New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-01-22
nTHE SQUIRE" IN LONDON'
NEW COMEDY AND A FRESH DRAMA ~
SCANDAL

A. W !ineros " The
60 ~ the St. James's Theatre is an event %
Nt,rlla interest in itself aud the OCCASION " a
,a,3oI also full of interest. lou VIII
" -. of the scandal further on IL you
- =, beor about comedy which, ou' ''t III, ""-
.''o y ,-arr,stances of its origin, might nave
,',1 a ,raiseworthy attempt to produce an
4,o1 nIav here is the story IN oHei;
oIisna' - Is Mss Hate Terity. to whom has
1"S ,hs masculine title always borne by the
80 ~ " Prior's Mesne' When the play opens
sha - beloved and woosd by gilbert Hythe' b III III
on the farm but the reason for her cold recep ION OF
his eager suit presently appears when the audience
i.on1yyel 70 discover that she is privately married
90 LtatepaRt IhOrHdyke The relations between the
are the object Of suspicion during the first act
Al the end of it the husband hear, from his vile of
a coming child which oOiiges him to disclose his
crat TO ms mother but to nobody else. In the
second act the jealousy OF a gypsy servant, who
secs a new maid inrusted with part of her du les,
laws the train tor a general publicity. She. in her
+urg Il. forestallcd by ParyOR Former. who knows
nothing of the marriage but believes Th0rHdyke 10
be counting The Squire. Becoming possessed of the
fact that the young husband has unknown to him
sellaflSt wife living the PdrSOa reveals this inter s.
ing information to hate, to prevent further mischief
TL0radyke who has climbed III by the window for
hi, nightly visit, overhears the tale He had hon
e,tly believed the first wife dead When the Par,0a
goes Thyrtdyk6 appears from behind the window
curtain looks on while The Squire IN her agony
burns bus loye-letters. and then admits 10 her the
truth TO them in their miserable despair enters the
other lover, gun in hand, with demand 20 know
from Tboradyke by what riLht he is present
81 that hour m the Young lady's room. Thorn
dixie rather oddly. submits To his IuterrOgatorlcs,
declares that Hat Tcriy IS his wife in the sight Of
heaven. and i, about TO be shot for hi pains, when
hate throws herself in the ap proved fashion between
the two men, and stays the discarded lovers bullet
with the question whether he VIII murder the father
OF her child. Upon which scene he curtain falls.
The first wife has all this time been wing IN an inn
hard bv having been hnlrl Of anonymously in the
first act ae a stranger and very sick The whole OF
the third act devoted to putting of the inevitable
death till the play shall have run It's due course.
DE she does al the last moment and Pars0a D0rwcr
has the pleasure of announcing her disappearance 10
the lover, as they are prououncIng a pathetic nut
pro.racjed farewell, tor winch fresh wedding Is
agreeably substituted.
The constructive defects Of this piece are, per
hlps sufficiently obvi5u, from this epitome of its
plot The climax is reached III the second act, ami
the happy atatrophe from that time Oh is fore~aen
rs the sole 20 sible solution Of the lovers d.tiiul
who have no necessary connection with the action
of the piece aud who DO nothing to bring about the
issue-or nothing which might not equally well
happen without tlcm-s "a less fragrant fault, but
still a fault The dialogue is of the curt and crack
ling sort no vogue; dialogue which Rober
son and Mr.. AIbery were once thought to have
monopoly. The play abounds in smart repartee-
often, alasl not only smart but much too elaborate
and literary to be wi hin the range of the people who
engage in it. Bu If Mr.. PiueTo aimed at mere
Lrllancy, and sought to supply sau Pi4gante lor
the wcarod palates Of the stalls and boxes, he has
got what ne tried for. His sentence tell, and
people laugh and applaud without stopping to
think and, perhaps, without caring whether an
octogeuarian shepherd or a soldier dandy il the
twenties is likely 10 flavor his couver,aiU with
deliberately constructed epigrams. There is glitter
enough but what it is that glitter another ques-
ton
The acting of this piece deserves praise. A. a
whole it is better than one often sees on the Eng
lish stage 1t is to Mr. HaroS great ere lit that he
aims at general, not partial effects in the pieces OF
which he supernteuds the production. So far
the play will allow. characters are made to fit into
each her, and of proportion Is observed
even in the development Of such eccentric person
ngcs as GuHRiOh-a bit Of grotesqus genre work,
played with singular Sureness OF touch by Mr..
Macintosh Is the lesser part OF R0gohnS Junior
by Mr. Brandon. Mr.. Hare contents himself with
TGrson Doruer, who is much less often on the stage
than his importance to the plot would Indicate aud
plays the woman hating parson with that distinct
and positive and broadly outlined method Of winch
he is a master Nj Kendals TA0radyle is less excel
lent. The burden of the piece falls On the capable
shoulders Of MIS- Kendall. an actress who NAV be
quoted an example of the power of a resoute pa
thence and purpose to turn an inferior artist into a
superior one. OF natural aptitude for the stage
Mrs. Kendall have had httle. But she has
studied hard she has done her best with every part
she has mastered the technical business Of her
fession, she knows all that be known of
what may call the mechanical resources OF dra-
matte art and he is now able TO produce one of the
best limitations ever seen on any STAGE Of real ieel-
ing. she plays with singular delibcrdtIon. spares
her effects waits for her audience, and seldom fails
to carry them ali along with her. On the whole
her Hate Jeity is very und and substantial piece
of acting. with points of excellence considerably
beyond the range of any other English actress
Now for he scandal. The Squire an
as a new and original play by Mr.. A. W.
Pnero bears So marked a likeness to- Mr.. Thomas |
Hardy's novel, Far From the Madliug Crowd
that all the critics. next morning in the papers, !
on the resemblance. If Mr.. PIneru hrd |
seen f 10 avow his obligation 10 Mr. Hardy book.
mob ,dy would have thought much TIA. worse OF
him or his play There are many points of differ
euce well Of likeness between novel and pay.
and enough would have remained 10 Mr. Ppero', |
credit. Uuhappily, Nj. Pinero denies obligation o.
any sort Nj II .rdy. THIS denial is ma Ie in tha
face Of inherent proba 1Ilties aud condolences |
more numerous than | can stop & point out. II !
must suffice to say that the data of the play and the
novel are nearly Identical that Lieutenant thorn
lyke Of The squire is Sergeant Troy Of the novel. |
promoted IN rank that Gilbert Hytte a double OF !
6 abriel OAK and somebody else-B Oid,cood | think |
and that the heroine of the Is the heroine Of
~ nthnr in ha-ncter nnl clrcntr NJ nrce