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Show DRAMATIC NEWS AND COMMENT CHARLES FROFIMAN, interviewed in Ncw. York, has given some interesting in-teresting views of "Chantccler" in which Miss Maude Adams is now appearing. "Tho soul of '011,11116010 or of any great play that will live, unlike tho soul of man, can be defined in ono son-tcucc." son-tcucc." he said.t "Tho nctual being that it has. this life breath, is its great iden, the reason of its existence, and the sentence that contains it is this: Rvcry one of us must do unto death tho work that God has given us to do; however often it is crushed, wo must keep alive our faith in the daj''s task; it may not bring the dawn or make tho world go round, but if still wo go on working faithfully other workora that come after us. assigned to that task, to tho samo discouragements, will And the tnsk easior to do: others that come after them will find it still easier, and in tho end, as Chantccler says, there will be no morn night, by which ho means there will .bo no more failure, disaster and discouragement for the worker to contend with."" ''That idea did not originate en-tirelv en-tirelv with "Rostand." "T quite agree with you to a certain extent. But no other writer has elucidated eluci-dated tho idea with tho same beaut' and clarity. The great difference between be-tween Rostand and tho other writers is this: Tolstoy, Ruskin, Morris and the others urgo us to go on -with the work wo have in hand for our own sake, for our own self-ffovernment, but Rostand enlarges the idea and pleads with us, through the chief character of his play, to cohtinuo our daily task, our song to the sun, because each task faithfully performed makes it easier for the "follow who conies after us. Everything in tho play is subordinated to that idea even love, supposed to be tho .most necessary ingredient of nil pays. But the old-timo love plays are passing away " "Do von mean to say that, tho drama of the future will sidestep love?" "Not entirely, but in the main it will be a diffe.rent kind of love. From now on we will have plays dealing with broth rlv love, plays" with a sense of responsibilitv to the race. And. speak-inir speak-inir of the plays of the future, 'Chant ecler' might, well bo made tho sub.iect of deep study bv ever" ambitious playwright play-wright Since T first saw the play T have directed budding dramtists to sfudv the elements in the piece which enables it to rrrip its audiences. What Is the first of these elements? Pity. Pity is one rf the greatest emotions von can evoke in the theater. The shock that Chantccler receives when he discovers, like many another captltin of industry, that his work does not rule the world, immediately provokes the sympathy of the audience. You pity him .because his faith has been so creat nnd his downfall and disillusionment, so terrific." ter-rific." "Arid the pity is changed to admiration admir-ation when ho accepls defeat so gracefully." grace-fully." "I was coining to that verv point," said Mr. FTohman. "The greatness of his character is shown in tho buoyancy aud optimism with which in the end he accepls tho fact that -while Ins work docs not mean as much as ho thought it did. it still means to him all the happiness hap-piness there is in lifo. That realization and the submission to it is Rostand's characteristic, employment of the emotion emo-tion of pity. Pity was one of tho dominant dom-inant notes in his 'LAiglon.5 You recall re-call the wonderful wave of pity for tho little boy. the consumptive son of the great Napoleon, when ho first received re-ceived tho shock of his physical unfitness unfit-ness to regain his father's throne on the field of Wagram." ''Has Miss Adams been in communication communi-cation with the author during the rehearsals re-hearsals of the piece7" "I am glad yon aaked rao that question, ques-tion, as I would liko the public to know the delightful sympathy that has existed between Miss Adams and Mons. Rostand over since T decided to produce the piece. They became firm frionds when Bho created 'L'Aiglon' in English, and last year when I was in Paris the author sent word ' that 'his gratitude would know no hounds if Miss Adams would create his "Chantccler" in America.' They have exchanged opinions opin-ions constantly while the play was in the preparatory stage." ' ' How did the author regard tho plan of having Miss Adams, and not an actor, ac-tor, speak the prologue of the play before be-fore the curtain?" "Ho expressed himself as immensely pleased and thanked her for conceiving the idea. I have no hesitation in declaring de-claring that moment in the performance that invitntion to dreamland tho! most extraordinary nppeal ever made to the imagination of an audience." LEW FIELDS producod at the Broadway Theater last week "Tlic Hen Pecks," compounded according to tho recipe of the successful "Snmmor Widowers" and "Jolly Bachelors," and a huge crowd was on hand to see his latest example of spectacular, up-to-date funmaking. The closest classification of the new piece is that it represents tho newest things in vaudeville presented in the guise of musical comedy and in a succession suc-cession of nine glittering scenes. A shadow of a plot runs through the proceedings, pro-ceedings, but its chief interest is ovolved from songs and specialties loosely strung together. Mr. Fields himself has Iho leading role, but plenty plen-ty of opportunities aro left for othor clever entertainers such as Miss Gertrude Ger-trude Quinlan, Miss Ethel Johnson, Bert Leslie Lawrence Wheat, Stephon Ma ley. Miss Lillian Loo, Miss Edith Frost and nearly a score more. The first of tho nine scenes shows ' U'P, f,ilVm of 11,0 Jlcn 'ouls t South !' Il Muldlobury Railroad Junction.. Fol- ' H lowiti it; arc scenes of a public square , flH in New York, a fully equipped barber , IH shop, a steamship wharf, the deck of a Sound vessel, the court of a New York '.I !H apartment house and other localities 'H familiar to tho metropolis. Tj lH The story, .such as it is. deals with j the pursuit by tho wholo Peck family , of Zowie, a magician, who bv his . iH luxuriant growth of auburn hnfr has ,i cnticod atvny ono of tho Peck daugh- I1'1 H ters to a stngo career in New York. iH The aim of tho pursuers is to ciit off k' lH owio's locks and thus rob him of his IH attractiveness. When the Pecks rr- Ml turn to tho furm they find that it has .1 been cut up into building lots and 'H that thoy aro all rich. ' !H For tho story Glen MncDouough is ' ilH responsible. Tho songs, twenty in num- 1 ' iH ber, are by E. Ray Gocbc, " and' thoy ?r0i-, to lirnt niusilJ composed by A. , H Baldwin Sloauo. Svmmotry or sense K are not virtues of tho pioco,' .but its in- K . H "dents travel at a rapid pace and it ; ' iM fulfills the purposes for which it is ( ll intended. i j ijH THAT stage gowns of celebrities "l , are copied by society leaders is ' I ll pretty well proven, by tho follow- j ing: Blancho Ring played Roch- Vl ester early this season and recently I 'jH went back for a return engagement. As j 'H sho was dressing for the first act, a ! chorus, girl rushed in and said: '' IH "Miss Riii a, there's a lady in the ;H stage box that has your dress on tho :H one you arc putting on now." 'H Miss Ring amused, decided to take 'H no chances and quickly had her maid ' :H select another costume; and suro IH enough when she went on she saw the IH exact replica of her own gown on the IH lady in the -box. Some ono passing iH os a society editor had been admitted to her dressing room .on the previous ( 'H visit and admired the gown. It trans- '1 pired the visitor was a local dress- , 1 fH maker. IH Sir Charles, Wyndham, the diBtin- ! guished English actor-manager, is now 'H op his way to this country for the 8pe- 'H cinl purpose of completing details for , lH tho London production of Margaret slH Mayo '6 famous farco, "Baby Mine," jjH which is now running to crowded houseB , 'H at Nazimova's Thirty-ninth Street the- ator under the management of William ' I flH A. Brady, Ltd., and which is booked 1 i .H to open in London at Wyndham 's Cri- jH terion theater on Monday, February 20. l ,H Ab already announced, the role of ' L ;H Jimmy in tho English production ' iH of the piece is to be played by Weedon ' !H GroBsmith, who was recently seen hero 1 iH in "Mr. Preedy and the Countess," Sl and who is familiar with tho Amorican I ;HH production. But ,Sir Charles Wynd- ' ham, wants to seo tho Amorican pro- j ! duction himself to make suro that no ) iH point is being lost in preparing the -H English presentation, nnd is coming to H Now York with that purpose and with 'H tho additional hope of finding some IH American actress to play the leading iH feminine role of Zoie an the British tl production. Though ho has searched high nnd low ho has not been able to , H find any native English actress exactly I', ijH snited to the part which Margucrito dH Clark is playing in, New York and in jH which she has made the greatest hit of ; KH her career. ;H William Faversham hns concluded ar- 'u: H rangemcnts with E. Lylo Swote. direct- '1 of the TTaymarket theater, London, for , j 'H tho presentation of Edward Knob , iH lauch'n comod3, "The Faun," at his . 1 'H playhouse next April. dl It "was left to Mr. Fnvoraham's dis- 1 cretion as to whether it would be best iH to bring over the Amorican company or lH engage a special English cast for the jH presentation of tho comedy. Mr. Knob- H lauch the anthor of "The Faun." who. 'H is now in this country, insisted that Mr. IH Faversham make use of the orcaniza- " -IH f.ion that is appearing with him nt , 'H Daly's theater, it being his oninion that j.- ll Mr. Faversham would not be able to M 'HH dunlicato the cast in London. j 'H Mr. Faversham, though an English- man, has not appenred on the London j'l IH stngo sinco his debut at the Adelnhi , H theater as Romeo, in 18SS. Miss Julie Onn the leading lady of Mr. ( lH Favershnm's compnny, was tho leading j 'H lady of George Alexander's company at . -H tho Royally theater before coming to America to" support Mr. Faversham. |
