THE DRAMA.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14830, 22 November 1913, Page 7

THE DRAMA.

(Bt "Ctiuno.") Not even Sir James Barrie is above altering a play to make it suit the public ,f The Adored One," it toII be rememberod. faded out rather dismally in the last two acts, and left the audience bewildered as to the author's intention. The following extract from the "Daily Telegraph." shows how it has, been altered:—"Yoa remember what it was. She (Leonora) was in a train with her little girl, and her little girl had a cold. A horrid man came in and opened ihe window. When ho heard of tho little girl's cold he still would not have the window shut. So Leouara pushed him out of the train, and he died, and through two acte she was tried for her life in » bewildering travesty of law and lawyers and justice and men and women. For the satisfaction, of those who did not know what to make of her we'now have the plot arranged to show that she ©over tlid. throw any man anywhere. TJjo story of the murder she made up to pull Captain Jl-attray's log, and he took it in deadly earnest, and, bcine like Joseph's Pharaoh and others, a dreamer of dreams, he thereupon dreamt tho who:o trial. Tho trial itself is abbreviated, and by some not very entertaining stago effects we have it emphasised; that the judge and jury and all t : h« rest are of dreamland. A new last act makes that still clearer by showing its Captain Rattray waking from his troublous dream, and Leonora confessing that she never, never killed anybody. Then there is a more serious and unfortunately more sentimental proposal than that delicious affair at the trial, and we leave her shelling poas with her captain." "The Adored One" seems I destined for a long run.

Another short play by Sir James Barrie was produced in London and New York a few weeks ago. It is called "Half-an-Hour,* , and is unlike anything else of his, in that it is all thrill. One critic remarks that it is the only play of his with which he cannot at once be identified on internal evidence. The ptay three acts*and the whole thing, including intervals, lasts fortyfive minutes. It sketches tho story of a woman unhappily married, who bears with the insolence and money of her brutish husband until she can no longer endure them, and then rushes to the lodgings of the man whom she loves, ready to accompany him to Egypt. She leaves a letter telling «er Husband of ho.r flight, and also leaves her jewels. Her lover is killed a few moments after she joins him, boing run over by an omnTTius while calling a carriage. A doctor who witnessed the accident attends him, and meets the woman. There remains no course for her but to return to her own 'home at once, where she finds guests assembled for dinner, among them the doctor, who tells the story of the accident. The husband had found the jewels left by his fleeing wife, but had missed the letter. When he hears of the case ho suspects his wife, but she had cleverly obtained possession of the letter. There is a very tense scene, in which the woman fences for her safety, and wins. The husband's suspicion is calmed, and the guests file to dinner, the almosf hysterical wife being escorted by the doctor. Upon this scene the curtain falls.

Mr H. B. living re-entered the ranks of London managers early in Octolwr, when he produced , a new play, "The Grand Seigneur." Miss Marie Lohr, who is in the front rank, was his leading lady. It is- disappointing to find that "The Grand Seigneur" is only a melodrama —thrilling and picturesque, no doubt; but -tfnworthy of the actor. *'J.W.," in the "Westminster Gazette," is pretty severe on the play. He cays: . —".Mr H. Irving will hardly expect demonstrations o£ delight over 'The Grand- Seigneur , from those who have hitherto regarded him as a man with an artistic conscience and a serious purpose. Probably he has something important in his mind for the future; and in order to provide money for it he is now attempting to divert in. his direction a small Dart of that continuous stream of gold which flows into 'The Only "Way , and The Scarlet Pimpernel. , There is no reason why he should not succeed in this object. His authors, Edward Ferris and 8.. P. Matthews, have followed the, rules. They, have led up from situation to situation with' unfailing regularity. They have trotted out our dear old friends the sansculottes, and the row of aristocrats gallantly facing the guillotine with a jest upon .the lip. They-have made the chief aristocrat masquerade as a. Republican General.much to the advantage of such of his friends as are brought before him; They have given us the distressed heroine who changes into somebody else's clothes—the exchange this time is with a dancing girl, whose costume at the moment happens to be scanty, and most derogatory to the dignity of a lady of France. All this have done without mercy; remembering to put in the usual acts of stupidity which in •such plays lead up to thrilling situations, and to season it with flamboyant dialogue from the. best heroic mould. In one thing they . have attempted originality: and this it probably is which has induced Mr Irving to produce the play. Thft central figure is not tho hero," but a villain who is evidently intended to be a study of villainy on an epic scale. He- was an attractive fellow at first. His manner to a poor devil who depended on him was insufferahlo; and lie played a trick of unspeakable meanness upon the beautiful Adele Yernet in order to compel her to become his wife. But there was promise of something interesting in him. Mr Irving made him such an impudent, masterful sort of person. But his subsequent behaviour exeeed«l oven that which is permissible to an aristocrat of the Terror struggling to free himself from the theatrical- conventions which surround him. He pursued Adele and her loving husband with remorseless ferocity, His passion for humiliating the poor girl was quite distressing, and he taunted her in a manner which \«is very unbecoming in a gentleman. Ho kept her locked up in her own castle in order to trap her husband; he made Tier dance a minuet with him in a costumo she abhorred; and he used hi 9 power over her husband and her little sister to make her promise to become his mistress. In fact, no far from being an heroic figure of evil he was quit© ridiculously conventional, and his deathbed'repentance and tho tableau of his slaughter by the hungry mob did. nothing to put him in any other light. Mr Irvine did.his best with him, being commanding, grim, ami sardonic by turns and all at once, and Miss Marie Lohr was a pretty little suffering victim, but had -nothing to do worth doing. The wild enihusinsm of the audience appeared to become a little damped as time went on; but if other people make money by this sort of thing I see no- reason why Mr Irving should not do tho same if he enn bring himself to do it." ■

The critic of '-The Times" deals wittily with the play. "Why are Frer.ch Revolution plays nearly" always absurd?" ho asks. "You" might "as well ask why their players choose so many different ways of pronouncing 'Monsieur.' It is a stage tradition, which the authors of 'Tho Grand Seigneur' orthodoxly hold sacred. And it is a stage tradition which audiences accept with perfect good humour." Of Mr Irving he says that he is "prominent among those actors of impressive and romantic personalit3' who can make absurdities not only acceptable but delightful." Probably "The Grand Seig-

neur" will have a fairly long run. and Mr Irving may be able to risk the production of a better play.

Mr F. R. Benson's recent departure < for America with his company gave an j opportunity to his. admirers to pay warm tributce to his work. Tho London correspondent of tho '"Sydney Morning Herald" summarises =<so well in the following:—'-Thefarewell luncheon tendered him yesterday drew an unusually j large And distinguished company. That j is entirely as it should be, for if any man deserves the honour duo to dovo- ; lion to. an ideal, Benson deservt* it. His ideal for thirty years past has been (Shakespeare and tho oetter understanding of Shakespeare by his fellow countrymen. For thirty years he has preached his gospel incossantK , , making j little money in the process, l>ut persevering, training his actors, touring tho kingdom, and latterly, with Stratford- j on-Avon for headquarters, establishing there- the Memorial Theatre, a"nd pro- i eventing, every joar, performances of the plays such as in themselves,, would Jiave made him famous. He has produced there all the Shakespeare plays except three. On his coming tour he will produce, up and down America, sixteen of them. Always an idealist, Benson has lived for quite other things than his own material advantage. He is not one of the rich actor-managers-— but there is none held more in honour. And apart from his productions, he has directed, all these years, the Benson company, admittedly the finest, training school for actors England has had. It could hardly bo otherwise with Benson in command and the members i themselves constantly walking the in the. light of Shakespeare's drama and Shakespeare's poetry. The list of now well-known actons and actresses who, being members of Benson.? , company, have learned much of their craft with him is too long to quote. " But here axe'some of them: — Ainloy, Asche, Graham Browne, Louis Calvert, 0. B. Clarence, James Fagan, A. E. Laurence Irving, Matheson Lam', William Mollison, G. Kay Souper, E- Lyall-Swete, Arthur Whitby, Chas. Quartermaine, Nigel "Playfair, Jeesio Bateman, Lily Brayton, Tita Brand, Alice Crawford, Frances Dillon, Beryl Fahor, Ada {Btirrar, Madge McIntosh, Mabel Hackney. There are many others. Some of these you will have known at first hand. His company is not the least part of Benson's great work for the British stage, anil beine; what it is, that work for tho British stage will, we are all hoping, nesure him a royal .welcome on tho other side."