, 1876-07-23
Mr.. Pratt's Progress in Weimar-.-
Creswold's Organ Con.
certs.
0peratic News from London and Paris
1.-The Richings-Barnard
Troupe.
THE DRAMA.
IN CHICAGO.

another week in s'Conscience, on their own az
count. All the people Of this city who arc in
teTested in thcatrlcals will be glad to know
that the season Of five weeks has been success
full. The managers Of the company express
satisfaction with the share OF popular favor
they have received. One consequence Of the
present summers experience will probably
be its repetition every year. The summer
season Of the Union Square Company In Chi
cago will then be us well established as its win
ter season in New York. It may be profitable
to inquire, What is the meaning of this new aud
important departure in the dramatic policy, not
only Of Chicago, but Of the whole country! For
the fact must be recognized that the dramatic
profession everywhere has an interest in the
experiment. The establishment Of summer
season outside Of New York by metropolitan
company is, SO far as we lino%, as new
thing in the history Of New York as it is III
tl.at Of Chicago. The most important dcduc-
ton to be made from the premises is that Chi
cayo las obtained standing a: q su1nmer-resort.
TIE TRIBUNE has been urging the claims OF the
city il this respect FOR 81 dozen years or more.
At last the world seems disposed to concedc the
Justice Of the argument. The success Of the
Union Square company is valuable in this con-
nection, both absolutely and by comparison
with the business Of theatres in other cities OF
the Union. It is doubtless t-tc, as Mr.. Palmer
stated last week, that no other theatre in the
United States las done SO large busincss i'll
the last FIVE weeks as Hooley's. New York,
Philadelphia, and Boston managers have been
obliged to close altogether, OR to play at loss,
while in Chicago very expensive company has
been supportud aud the managers have made i
profit o: many thousand dollars. Another les
son to be derived from the success Of the Union
are able and willing to support j good dramatic
organization. Of bad companies they have had
enough; now they insist upon having good conf
pau:es Or none. There is III Chicago something
better than the provincial taste which has been
appealed to by many managers Of late years,
unu this higher taste is prepared to reward lib
orally any Intelligent and liberal system Of man.
agement. -..
BRET uARTE's PLAT.
Tile verdict on ssTwo Men of Sandy Barr re-
corded in TIE TRIBUNE Of Tucsday,rcq no
amendment. We said then, and We repeat now,
that the play has won ?" a complete popular and
a partial artistic success" Managers who crit
irise exclusively from the bo1-ofi1ce point of
view will doubtless be unable to discern the
distinction which is here made. Popular suc-
cesscs and artistic successes are to them all one.
But Mr. Palmer will be very quick to appre-
bend the difference. He cannot afford
to have certain kind OF popular successes made
at his theatre in New York. With + star
pieces u he has no business whatever. Such
success as "Col. Sellers" and I" The Mighty
Dollar " have enjoyed he docs not desire. He
has no ss stars " in the company. Consequent
II, he has no for y star pieces" This is the
reason why he studied 1.-TWO Men Of Sandy
Barr so carefully, aud why he insisted upon
radical alterations before he would consent to
play it in New York. Lie saw, as most other
stuuious men did, that Stuart Robson might
make hit i'll tic part Of Culpeppef .Staroothe,
but that the company as whole would 10 noth-
ing with tile play, and that its production would
tie Union Square Theatre. In short, the SUE
cess, if any, would be Stuart RoDsons, while
the burden Of failure would be equally
his and the managcmc1t's: Tue =. result
of various conferences between tne per-
sscrowner's quest +" is to be held on the play in
New York. The most glaring faults are to be
removed; part Of the net omitted in representa-
ton here Is to be restored; the first and second
acts are to be welded more firmly together, so
that the relations Of HISS dla,y, the Duchess,
Su,du, and Joh,a Oak3turst to each other shall be
a,,parcut from the start; the tic which binds the
two men Of Sandy Bar is to bc made stronger
aud more plainly visible, SO that tle one may oc
excused for forgiving the other, while both may
oi reformation earlier, and the obnoxious last
act is to be ovcrl,auled altogether. If these
changes arc slsiifully made, al:a it some OF the
fine speeches are rutAiessly compressed, We be-
fiCyC the pllY Will enjoy Ill 4NCN lOlh u Ai9aci
artistic success than it gained here.
Sine tile confession Of serious detects i'll tue
drama is thus public. VIC may forego further
criticism Of details, aud address ourselves to the
radical fault OF the author, which. rs has already
been noticed, lies back Of the necessities Of
stapa-work, The tault is the l,croizing Of vicious
characters. To make heroes OF drunkards anu
professional gamblers is d task which only the
ecccntric genius Of Bret Harte has undertaken.
He l,ss succeeded but partially even III Ills pub
lie has succeeded At ali in this drama. The vital
mca1luess and weakness Of the gambler and the
drunkard are nlagnitied BY exhibition on the
stage One is contemplate character, and dil fhc
otlier ptiab1e one. Neither Is nero. =. thc t,'
case Of Mr. Stoddart, who personates the drunk
ard. SANDY Norton. The impersoliation is ex-
celcnt; it is only too faithful to the idea OF the
author. We see in Sandy such drun1nrd as
may be found in any rough Western connunl. conn UNI.
wholesome. Why should hc be: lie tells
the audience that he has been lying
iu the road drunk; even as latc as ING
opening Of the last act he is shown in state o.
those who blame Mr.. stoidart for making
;sandy disgusting. Bret Hartc has dohe that.
Mr. Studtiart has not only rendered full justice
to the idea OF the auth nor; he has improved
upon it, idealizng it wherever he conid. W.. W.
regard MI 1 as ,,s ac nngss tc
:
mart IF John bathurst, the gambler, las no op-
portunities to show what stuff he is made Ct,
The part is unworthy Of him. 1t IS lmpossp11e;
that 0anturst, as the play now stands, should
be so represented by anybody rs to enlist the
synpathies Of tile audicnee on his side; e. IN IN
these two men of Sandy Bar VIC arrive at the
heart OF the play, and we discover that it is ! .
bad heart unhealthy sentiment, wlesea- s
ness, baseness, and cowardice- The drama docs
not contain one character whom an audience can
heartily admire. Hiss Harry might be made an
exception, but in the present version she is SO SO
dim and sl,adowy figure that interest in her
is merely Of that curious aud indifferent sort
which dies as soon as it is born "Two Men OF
Sandy Bari is q play without moral, anu tne
heroes Of it are incarnat:ons Of weakness anu
fraud. ...-.-,,
"co1. cu1rErpER sTARBorTLE
is 3 character made to order for Mr.. Robson;
and although the author and thu actor VAhe-
uently disclaim any likeness between Il aad
Co.. Sellers, it certainly does belong to the
same general group. The braggadocio and de-
ccit Of Sellers are prominent characteristics Of