The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-03-14
lFor this New Orleans Sunday CRESCENT
THEATRICAL ANAcHRoNIsMs AND
DIsCREPANgIEs.


advocates of TIE drama that 1t is q school wherein
is held, Gas we're, the mirror up to nature to
show virtue her own feature, scorn her own
image, and the very age and body of the time, his
form and prsssure;'' that in the drama we have
presented toias the customs, usages and dress Of
fhe past. But the argument win not hold good,
from the fact that there are but few artists of the
present day who are natural actors. By this
mean persons who embrace the profession be-
cause innate actors, born with the love for il so
deep, or having it engrsfted upon them so strongly,
that they will make it a study, close, minute and
careful. They may be good dslineators of pas
sion in Its varied forms, may strongly effect their
audiences-th them with emotion, melting
them to tears, or convulsing them with laughter
but even IL capable of doing this, If they are not
true artists, they do not effect what their advo-
Gates cain for them, for they do not pay that
attention to minute detail that is requisite to make
semblance seem reality, and the achole complete.
They do NOT give =" the very form and pressure
OF the time'ithey are supposed to represent.
II may seem hypercritical to notice such things,
but an anacSronism in dress or. scenery. fault in
the naturslntss Of The act, the impossibity there
seems for bme artists to forget the actor and
become AMI embodiment Of the character they
represent, sboils the whole play. We 60 to the
theater to see starr as Elizabeth, for instance.
We find her really fine actress. That is, we find
abe gives good conception of the virgin queen in
all her great traits and greater foibles but she
has forgouehthat Elizabeth lived over three hum
bred years agb, and that in those days Elizabeth,
famous as bhe was for her wardrobe of three
thousand dr{sses did not, IL we may Judge from
the portraits and paintings extant of that day,
have In II a lkirt and mantle Of white embroidered
muslin, madb in the style OF the present day;
chignon Of Iurls falling down her back that the
muff aroundber throat was much nearer foot in
width thanb finger length; that the extremely
long pointed stomacher was studded with precious
stones and oben down quite literally In the bosom;
that instead p angel sleeves the sleeves were sue
cession Of buts, banded between each puff and
fitting somqwhst closely to the arm, while the
immense fattbingae was as little like our present
hoop as 1t Us possible to imagine things to be
which are 4 all related. Elzsbeth's head was
one towering mass Of little puffs or rolls, with
small crown on the apex. while jewels
glittered Oh every tress. Walpole SAYS:
"A head Of hair loaded with crowns and pow
dered with diamonds; vast ruff; q vaster far
thingale, and bushel Of pearls are the features
by which everybody knows at once the pictures of
Queen Elizabeth" The costume of the mimic |
Elizabeth msy be as gorgeous Is velvet, silk and |
gold or silver thread can make II, but IL it is not
the costume pt the time Of Elizabeth its richness
and beauty will not serve as equivalents. II |
recolect Alright, silk stockings were not in CON- |
mon use, bu{ pair OF them are mentioned as be- |
ing brought 9s rare present to Elizabeth, and |
doubt very Iauch If the courtiers and maids uof |
honor Of herscourt wore ordinary white kid gloves
in daily use. doubt If Essex, Drake, or Burleigh
ever had Ftir of short white kid gloves on in all \
their lives. Ind l more than doubt if either of /
them ever TIMED their backs upon Elizabeth and |
walked of 70 their positions on one side after re-
ceiving decorations at her royal hand. / doubt |
IL Elizabeth Jied on little lounge, with little
box coverediyith red rag alongside the lounge /
a. the only dber piece of furniture In her bed |
chamber; off in all her royal palace could have /
knee-deep Id rushes, or oaken floors with ssquare /
OF Turkey carpet would be more in keeping with |
the customs Of 1858.
Nicholas Nickieby was written sorns thirty
years ago. when ladies wore huge balloon sleeves
with pillows of down or buckram to keep them |
extended, shprt waists and narrow skirts short
enoushto show the feet with their hgh.heeled,
low. quartered shoe. The hair was worn in high |
puts the Top and sides OF the head, and bonnets
were very much like gig tops in shape. Last
spring we saw Kate Nickleby, who was supposed
ton, walk on the stage in chignon very nearly
the size of coal scuttle, little tiny hat, cross
between Jockey and sailor hat, with a coat
sleeved sack and trailing skirt. Such discrepsn-
cf s, wS9d .HD any gsy this ovarian.
tardy off, though Il make the unskillful laugh, can
not but make the judicous grieve; the censure Of
which one must, in your allowance, o'erweigh
whole tnedter OF Otners. ", tnere De players
that have seen play, and heard others praise,
and that highly, not to speak il profanely, that
neither having the accent Of Christians, nor the 4
gait of Christian, pagan or man, have so strutted
and bellowe1, that l have thought some Of ma
lures journtymen had made men and not made |
them weD,l they initiated humanity SO sbOm-
And Hamlet is by no means alone in his expe.
rience. We, too, have seen men tear passion /
TO tatters, 10 very rags and are often not only |
s.offended TO the soul" but very much disgusted.
who can imagine Lady Macbeth, Mary Stuart or
Queen Elizsseth entering chamber with the |
stage strut we see our best artists assume the |
moment they step before the footghts! Do they |
the artists enter parlor In that fashion in every
day nfe9 In representing lady pursuing the |
amusements, duties and ayocstions Of daily life Is |
il necessary to take q step Of two or three feet,
then pause, and with swing take another step Of |
the same length? Are we 10 the habit OF seeing |
ladies wslkiin that manner! Or mouthing their |
words, while speaking. as though they had an |
oyster or a hot potatoe In their mouth, or were |
undecided whether TO try and swallow or eject II,
Bah! Such representations Of life will not do. |
Our managers, in false economy, do not furnish |
the stage material and scenery, and our actors do
not study the real; and therefore they give rs /
very unreal exaggerstions OF life-and we laugh /
and applaud and are content. At least some sre. |