The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-02-10
Some Thoughts on the ENGLISH Stage.
BY TOM TAYLOR,

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depreciate contemporary art in all its forms.
We may note this disposition in current criti-
cism, not only Of the theatre, but Of poetry,
painting, sculpture, and architecture. In all
these the spirit of the time is always striving
to express itself in new forms which appeal to
popular appreciation, and obtain great deal
of it. But those who write about such things,
having, or assuming to have, before their
minds the labors Of a long and illustrious
past, are in the habit of contrasting the pre-
sent with the past, to the detriment, almost
invariably, Of the present. This is at once
an easier task and one more flstteripg to the
critics sense of superiority, than fairly
and dispassionstely to appreciate and
account for the performances aud position OF
any contemporary art. But the latter | be-
heve to be more useful employment OF tue
critical faculty. / propose to attempt such
an application of it to the stage, as that lor1 1
of art OF which have most intimate anu
practical knowledge. However humlilaslns'
at frat sight. to all connected with the stage,
NAV appear the comparison of the theatre rs
a Ia and as il was in what are called its
''palmy" days, by which l suppose is gene
rally meant the fifty years comprising the
Iast ouarter of last century and the first of
this, there never was time OF more theatri-
cal activity than the present, II measured by
the number of theatres built or building, and
actively occupied in London and the pro-
yinces, and by the production of new pieces,
whatever their quality. 1t is 9 fact beyond
dispute that all the London theatres nova
DAYS, and the most considerable provincial
ones, devote themselves all but exclusively
to contemporary pieces. The old repertoire is
only exceptionally and rarely resOrted to.
The Haymarket Company, on its annual
autumnal tour, gives series Of the old come
dies in the principal provincial theatres; and
one OF them is every now and then put up
for few nights in the interval between the
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theatre habitually relies; or a star, or aspi-
rant to starry honors, foreign, English, or
American, may from time to time appeal to
public favor in a play of Shakespesres, or
some other Of the "old masters" of the drama;
but, substantially, the fact is as l state it,
that the theatre now lives on novelties. So
little is the old drama counted upon, that,
when it is resorted to- it has none of the ad-
Vantages or appliances which are lavished on
new plays. There is no cost or pains In
preparation, and no elaboration of rehearsals.
Any scenery or dresses are good enough for it,
any cast will do, the old stage business is
acquiesced in. There i5 in short, except,
perhaps, on the part of the 'star" himself, or
herself, no application of mind to the business
in hand, whether by actor or manager, scene
painter or costumer. This shows that those
who are most materially concerned in theatri-
cal property do not value their power to draw
on the accumulated wealth of our dramatic
past. Thus far, at least, the stage asserts
its vitality, that it is always assimilating
fresh food. This is a frequent subject OF
complaint with one school of critics.
They find texts for insisting on the sound
and remunerative policy OF a return to the
old drama in the occasional instances in which
new life is impaired to old forms by some
striking or unfamiliar interpretation-as in
the case of Mr.. Fechter's Hamlet" or Made
moiselle Stella Colss' "Juliet"--or when in
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favorite-as in the instance of Miss Helen
FauCit's periodical returns to the stage-or
where something like completeness of scenic
presentation is attempted-as in the recent
run Of Macbeth at Drury Lane, with Mr..
Beyerley's scenery. But the experience of
managers testifes against the critics. The old
plays, they are unanimous in asserting, as a
rule, and where there is no exceptional personal
curiosity to be gratifed do not pay. II it was
not for the provincial theatres, where the
old 'stock" plays still form part OF the roper
tOire, we should not find our actors familiar
even with the parts OF Shakespeare which fall
in their line of business, still less with those
of any other old dramatist. The power of
speaking blank verse with music and effect is
hardly ever found among our younger actors;
and with 1t is gone the whole stage manner of
the ideal or poetic drama. Except Shake
speare, indeed, the famous dramatists OF Eli
zabeth and James may be said to be entirely
banished from the stage to the library.
This shows, at least, that the theatres depend
for support on audiences who are interested
in presentations of contemporary subjects, or
at least OF subjects treated in a contemporary
spirit This is only the reflection in the
theatre of tendency apparent in all the
other representative arts. Old pictures,
II it were not for the demand of
public and private galleries, would find
but a poor market nowadays. 1t is only
those of the highest class, such as the trustees
of national collections and the possessors of
great family galleries will compete for, that
now fetch prices comparable with those COM
mandeI by contemporary works, Last CEN
tury 1t was all the other way. Then the
taste, real or affected, for pictures, was con-
fined to the genuine or mock UirtuOSi, the men
who, on the grand tour, had acquired relish
for the old masters, or the pretensiOn TO 1t.
Now the great picture market is among our
merchants, traders, and manufacturers,
whose sympathy is all but exclusively for
works of their own time. There is some
thing analogous to this in the theatre. Last
century the stage lived mainly on the old
drama, or on plays which in form and charac
ter reflected the past rather than the present.
Comedy and farce had even then, it is true,
the breath of contemporary life in them. But
the serious drama was antique, or aimed at
being SO. There was no notion Of extracting
matter for deep or painful emotion out of con
temporary life. This was sought exclusively
in the ambitions, treacheries, loves, woes OF
remote and dignifed personages, expressing
themselves in artificial and stately rhythms.
The GdmeSter is a solitary exception to this
rule, and though its subject is contemporary,
its form is studiously unnatural. And even
oomedY sought its materials mainly in one