Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1883-09-15
BULwER AND MACREADY AND RICHIE
LIEU,

that which insensibly results from
the unreserved interchange of ideas
and knowledge between a. great au-
thor and great actor. If both actor
and author are men of literary culture
and lofty aim, with common stand
ard OF excellence and common as
piration to attain it, this is the best
combination for the successful pro-
duction of the literary drama, but the
relations represented by it must be
based on mutual confidence and in
tellectual respect. The author has
much to learn from the actor, but he
has also much to teach him; he must
be able to feel that he has in the actor
not merely technical adviser who
has studied the stage, but also sym
pathetic and fairly competent student
OF the literary conditions and purpose
of his work. In that case he cannot
too copiously consult or unreservedly
defer to the actors suggestions on
those points in regard to which the
actors experience is necessarily su-
perior to his own. This combination
is rare. at least in our own country,
because few English authors have
studied the stage sufficiently to ap-
preciate the Importance of conform
ing their work to its inexorable con-
ditions, and not many English actors
have sufficiently studied literatureto
appreciate the obligation of conform
ing their own art to the standard
which the literary drama imposes on
the performance of it, But such a
combination did, / think, exist in the
production of "Richelien," and /
have therefore selected the genesis
of that play to illustrate my previous
remarks upon the conditions of
literary stage. "Richelieu,' it must
here be observed. was not written
merely for the sake of writing play,
but expressly for the purpose of
aiding Mr.. Macready in an enterprise
which enlisted the warm and disin
terested sympathy of its author. The
first idea of the play grew out Of
conversation, or rather several con-
versations, with Mr.. Macready on
the prospects of that enterprise, which
had ended in promise on my faith
er's part of some further effort, more
elaborate than "The Lady of Lyons"
in support of Macready's admirable
endeavor to enlarge the acting re-
pertoire of our modern literary dra-
ma In the first conception of the
play the chief part appears to have
been allotted to a character whose
name (Marillac) does not even appear
-, -, erat 1,ok ~ <1,.c,,,o ,of.o soaco0.,aan,
but whose relation to the other charac-
ters is more or less represented by
that of De Mauprat. It was in the
gradual evolution of this germ that
the character of Richelieu himself,
little by little, assumed its present
proportions and dictated complete
reconstruction of the original sketch.
An outline of the plot, as at first
imagined, was submitted to Macready
with the following remarks on it:
"Now, look we'll at this story. You
will see that incident and position
are good. But then there is one
great objection. Who is to do Rich
elieu? Marillac has the principal
part, and requires You. But bad
Richelieu would spoil all. On the
other hand, if you took Richelieu
there would be two acts without you.
which will never do; and the main
interest of the plot would not fall on
you. Tell me what you purpose.
Must we give up this idea? The in
cidents are all historical. Don't let
me begin the thing if you don't think
it viii! do, and decide ABOUT Marillac
and Richelieu. Send me back the
papers. You can consult Forster, of
course" In the result of the con-
ference thus opened between author
and actor, Marillac disappeared, the
despotism Of Richelieu was establish
ed, and the play tentatively finished
on those lines, but with considerable
hesitation, as appears from the fol-
| lowing letter: my Dear Macready
Il send you the play complete. Acts
l. and iii. may require little short
ening, but you are master at that.
The rest average the length OF the
acts in "The Lady of Lyons I hope
the story is clear. The domestic in
terest is not 80 strong as in the
Lady" but l think the acting of
Richelieu's part may counterbalance
this defect. For the rest, say OF
this, as of the Lady" if at all hazard
ous or uncertain it must not be acted,
and I must try again. Earl Lytton,
in the Fortnightly Review.