The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-04-07

ever II wae that pompously mixed HE paint
" with brains. sir" l think II must be said that
in plastic art. whom WI paint mon and women.
VIZ have got W mix our pigments with proto-
plasm.
BY tho side OF Mr.. wallack land In this play
Mr.. Montague In by his sido pretty much all the
timr). our Young actors sentlmcntality In like q
fresh, pink. waxcn statue against mellow,
etor1cd tapestry. For Of all really great artors.
Mr. Wnllnck Ia the lcast sentimental That In
To- say. he makee tho least show Of sentimcn-
tally.
You cannot recall single role OF his in which
hn allowed his feelings W Interfere with his
personal dignity. In all those oxiRcncics of
love making. where romanticism leads him to
the verge OF spoon ness. ho intcrpolates tho
cynicism of the fellow whoeo heart IL we'll
broken to harness. Nobody keeps the manly
sob so we'll in hand. or. to use hie own phrase
Ology. he ncvor sails before tho wind Of passion.
never shivers hrs well seasoned timbers with
Rusty paroxysms. but tacks and comes about
with trusty fiat on the helm OF his emotions.
Thus 1t In that ho keeps his yacht fresh and
nimblc in the waters of comedy these many
years.
But Montague. as soon as tho spiccd breeze
strikes him. begins 10 throw over ballast.
For this roaeon tho presence Of the veteran
and the youngster on deck at tho Same time
affords one OF tho incest bits OF theatric contrast
that ia imaginable.
when the first pun Of suspicion comes 10 the
husband and he liz on his beam ends. tho CHEEKY
voice Of the old sea dog sounds loud and firm.
"Avast there. my hearty. Yc may not be much
Of n sailor in this sea. but d--n me. ye know.
you can be n mani"
Il can't. o. | can't" cries Montague. "Ev-
erything has gone by the board !"
n ln,io ,l,r ~ tho
not out Of dock yet -
1t is very true. ms you will suggest here that
the full expression of emotion constitutes the
soul Of nll acting.
But IT is equally true rs shall beg leave to
suggest in return. that emotion must have
sufficient cause in order to produce an adequate
effect.
The cause in Diplomacy at lenst so far as
the audience are concerned is not sufficient
The husbands violent misery is caused by
msapprehension that is sure TO be corrected.
SO. let him suffer ever so acutely. we cannot
get rid OF the fact that 1t is a mistake.
OtlellO's mistake is quite another thing. don't
you see for It moves to its inevitable and fatal
conclusion with the unorrng majesty Of fact.
But then the sturdy Saxon who wrote Othe-
To-" had not studied in the French life school.
and consequently when from his Olympus top
he set one OF these human passions laundering
down the steep declivity OF fate. he did not I'M
dcrtake to show his skill by lifting 1t back again
TO its snowy pinnacle, but let II crash headlong
TO the bottom.
SO you will always detect something Of the
cosmos in Shakespeare. II il is only the law of
gravitation.
But these French fellows are continually up
in n balloon. defyiDg the earth to which they
belong.
When emotion is without n cause. and is efIu-
sive. we call II sen,imentaliiy.
Mr.. Montague suffers unwar-antably for q
diplomat and a soldier and his impersonation
being. as have already called 1t. n wax statue.
his ardor always makes il weak in the knees.
During his interview with his wife he il less
anxious 10 prove or disprovc The charges made
against her than he is to huL her. His manly
determination has pathetic tremolo In ii. His
sense of duty has more etiquette than energy
about it. His masculinity Is something like d.
Boots's martial valor 1t is n SNOWY circum-
ference Of action without any centre. He talks
with suppressed feeling and studied delihera-
ton. but he looks round at the sofa. as II he
would rather faint His mingled sorrow and
authority. examined under microscope. turn
out 10 he transcendental mush.
Not that we object t. being fed with transccn-
dental mush. But We don't want it dealt out 10y
II wooden spoon.
The moment Mr.. Montague gets out OF the
amatory situation he acts with discretion. dig
nifty, and naturalness. Give him men To play
with. and he will play with them. II not like a
man. ut least like IA good fellow.
Miss Granger is n capital subject for such
whitening sentiment rs il Montagues. Any
other woman would crackle and consume under
it. She wears the asbestos Of insensibity. II
Montague's emotions are all on the surface
hers are all in the centre and remain there.
She has acquired the mechanism OF her art
with q woman's ready tact. and fills with relia-
BILE usefulness place in the needs Of the stage
but all acting is TO her fulldrcss promenade
in which propriety Of demeanor and good taste
in recitation are the paramount duties Of the
player.
To watch Mr.. Montaeues hot method dash
itself against her imperturbabe beauty re-
minds you of the bombardment OF glacier with
Bengal lights.
Still there is n moral to be pulled out OF the
Jaws Of this situation.
When one reflects upon IT, he sees that II
teaches him why in conflict the woman always
beats the man.
1t is because he fights her with his feelings
OF which her arsenal is generally not only the
largest but the best guarded.
When he fights one Of his own SEX he en-
ploys his reason. NYM CRINKLE.