The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-10-13
IMUsEMENTs.


Out OF all the brilliant women who have
pioneered the fall campaign. Cavondish alone
can be said. in the language OF the playhouse.
to have made hit"
Why she made hit II would DO hard TO es-
plain. She is not as versatile. Us gifted. or rs
strong rs Rose Eytnge but the public appeared
to DO pleased with her sharp nervous. oncr-
getic. and almost spasmodic manner. 1t was
certainly q novelty. People liked her snucy
manner. and they even applauded her appa-
| rent-too apparent-efforts to make prodi1ious
points"
| Miss Rose Eytinge dropped suddenly from
her star play. "A Woman Of the People," in
| obedience to public Indifference. and took up
| the hackneyed Oliver Twist" Her realization
OF the somewhat overdrawn character OF Nancy
Sykes lacked the sullen feroclty and dog god
animal passion which Lucille Western gave it.
But it gained in human quality
think the performance Of Mr.. Cyril Senres
| Bill Sykes remarkable in its way. Hitherto
this superb runan had bcen represented ms
ferocious avengng angela sort OF Otheilo
done in London mud. but animated with a
vaguely sublime notion that In tearing some
body to pieces justice and applause will get we'll
mixed. Mr. Scarle plays him like the stolid
unimpassioned bcsotted brute that no is He
presents us with ~ startling and vivid pie
| ture OF the indurated Unconditional human
! hyena that civilization breeds in It's slums and
occasionally casts to the surface AS the shud-
| dering eye can care to rest upon.
| was particularly struck with Mr. Searles
sagacious apprehension Of this fellows char
acter when having. as he thinks. pounded
| Nancy death in hearing but not in sight OF
! the audience lit being a curious Inv of good
taste that tho ear shall report TO the brain Of
physical violence but not tho eyo-in theatrc
mattersl he stalks In and stances stunned and
! doggedly irreSOlutc. for u mo nent. with his
| head II little bent and his hands mechanically
| clutching at his tobacco ripc--as II the brute in
| him disavowed and were nsha aird Of the emo
| tons his act had occasioned There WIS no
| jumping about in melodran ,atic terror. No
continuance OF the murderous spasm that had
beaten to death the only CREATURE that loved
him. only dumb animal sense that 1T was
done. and the utter inability OF his nature to
comprehend II even then.
Nothing wakes him out OF thls-not even the
bloody form crawling through the door to his
feet-untl the touch OF resistan CO is felt. Tho
moment the officers lay their hands upon him.
the animal leaps into fury. II is whole nature
understands that. and every muscle is strung
at once In the mad paroxysm OF defiance and
defence.
This is the animal as we now and then en-
counter him under the gallows. He doesn't
reach the dignity Of the savage for Nature
| pours out Of her open spaces. some Of her be-
nightly with her chivalry into the unciyilized
man.
Il Is a great pity that Cyril Seare cannot as
sumo tho voice as well rs tho aspect OF Blu
sykes. His are not Mt all tho tones OF the ruff
Han. and take.tifor granted that Mr. Searle
knows very well that rutilan rsm betrays itself in
the tones Of the voice before IL does anywhere
olse-in truth. the tones are the only things
that forever refuse to disguise ii.
How few OF our actors think II worth while to
act with their voices. They fancy 1t is enough
to act with their words and their bodies
Somebody-I think 1t y DE Stacl-says with
great truth that nothing is 30 indicative Of the
true talent for histrionism AS the range aud
tonal capacity OF the voice.
Miss Genevieve Ward has not moved the
popular heart. That collective organ being
unusually inert this year.
Miss Kate Field. one Of the most energetic
and sanguine workers in tho Intermediate patch
between the press aud the drama. is said to re-
gard Miss Ward as Il protesfe. and 10 have de-
| manded n brilliant career for her in America.
But Miss Ward LACKS several Of the essentials u
| popular success. Her intelligence. hor sinccri-
ty. and her worthy ambition do not quite III the
managers bill. The arguments addressed 10
our understanding are unAnswerable. We ad-
NIT that We ought to admire her but We Ac-
knowledge. in contriteness Of spirit that we
don't.
Ibelieve Miss Ward belongs to the class who
ought TO be called FIAT actresses. Miss Field was
herself n brilliant example OF the genera.
Their determination to play and be- COM
mended for II amounts to an edict. But 1t IS not
the drama OF our daddies. only n picture 81 il.
Henry VIII" is acquiesced in as legal tender.
that is all.
/ remember when Miss Kate Field set out to
act She undertook TO argue us into ecstacy by
irrefragabe facts She came Of acting stock.
She had studied. All her friends-and they
were eminent influential. and critcal-had adj
vised her TO play. So her Pee HoRngton must
be- theatre triumph.
But it wasn't
Miss Field went away from America rathor
piqued at her countrymen for their want Of
logic and fear that Miss Ward Is one Of her
deep revonges
But Miss Ward is not without dramatic abil-
iiy. She is vehement without being fervent.
She has fancy. II She has not imag inatiOn. She
has moreover. "a pictorial sense OF what is ef-
fective. Her great mistake has been in the Sc
lection Of roles which nothing less than IA crea-
tive Imagination aud strong physical adyan-
tages can make acceptable.
Then. too. the display Of the manager was So
much more resplendent than any the actress
could make that She necessarily appeared to a
disadvantage. ! cannot image player in more
humble position than was hers in Jane Shore "
with Tooker Boating up the town and calling
upon the entire human race to come ami see the
snow scene. or in Henry WILL" straning
every nerve to stand out against all the scenery.
aud the same human race struggling to look at
the Panorama OF London.
For II spectacle Messrs. jarrett K Palmer did