New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-03-20
THE LONDON STAGE.
NOTES ON THE EVENTS OF THE DAY.

L
STAGE DULL.
| IFROM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT TIE TRIBUNE
LONDON, March 5.--A Hungarian actor. Mr..
Neville Moritz made his first appearance in London.
on Saturday last. at the Queens Theatre. as Oeilo
We hear of him having been in the United States,
and as protege of Mr.. Longfcow and Mr.. Lowell
by their advice that he is said to have adopted
| the Lame Neville, under which he meant to come
out here. Finding it already in use he fell back
upon bis own. which seems, at least, as good one
and took Neville a christian name. His success
was not in proportion TO his pretensons or to the
expectations of his friends This it is. this
failure, or partial failure which gives rise to
the question what his actual relations with
America were and how far Alessrs. Longfellow and
Lowell may like to stand sponsors for him. He has
| acquired considerable knowledge of English, and
speaks it fluently enough, though with marked
accent, which severe cold rendered still more
marked on Saturday. The London public is little
difficult in the matter of accent. 1t has even been
known to complain of the American accent when
found upon the English STAGE and hears with
establishment that New-York audience sometimes
presunes to speak of an English accent ele-
ment in the ill success of an imported English actor.
heard Mr.. Mortz in private fortnight ago, and
thought his accent tOlerable enough but perhaps
l. as an American am not Judge. He then rcciteda
with as much evidence of power can be expected
in q drawing groom experiment.. He, too like
Salvini, has theory" of Othelio, but does not,
as far as can make out, deliberately apply himself.
like the great Italian, to depict Moor of different
pattern from that of the Moor whom Shakespeare
drew The fault which the critics find with him is
very different from this 1t is not his conception.
but his representation of the character which they
object to- One writer goes so far rs to
express his wonder that Mr.. Mortz should
have taken the trouble to learn English
and come all the way from Hungary In or
der to show that he cannot act Othelto lou per-
ceive that the English critic. who writes for the
most part with extreme Gentleness respecting the
shortcomings of the English actor, per-
mts himself free use of the English tongue
toward a foreign performer. 1 have heard 1t said,
less harshiy. that his gestures and his business"
generally show him to be an imperfectly trained
actor On the other hand his friends allegc that
the cultural accent of Saturday was due TO the
above mentioned influenza and some OF his other
deficiencies TO the nervousness of first appearance
before an English audience. They were not attrib-
utablp at any rate to insufficient support. Mr. Her.
mann Vein was the Iago Miss Henrietta Hodson the
DesdemCaG, and Miss Gencvieve Ward the Emilia of
the occasion. Each of the three made mark and
il is agreed that no performance of "OtheIo' seen
in London this many day has been Of such even
and general excellence. 1t will be repeated next
Saturday evening, but it does not appear that Herr
Moritz is likely to obtain an engagement from any
of the London managers Not even the royal letter
with which he presented himself in this capta-a
letter to the Princess Of Wales from one Of her
sisters-has been of much help to him.
Another foreigner, Herr Lippc, gave reading of
the Merchant of Venice" the same afternoon, at
Lady Ripon's in Carlton Gardens 10 company of
invited guests. know little of this gentleman cx
cent that he has been acting in Germany for some
ten years past, and has love for his art sincere
enough 10 induce him to throw up his profession
This will hardly seem paradox to anybody VINO
knows what manager may demand OF an actor.
Herr Idppe found himself constantly called upon to
appear in characters unsuitod TO him and in plays
unsuited to anybody. He bore it for while, bat at
last revotod, and came over TO England where lie
has a friend or two hope he has not come here in
the hope Of finding employment in the London thea
tres more congenal TO him than that he has
Quilted If there be stage in the world conducted
on purely commercial principles, it is surely toT has
been) the English stage which, indeed. Mr.. Mat
thew Arnold has lately described in his severe way,
as probably the most contemplate in the world.
From his reading on Saturday might safely say
of Herr Lippe that he has genius of much too
sensitive and artistic kind TO insure him popular
ity with the average thcatrc-going public. This is
not the place for reflections on the subjects II 1t
were one might have remarks to offer on the fact
that the greatest of recent theatrical has
been an amateur pantomime exhibition, with
more or less popular dramatic author as Harlequin.
presume neither Herr Lippe nor Herr MortZ would
care TO compete with Mr.. Gilbert IN turning sOmer-
saults.
Is. or has been commercial. said a moment ago
bo ln orn
arises from the announcement that Drury Lane
Theatre is to be taken by the Baroness Burdett-
Coutts and that she means to conduct the es-
Enlistment onSa scale with which 10 state-sup
ported theatre in Paris or elsewhere may VIE" Ii
is a paragraph to take ones breath away. Lady
Burdet- Goutts is certainly Iich enough TO indulge
any whim she may have. whether it be for the
Turk or the theatre. But there are things money
cannot buy 1t cannot buy actors unless the actors
already exist. 1t cannot buy tho traditions
of two hundred years. IL cannot buy arts
tic instincts or culture. And it cannot buy
tbe critical. cultivated audience without which
the best talent on the stage would not long remain
the best il cannot therefore all at supersede
or surpass in Drury Lane the great house, tho house
of Mol6rc as the French delight TO call it, III the
Rue Riclelieu. The new manager Of Drury Lane.
if is added. is to be Mr.. Irving. Lady Burdctt-
Couttss admiration Of MIR. Irving has long been
known. She has had a box at the Lyceum,
and las made wide tours in the provinces
in order to witness his provincial triumpls.
II has been computed that she has seen
him play Hamlet more than a hundred
times; and her fidelity was not shaken by his Mac
beth or even his Ohlo. ii Mr.. Irving ia to be man
agor he will be in many respects an admirable man
ager. lie has genuine love for his art and large
knowledge of it. But if Inc expects TO enter INTO
competition with the Theatre FIancais, he will have
many things to learn and some to forget. He has