The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-12-24

mean tnaJ CLASS OF plays which require skllful.
intelligent, and artistic acting-into the back.
ground. The managers reply that when they
present good pieces nobody goes to see them,
and that they have to rely upon sensation effects
To ill their houses and TO keep the treasury In
a hourishing condition. There is something to
be said on both sides of the question. but we
bcereIy thiDk k that the main difficulty is with
the management and actors.
II one OF ShakesI cares plays is performed
nowadsyF, the attraction is in a popular star
who takes the leading role, while the balance
are filled by men end women who evidently
nave no appreciation of acting as q fine art
VINO stumble through the scenes with the aid
Cf the prompter, and who have no intelligent
IDEAS about The Characters they undertake TO
represent. Actors, too, are jealous and opinion
ated, and In making up the cast of play they
interfere with the stage manager in making
the most effective distribution, by refusing to
do anything out of the regular line of Dusi-
ness for which they are engaged, and particu-
larly TO take any less important characters
than they think their merits entltle them TO-
Unfortunately, the actor and the public are not
always in accordance in their estimate of
abilities, and the imporan point is lost sight of
that IL is better 20 play small part we'll than O
great one Ill. II every actor would determine
10 appear TO the best advantage, even IL he were
entrusted with no more important part than
tudh VI u lbCRey, 10 go on ana make the an
nouncement my lord, the carriage waits :" we
would soon be able to see an Improvement. We
do occasionally see sctors cast for
such triHlng roles who seem to do
them ss If they had original ideas,
and were trying to leave a favorable I'M
preston on the minds of the audience notwith-
standing their very brief appearance on the
scene. We have ever found audiences appre.
ciative on such occasions, aud we think that
the performer Is as much entitled 10 commen-
dation as if he had the whole burden OF the
play on his shoulders. Unfortunately, however
such examples are comparatively rare.
In the vast 9joriJy Of cases, the com pl leteuess
and finish Of the uerfot mauce, as a whole, is a
matter Of the first Importance and we believe
that every theatre. goer who has Intelligence
enough to form an opinion on the subject
would rather see play moderately we'll repre-.
sented in all It's parts, than TO SEE one charac.
ter acted IN the best style aud the rest botched
Think, for instance, what treat 1t would be TO
see Hamlet produced with "ghost"
who did not excite derisive laughter
ss soon as he appeared upon the
scene, and with competent actors to I'LL
such parts as "Rosencranz" and" "Guildenstsrn -
not to speak Of "Claudius," the Queen" "II0.
ratio" and other; or TO have the noble Romans
in Julius C'TSdr, COriodllUS VirGiniLtS aud other
play S, with some faint idea about the proper
manner of wearing classic robes. AS we have
remarked again ana again, one great reason Of
the success OF Often bach's buriesque operas was
the complete manner Ia which they were put
upon the stage, ana particularly the good taste
rather than the cos illness of he dresses accesso-
ries eto, together with the able manner in
which all the pDrts were sustained.
What is wanted 10 make the legitimate drama
pay is good taste on the part of managers good
discipline behind the scenes, which will re.
quire every member of the company to take
whatever part may be assigned him or her, and
for the actors 10 do their level best" under
every circumstance BY SO doing they will
ost surely advance their own reputation, for
real talent cannot be hid irom view by casting
it in minor roles If the actor is resoutely de.
termiped to show what there Is in him. and if
he looks upon acting as art. and respects
himself as an artist and always does justice to
himself and his audiences.
Not wishing to obtain the reputation of q
scold, we frequently pass over in silence some
of the more confirmed and apparently hopeless
specimens of ofinetliciency who strut and stride
upon the stages of our theatres but we throw
out these general remarks about reforms that
are sadly needed, with the hope that they may
chance 10 lead to an improvement, especially
with regard to the acting of standard dramas,