The New York herald., 1877-09-02

next morning ready Miss Aeron's success was pro.
pouncec aud TOR the arst time IN my NE received
several epth usastc s.cal.s" This was my first up
ward move that position In the profession 10 whch
I had asp. red tor wears. II was only week Or TWO
before this that had made up my nina 10 return 70
England seek some other employment Leaving
Walack's | wepi to Laura heene's ihealre III 'uis
city now known as the olympic
LORD DuSDEEARy.
s.Here was produced lie FIRST time the piece known
as lho sAmerlcan Cousin" by Tom Taylor was cast
for the part OF Lord Dundeary, ourlh-rate ola map
with only y-seven lines 10 speak refused INC part
nrst but inaily agreed win MI burnett Tue Sase
manager to play on the clndiIion that should en-
trely rewrte IT. Miss keene was also u OF OBJECTIONS.
In rewriting the part threw nto IL evefythng .n,.'
struck me wildly absurd There Is not sngc look,
word act IN Lord Dundreary inst has not oeeh sus-
eestcd to me ny people whom have known since
was vo years age 1t las been SAID that have cut
tue pece down Tor the purpose oi uuhurcatyil-
ing tho performance. This is not true l have
SIMPLY cut out the bad cellar scene, drunken act'
which would not now be popular, ana SO rear
ragged the piay that instead OF seventeen scenes,
which II had when it came from the hands oil Tom
Taylor, Il Is IN iour acts OF one scene cach
''My part the irst night was by no means pro-
nounced success. In iact 1t was TWO or tbree weeks
before The people began TO Understand what was
about. had many serious parts before that
they evidently considered that every tone vi my voice
ought to be pathetic just as they now seem 10 think
that every tone represents some mad eccentriciy."
THE DuNDREARy noP
'How, asked the writer. did you hapen to hit on
that strange hop, skip and jump business, whch mas
been made so elective IN your denealion of The CHAR
acterf"
'Why," SAID Mr. Sothefn lauehlngy, ~ was INC
simplest thing IN the world II was u mere accident /
have naturally eiustic disposition, aud during re-
hearsal cold morn ng was hopping at the back OF
the stage when Miss keenc sarcasticaly inquired IL
was ing 10 introduce that IN Dundreary. hcnciors
and actresses standing around laughed, and, taxing The
cue replied yes, Miss kecnc that's my view oil tho
character. Having SAID this. was bound to stick to
It, and as progressed with The rehearsal iound that
the whole company including scene shiflers ana prop.
eriy men, roaring WIN laughter AT my Internal
nonsense. When saw that the pubic accepted tho
SATIRE Toned down what was broad caricature 10
what DC seen at the present DAY by any one who
has quick sense OF the absurd''
BIRDS OF A FEATHER.
'sYou remember that IN one scene have byplay
on my fingers on which count from one TO ten. and
then, reversing, begin with the rgnt thumb and count
ten, nine, eight, seven and live are eleven. This
has frequently been denounced by critics utterly out
OF place The character, but TOOK the incident from
actual life, having seen notoriousy clever man on
The Eng ish turf quick lightning IN calculating
odds completely puzzci by tins ridiculous problem.
My distortion Of the old aphorlsms mas likewise been
frequently cavi!led at as 100 for
Gated man. Now now easily tins thought was
suggested. nnmber OF ssome years ago were taxing
supper IN HALIFAX alter performance, when gentle
who has now retired IRON the stage but who IS
living in New York, suddenly entered tho room and
said, 'Oh, yes, ] see; oIlds OF feather. &c. The
thought instantly struck ON the weak side, and,
winking at my brother actors and assuming utter
ignorance, SAID. WHAT do you mean by birds OF q
feathcrY He looked rather staggered and rcpiled,
What, have you never heard OF tho old English
proverb ''Bilds OF leather nock togethery" Every
ono suook his head. He tnen said:-I never
met such a lot Of igDoramuscs IN my liie.' That
my cue, and began to turn the provero INSIDE
out said to HIM, "ihere never could nave been such
a provcrb-blrds OF a feather the idea OF whole
flock oil birds only having one feather The thing IS
utterly ridiculous. Besides, the poor bird that had
that feather must have flown side conscq nily
as the other BIRDS couldn't fly at all they couldn't
flock together But even acceptDg the absurdity II
they aocked ut all they must aock together as no
bird could possibly bo such damned fool as 10 20
corner and try and flock by mscli.' Our
VISITOR began TO see the point oil the logic;
made memorandum oil the incident, and
years aiterward elaborated the idea Ia writing
Dundreary. have qulres upon cures OF memoranda
pubic seem disappointed when they don't hear the
ola lines that fear snail never have the opportunity
OF getting them to accept what would really be much
better version.
NEW DuYDREARY.
81 have hit upon plan, however, which think may
make this safo Experiment | have now In nand a
three-act arcical comedy, entitled the Founder o The
Family IN which snail play the father OF Dun
the character from myself, and from the
TACT that / am an exceedingly nervous man
and thoroughly imbuod with the charac eristies
OF the original Dundreary, shall be able 10 make It
OF the rdicuous OF absc ut indcd aud eccen
trc characters on the stage In London the success
OF Dundreary immaculate, the CHI racer striking
the humorous SIDE OF the people. As proof OF The
truth OF the satire Tue Theatre Royal Aaymarket was
crowded tor 49o nights with tue sristocracy oil Eng-
land. During THIS period found my type OF Brother
San.' He "a man of only E4OO u year, who mixed
IN the very highest circles of society. There
a olcmsh on his name and yet, strangely enough lie
lived rate oi Go 900 or So 0OO year O course
added to his pecuIrities others which saw IN scores
OF people there. Brother sam was received at The
same theatre with enthusiasm
DAVID GARRIcK.
"Previ0us to this however, had determined to fol-
low Dundreary with David Garrick,' Thsckeray
and John Leech both dear old friends OF mine,
strongly eGaeavOred 10 impress upou me the fact that
IL was utterly Impossible To make great
my second lmpersonstioD. Blackstone, the manager,
did DIS utmost also TO prevent my playing 'David
Garrick, believing that could not depict pathos, he
not knowing the school through which had passed IN
America critics cut me up root aud branch,
bal 'Garrick' grew migh.y IN aitractiveness and
hel "A L
peri ornauce, however. The piece was saved by the
exquisite actng OF Mss Nellie Moo e, who Is now
dead. Neither tho public nor the press were pre-
pared the dan serous jump made lrom DuDdreary
to Garrick They evidently waited Tor the laughter
and had 20 compromise by rewriting the second act
OF GaIrick,' which, you Will remember, IS the
drunken scene, in 0rOer TO secure the humorous ef
ect DurIng the last fourteen years have played 1t
much more frequently than Dundreary, both IN Eng
land aud America IL may seem egolstical 10 say so,
hut John Oxeniord, the famous London critic, VINO Is
nov dead, III article in Tue Saturday RerieW, was
KIND enough to say that ! ought 10 be called the
author as well as the tor Of 'BroIhcr Sam AT
the request Me- Tom Robertson also wrote the love
scene ~ Home
THE CRUSHED TRAGEDiAy.
''ihe piece which now have on hand and which
shall produce Monday at the Park Theatre, Is one
whin, IN my Judemen', Is likely to command popular
favor At once. 'ihe Crushed Iragcdlan'--its name
reprte with pathos, and affords the opportunity
for strong character acting. The play was originally
produced N Loadon under tue titlc Of The |
promp.er's Boy 1t is mere SKETCH out
satirlze tho old school of acting, although !
AT the risk oi beng stgmanzed by ev. rvbody as
very bad tragcuiun. | have IN hort boiled down
many Of he old snaool tragedies The success OF tho
piece was tested 10 Philadelphia, ana IT L. this fact
which has induced me 10 commence my prcsen, season
with II III New York. sun am attach, 4 my hrst
love, Dundreary, and now aud ten snail relntroduce
him 10 the pubic The cast which have selected
embraces some OF the best actors have met IN
America, but tue pubic must decide whether my
Judgment has ueeu correct II a mlslake has been
made none Will discover II more quickly than myself.
There Is no use o paper ns house 10 build success
INClDENTs ABROAD
In response TO aqueston concerning his experiences
abroad Mr SOtnern saa-"I am glad you are inQuis-
tive III that direction. | remember playing Dun
drcary one evening IN London wnen the house was
packed ana tncre were thousands outside trying 10 get
10. The police were obnged 10 Inc Hay ket on
bol SIDES III order TO Keep The carrngeway open. A
country man aud his wife occupied front in
the upper circle. In the mluule OF one Of sulIlo
quies tue wiie sad Loudly curing pause III which
exp ctcd Il roar OF luugntcr, 'Wce jamie SEQ
noN't mt To which jamie replied IN AN equally loud
tone, Wcrl domb'd ci eau; come along sally Tne |
house yelled, ana at every interval some would
shout, Come along sally
''Uu anutuer evening man sat IN the PIT perfectly !