Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-10-08
EVENING STAR.
Dion Bourcicault on Modern Acting

The criticisms upon the modern school O,
acting, contained in letter addressed bv tbs
distinguished author of q London Assurance. I,
to the New York Tribune, strike us as Sc
wholesome and sound that we with pleasure
give the letter place in the columns Of the
Star. If the theatrical critic of the Tri6un.
Is man of caudor he will own up to having
received a first class lesson administered in
unexceptiOnable style:
TO the Editor Ofthe ". Y. Tribune:
SIR In your criticism upon my comedy,
London Assurance" in this days Tribune,
you take exception to the manner in which /
render the character of Dazzle. The great
| critical acumen for which your dramatic criti-
clsms are very justly celebrated induces me to
reply to your remarks. You say, ''Mr Bour-
| cIcsult,s Dazzle lacks fascinating brilliancy, -
and =" the easy, dashing impudence which are
pazzle's sole stock in trade are not present in
Mr.. Bourclcaults personation." 1 believe it
has been the custom to represent this charac-
| ter as an airy, brilliant, active, busting fell
| low, one of the heir looms of the stage how
ever laughable such an impersonation may
De, IL Is not true to nature. L have never met
any such type Of character in English society
The character Of Dazzle is one well known in
L0ndon-you have often seen his portrait in
funch: lie is the easy, quiet, phlegmatic
man about town. In appearance he closely
resembles the Saxon aristocrat, and none but
those who are born and bred in English high
life can distinguish between his % assurance
ana the polished ease of high rank The
English fast man Is in manner very slow, his
drawl both in gait and speech are his pecu-
llarity; and the humor of the character con.
sists IN the fashionable stOicism and phlegm
with which he undertakes all kinds of emo
lr- xuuhn ,e
dlsslpatiCns of London Life, betrays all those
animal spirits consistent with youth-he dash
es into the stream but Dazzle has gone
through all that-he does not Join young
C0urtly In his vagaries. he protects him. in
fact "puts him through his difficulties with
the practlsed assurance Of an old hand, and
with all the cool decision of experience. Such
character Is inconsistent with the gay and
thoughtless devil may-care fellow, which L
readily recognize as the conventional stage
trickster OF the old school and may be very
efectIve, but 1t is not true. 1t may make
an artistic performance, but il is not a Dor.
trait from life. My view of the character
was taken by Mr.. Charles Mathews, who
originally played it, and with admirable effect
dress the part exactly after the original,
who still fourishes in London where he is as
popular as ever. / watched the audience on
Monday night with much curiosity, as felt
aware that the character I was representing
was one with idiosyncrasy of which they were
not acquainted; and it gave me extreme sat-
lstaction to find that they caught with admira-
BILE perception at the individuality, nor did a
single point escape them. There was scarcely
line uttered, or gesture given, but Was
saluted with an explosion of laughter
In your structures upon my style as an actor
perhaps you are quite right. l differ, on
principle, fundamentally with the present
school of acting. l believe it to be wrong qb
-, Co.
In Comedy there Is extravaganza of gesture,
facial distortion and affected utterance, in
stead of those natural intonations of voice,
easy carriage, and play Of the eye which
should betrGy rather than expose the charac-
ter assumed. In the Tragic school L believe
that volume of voice supplies the place of in
tensity of feeling There is no repose; the
poetry is one glare of the lidless dragOn-eyed
monster of modern Tragedy in search of points
crunching the dialogue. There is no group
ing OF tenderness with pain, no antagonism Of
character, no perspective in the passion. The
action is a rack on which the performer writhes
In mOnotonous anguish. The Drama is a Pc
destal on which one solitary creation is up
lifted, Ike Prometheus on q monument, howl
ing at the gods.
In the study Of the stage, to which have
devoted my intellect and my life, l have
formed those earnest convictions. You must
not accept my own performance as a sample
of my system, being as yet but backward
pupil in my own school. Those characters in
which L have appeared were faithfully stud
led and drawn from persons whom have met
with in life, and it has given me deep gratif-
cation to observe that the public have ac-
cepted these portraits, and for the sake Of
their intellectual worth have overlooked any
faults they have seen in their artistic execu
tion.
Allow me to add that my comedy, London
Assurance, as played on Monday night and
now playing at Wallack's Theater, was lex
cepting in my own part and one or two others
as well and better played than by the great
original cast ut COvent Garden Theater.
am yours respectfully,
Dion BoURcICAULT.