The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-04-01

Prot opiastic Entert ainmcnts.

Morris's performance Of the part.
On the sumo night an actress. Miss Meek by
name and unknown 10 10 al fame. assumed the |
role at the Grand Opera House.
Here. too. an audience assembled to Judge the
player and make comparisons. and the record
of the entertainment in the public press is little
more than courteous illusions 10 the actresses
performance with reference to the individual
standard provided by Miss Morris.
One socs in this fresh example how the ndi-
vidullism of the stage has invaded tho illusion
Of the drama. Most of us go TO the play house
now to he moved by the strong personal char
actcristics OF an actor. We once went there to
be charmed by the story he told.
And having shaped our tastes to tho persons
who play can we be- surprised that the drama
adapts itself to thcir conformations2
II We 10 to the playhouse to ENJOY the person
atty of the star. we may be sure that the defer
cntl dramaiurEst Of our day will take care
not to thrust his excellence in between to OBJ
scure the favorte.
Patient search will find him somewhere. with
his hat in his hand. awaiting the orders Of the
leading lady. or dancing attendance on those
popular favorites. the stage carpenter and the
scene painter.
II is worth while to reflect that the theatre
has. to II great extent. become the mere We
hicc for personal display. The play is no longer
=" the thing"
Do you doubt this? Then Lot mo ask You why
are you preparing to 20 To Booths Theatre on
Monday night, L. It to soc virgnius." or to
see John VI Cullough? What is the announce
mont that starrs YOU in the face all over town
Is it that" Crown Of Thorns' will be played
at the E.l.lc. or that Mss Dickinson is to up
pear thcrcY
The managers deem It sufficient TO hang up
the portraits OF these people in the shop win
dows. and If you would read tho chronicles Of
the drama. you must watch the panorama Of
faces in the cigar store and the " Exchange"
office. Il il Il history Of tragedy melting into
mclodrama or Of the changes wrought upon the
stage 10y sister arts and positive knowlcdgcY
Can you determine IN It the Intellectual status
Of the playhouse or the literary merit Of the
work that is doncY No. You can only deter.
mine the succession of individuals from Wal
lack to Lolita.
And that Is the history Of the drama.
The trail Of Miss Davcnports skirts is over
the most Of IT, The sugary smiles Of Mrs.
Florence and Miss Thompson swccten much of
its wearness. Bonfanii has lent her limbs no
less than her face 10 s punishment, and the
mud falsity of Oates minglcs with III. unbridlcd
chastity OF Kellogg and the unquenchabv
dignity Of Janauschck in the pictured story
In this physiognOmy We read the commercial
lines Of our stage 4 stage run altogether To-
personagcs ana exhibition. with a Sordid hint
even in the soft tints Of the photographic inNi-
tatlon. as II beauty were only valuable hy what
can he coined out II it,
There Is one illusion lrft 10 W. I'm thu theatre
it is that the fancy and not the face. interests
us We have seen Mr.. Raymond-who is tho
Samson OF the cheap drAma-slay tho PILLS
tines with the Jawbpn" Of an ass. He carried
Mark Twain ia one hand ami -w'pi away rriti-
cism with the other H. proved that the worst
play oyer con 'eiv"d 10y the mind OF man. might.
II focus "a in the ia 20 II another. be one OF the
most popular
Some Of us-woll. most Of us-laughed. and
thought we were Interested in the story and We
have not discovered TO this day that it was Mr..
Raymond who Interested us.
Was 1t not the same way with 10 jefferson
who smiled at us out Of the cigar shop Windows
and out Of Rip Van Wrinkle. and straishtway
we thought that mixture Of myth and moon
shine was the sweetest and most moral OF
dramas.
Such was the lambent sorccry Of Mr.. Jcffer-
sons vagabondag" that no sooner had W.
looked upon him than W. began To- howl about
the refining and ennobling influences If get
ting swecty drunk. AMI the moral balm that
flowed from the abuse and abandonment of u
heart rD ken wife.
MI. JfA'IHHn dilutl4S lpbhHl US out W our
reason.
Mr.. William Florence has done the same
| thing since with less acclaim. and Ned Buntline
and Buffalo Bill have made 1t the active priu-
| cple of their exemplary professional lives.
When We come 81 consider the Buffalo school
Of acting We shall come. indeed 10 the cas- = Of
absolute personal. exhibition. For the stage
which in its highest ranks does not hesitate 70
display its workers e. the exclusion Of it,. work
in lis lowest ranks finds room for the exhibition
Of people who were .divinely fashioned 10 I'LL a
vacuum.
| II il. perhaps. useless to talk TO exhibitors Of
| the fraudulcn ~ Of "A system which is the only
thing that provides place in the world for
| them. | suppose that the recent Venus In Mr..
! Fryor's "Tannhauser' convinced herself that
to look like quarter Of beef in mosquitoes net
| required the apprehension of goddess.
Whereas it required only the stolidiy Of II
model. without a models physical excuse.
What wish to say about this matter must b,
said rs "A warning.
| The better class Of actors are setting PERM
cious example Of personal exhibition to the
| lower class. and nobody seems 10 have contom-
plated the awful results Of n substitution Of the
individuality Of the player for the ideality Of
the play. ! have always felt that the evolution
Of self would sooner or later make the Iias SUI
periiuous and that the ultimate manifestation
Of the principle would be found in the person Of
somebody developed abnormally.
The fat woman is such an example. She
shines in the Bowery like a full moon, and is
really the ultimate outcome Of the age which
has been so long cndcavoring TO produce the
n'shly without involving the Intellectual. Adj
pose here triumphs over art. 1t is nature wal
lowing. SO 10 speak N her own richness. 1t is
personal exhibition filling the eye.
The fat woman typihes the drama run all TO
tissue, and simmering in its own volupluous-
ness. She is content to know that mankind
will come and pay its cnvious devotion 10 more
magnitude rs it has always dom. Space or
ganizrd il rs potent Us form animated or mo-
ton continued.
In the contemplation Of this glorious globe Of
woman. We come at last 10 function taking the
place of cndcaNor
Goethc's remark that the rude man Is content
to see something going on. is thus beautifully
illustrated, as it is illustrated at the agricultural
fair when the rude man leans upon the stock
pen and gazes ut natures silent processes con
NtrtluE corn into eDluty lriypg