OCR Text |
Show "BLAINE, A TRAGEDY." A Duma Tor the 6tagr, Which Will Not Bo Unacted In Now York. An American playwriter has been for tome timo engaged in the composition of a drama of contemporary life ia which the chiof character is to be a famous fa-mous American statesman, now decop od. Tho title which ho has chosen iot It is "Blaine, a Tragedy." It certainly looks liko bad taste to dramatize, at least in this generation, the career of the American hero named, but tho author au-thor maintains that he can do it inoffensively inof-fensively and in such a way as to dig nify his subject, as the life of Mr. Blaine was full of dramatio material, and as there were scones in it which -would be especially serviceable fcr a drama ol real life. Ho says that Sbakespearo made uso of personages who lived not long before his time, and even of some who were his contemporaries, and ho gives tho names of other playwritors who have used their acquaintances In their stage compositions. When rttniudod that even tho greatest and most picturesque Americans Amer-icans of past times, from tho days of Washington to those of Lincoln, had never been used successfully for dramatio dramat-io material, as Shakespeare used the kings of England, ho replied that this was a thing which would surely yet bs done in this country, as it has been done In other lands, and that, in any event, it is his purpose to begin tho undertaking. undertak-ing. "Is there any manager in Now York, " wo asked, "who would bring outyom tragedy?" "I do not know, but there is a man Rger in Chicago who will bring it out If it suits him." "Do you not fear that thoro would bfl a storm of popular reprobation if you should make your chief character resemble re-semble tho original?" "If thoro bo anything of tho kind, e if the work fail to provo attractive, i will be withdrawn after tha first or seo ond performance. 3ut there aro in mi subjoct such striking eloments for a first alass stago drama and for a winning one that I shall not think of its failure until after it has failed." "Would not tho rolatives of the da ceased statesman object to the work and get out an injunction against its per formance?" "If such an objection shall bo raised by any ouo entitled to speak with an thority, or after that one has been present pres-ent at a performance of it, i will b discontinued. The man of my title rolt ba1? been a snbjeot for painters, sculptors and other artists, and there is no good reason why ho should not be made a mbject for dramatio artists." After the playwriter had expressed tho views hero reported, Tho Sun reporter report-er asked a theatrical manager as to the prospects of a drama of tho kind spoken of. Ho answered that he did not believe a single respectable manager in New York or anywhere else would bring it out, and that, if brought out in any American city, it would bo a flat failure. fail-ure. Ho believed that tho execution of the playwriter's project would not bs tolerated by tho thear going 3ommuni ty. New York Son. overheard in crowd watching u balloon: bal-loon: Mrs. Harris How do they make the balloon go up? Mrs. Gamp They toss some sand ou to bo sura Mrs. Harris And what do they do when they want to como.down? Mrs. Gamp They put Bomamor in, of course. Pick Me Up. |