New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-02-05

thp liHtmuthst strengthened ihr d'HNi. I'..
/ au,, expressed whether R1ncri-"nnu ,'rrit
has much lasting vitality n b. This piece WIS
produced sixteen year. ago Il has always pae,,
/ for one of Robertson. two best Caste being thr
other II has been played repeatedly and hy
great variety of performers. II has always drawn,
and il drew agnin las night as any piece would on
Mrs Lang RS first night. and will probably con.
TIME to draw until " Odctto' is ready. In some re-
| spects the play has now been seen 10 better
advantage than ever before. and yet one
| comes away from that crow ded and fashionable
house. with the cheers OF the audience still ringing
in ones ears with q vision OF dazzling beauty seen
for the first time in Of the chief characters With
a general impression of great and skill IN the
mounting and acting of the piece, and with pro-
found conviction that the comedy itself has out
! lived its time.
There is not much to be gained by inquirine into
the causes of such a conviction. still less by analyz
ing the play and laying bare the secrets
of IT. weakness RObertsOns work is
almost as familiar to you to London
erS and You know il to be too fragile
TO stand dissection. Not one OF the plays OF that
undoubtedly clever writer has borne transplantlng.
They seemed rooted firmly enough in the dollhouse
sol Of the little theatre IN Tottenham-st, where
they fourshcd long, but when the Bancr0tts
emerged into the freer air and larger spaces OF the
Havmarket those clever managers omitted to bring
with them the delicate perfume which had begued
| ffc Senses-and perhaps the critical sense alsO-ol
their Prince OF Wales au licences The dued inter-
est of the Robertson revivals at the house was
set down at first to The actors whose warmest adj
mirers admitted that they needed time to habltuate
themselves to the broader stage of the liaymarket,
aud to reproduce over a greater area the effects
which they were sure Of at the Prince OF W aleS.
Presently il was seen that ii was not only the
actors VINO were at fault. The Bancrofts and Their
comrades soon broadeued their style-tOo soon per-
haps. and certainly much. But who was to
! lend strength ana force to the style OF the dead
author Of the play or to infH5e into his Work the
masculine yigor the good sense, the artistic truth
fuIucss the structural solidty, Of which it was 50
dep orably in need! Nothing can be done with his
plays but to let them alone. Mr. Bancroft an
nouuces that hi. rights in the Robertson
comedies will shortly expire. aud that
/ when his monopoly he shall cease To
! act them. other managers will doubtless continue
thc experiment. bat for how longl The tca-cup-
anl--aucer-schoo can hardly expect a longer life
than that of it, original eXpOncnts.
With tNo EXCEPTIONS the parts in cong were
! less perfectly played last night than thev have been
at the Prince oi Wales Theatre. Mr.. Bancroft's
! H,gb CkaInofis not one of the exceptions 1t has
still many Of the oil merits and they were great,
but it i, oycrplayed. Nh. Bancroa lauda'lc effort
TO play up to the capacity of his new theatre has
brought HIM DANCE ously near to the line
which divides co nely from farce. Mr.
Arthur Cec's Irpce ProrskV is piece
of mere burieSquc and one is obliged to say with
rcct of this ieally capable act that his Russian
nobcmaE 4, neither noble gentle, nut distress
inely vuigar. Sir IleldHder SheHdrya in the hands
of Mr.. Pincro is wooden and Mr. Conway's AHJUs
Hacalosier is more wooden sill Such remnants OF
1aff hA
speech and deeds Of his characters vanish in their
present representatives These figures are not human
They are not even good carcatures, for they do
not resemble any possible original At its
best Ours wants steldineS5 and rapid
Ity OF movement, but last night it hard-
w moved at ALL Never did piece
90 so slowly or with 50 much creaking during many
of its scenes. All the thinness of motive. all the
artifciality and aieciation and trick Of the
Dialogue, all the Wnreaity of the whole
business made evident and palpable
| by the extreme elaboration of the pantomine
from winch. in its moderate use, 50 much Of the
effect used 10 spring.
The two exceptions were Mrs. BJncrofts Mary
! N,tlyand the Bjauchc Hoyc of Mrs Langtry There
! never was and there never will be any possible
! MARI Nctlcy but Mrs. Bancroft whose pert
yivaclty and mcxtingushable spirits have
/
| | believe written and even rewritten for her
rewritten if it be true, is limited that the comic
business in the third act introduced at her wish
and a!ainSt the authors Judgment. The playing at
soldier and the testing with life and death in that
winters camp before SebastOpol is a shocking piece
of /. snc,sr; and the hearIueSs with which Mrs.
| Bancroft enters into such CHASTITY fun does but
make il the more mcOngruOus and revolving. The
whole act Is set thick with startling impossbitics
of winch the most tigrant is the sport which both
Naryaud Biaachc make of the deadly peril cnyronng
the men they love. 1t is useless to vase iudlgna-
ton on such stuff but it is also amazing that even on
the English stage should ever nave been tolerated.
Wien this play was first brought on the graves Of
| the Crmea amid which this hideOus fOoug goes
on. had not been ten years closed.
o. Mrs. Langtry's BLacEe Haye the first thing to
be said is that il is IN the proper Of the word
creation. blanche takes for the first time the posi-
ton and proportion she meant to have in the
plav. assuming her proper rank as the heroine, or
one of tho two herolnes. If Ours - could be said
to have plot II is about hcr 'h Il the interest OF
il would turn. and of such Interest as the slight
story of the piece in fact has she is the centre.
The love of Mary Ne'icy for Hayh Ctai-
cot is not heard offs hardly even hint
ell at-till the third act But previous
! EIapchcs have been cOioGless and Insignificant; eX
| tiuou,hcd. perhaps by the eXuberancc of Mrs
Bancroft as her portionless friend. Mrs. Laugtry
invests the part with a marked personality of her
own-a presence not more winning than 1t is ndivid-
ual and vigorous Last nights audience was perhaps
a more difficult one 10 satisfy than the audience be
fore which, month ago, Mrs LangtIy, as Miss
Hardcastle made her first public appearance. The
Bancrofts have first night house of their own sat-
uraed with Bancroft traditions, and slow TO accept
a new favoritc But they seemed ready enough to
anOtrv into the family and their first
greeting To her was a cordial one. Everybody knew