don Carlos” was more of interest to the personal following of Mr. Mansfield than of value to the stage. Mr. Alfred Sutro, a new English dramatist, scored one success, “The Walls of Jericho.” Of the light comedies and farces to which M - gaa A G SARTORIAL SHAKESPEARE THERE'S A DIVINITY THAT SHAPES OUR ENDS.” Hamla. 645 action, which should have been brisk, moved at a snail-like pace. ‘This criticism does not apply to Mr. Charles Dickson, the leading comedian; to Miss Edna Aug, as an eccentric Ger- man slavey, nor to Miss Alice John- son, who displayed considerable ability as a comedienne. “Mistakes Will Happen” barely escapes being a pronounced success. + * 8 HERE is a movement on foot to give theatrical managers in New York a chance to provide decent pro- grammes in place of the wretched THE AUTO IN THE MELODRAMA the public has turned for relief from musical ly, “Mr. Hopkinson,” the imported farcical satire on the greed for money in the British aristocracy, appears to have been the best received. In the host of others more or less successful, Mr. Augustus Thomas's The Embassy Ball,” written to fit Mr. D’Orsay; “Before and After” and “The Manon the Box” are the most worthy of mention. At the Trust theatres, from which Lire has been excluded, there has been nothing presented that scems to have made any decided impression. Among the actor folk the most important occurrences of the year have been the death of Sir Henry Irving and the triumphant tour of Mme. Sarah Bernhardt, the former event a misfortune to America as well as to Eng- Jand, and the latter notable not only in the artistic rejuvenation of the actress, but in the enthusiasm she aroused in audiences remote from the great cities. There have been no new and flashing meteors in the theatrical heavens, although Miss Margaret Anglin has secured what seems a fixed posi tion among the stars. Nota very brilliant record, is it? Several explanations might be offered, but the truest would probably be that the more intelligent public has become apathetic where the theatre is concerned. It has found so little of late which appealed to the intellect that it seems to have accepted it as a fact that the theatre is to be given over to raree-shows meant for the amusement of the stupider public, and that is mostly the kind of enter- tainment our theatres offer. * 8 2 NE of the season’s latest 6ffeaings is a ry farcical comedy called “ Mistakes Will Happen,” and written by Mr. Grant Stewart. In the hands of a more expert company of farce actors it would be provoc- ative of much laughter, as some of its lincs are both novel and ludicrous. Unfortu- nately for the piece, several of the cast were either too slow or too amateurish, and the things which heretofore have served to soil the hands and offend both eye and mind. Several theatres have al- ready adopted the new programme,which is to be artistically printed on good paper, with good ink, and with its arrangement intended more for the convenience of those who use it than for the advantage of those who advertise in With the high prices charged for theatre tickets in New York, it might be demanded by the theatre-going public not unreason- ably that the present catchpenny programs, in which information about the entertain ment is the most obscure thing, should be replaced by something better. . * #8 N RESPECT of greed and rapacityourown American Theatrical Trust probably leads. the world, but France has one which is no mean competitor, particularly in the way of ingenuity. It is called the Societé des Autcurs, and exerts its power through its control over the dramatists of France. It even controls the managers of the theatres, because, if these do not submit to the de- mands and conditions of the Society, they can.get no plays to put on their stag Equally, the author who docs not conform in all particulars to its requirements can get no theatres to produce his plays, so that the control is absolute. ‘The society even goes so far as to collect royalties on the performances of plays of the dead and gone authors of the classical French drama and the managers do not dare say them nay. If some of our trust managers would only go to France and study this system, they might find a way of collecting royalties on the plays of one William Shakespeare It is quite possible with the mind’s eye to see our greedy compatriots gloat over the idea. s 68 8 ITH which few remarks Lire discon- tinues its dramatic department for this season. Here’s hoping for better luck next time! Metcalfe. comicbooks.com