New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-12-21
THE STAGE OF TO-DAY.
A LETTER FROM ROBERT BUCHANAN.


Periodically. say every i've years. the great En-
glishspeaking public is startled by the eager voice
of the Quidnunc. announcing the prospect OF
great dramatic revival; periodically, the voice
DIES away among other voices OF the crowd
while the dear old. moribund drama continues. IN
lts corpse-like coma, with spasmodic quickening'
of death-in-fe. When Robertson loomed above
the horizon, the world prepared for something
cOsmic only to discover that what it imagined to
be sun was a sort Of gigantic tea-cup When
Boucicaut radiant out Of the Of Irish
there was another portent, but what onlookers at
first mistook for a potent magicdn's wand, turned
ont, ! fear, TO be onIy--a shillelah. Meantime,
the accomplished author of PInafOre." like a IA
cetious Choragus Of ChOragi, has amused himself
by poking fun at the Shape that once lived and
moved and spoke the tongue of Shakespeare, by
ridicung it's sock and buskin, by deridlng It's an
tique methods pcrslstently and so clev-
erly, with such o touch of Austopha-
nes-plus-Mr. Gnppy and the " jolly
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. young man that 1t has
been a dangerous thing for any dramatist TO view
life seriously or sentimentallv, or t, attempt the
grand manner so familiar to our fathers. Against
the influence of sad wags like Mr.. Gilbert, we have
to set such phenomena ~ the beautiful " cvyals"
of Mr.. Irving, which have reminded playgoers that
after all there IL grand manner, and that 1T is a
little better when all is said and done than the
manner of the midlle-cass cynic
But to do Mr.. Gilbert justice land no one is u
warmer admirer of his saturnlne humor than ami,
his influence for good in this generation has far
exceeded his influence for evil. He might be de-
Settled, with some measure of truth, az the Mark
Twain of the stage; for while the American humof-
lat has succeeded in disntegrating 80 much of the
shallow catlnsiasm aud false sentiment Of ordinary
life, the English one has done the Same service In
destroying what waa false aud meretticvus IN ORA
matte tradition Tfne. hn has gone 10 tho extreme
length IN dzillus ohsina the public sehtneht asto
all The higher dramatic emotions but that was hs
evitahlr, aud tho uNeatipn will adjust itsnlf by
aud hy, uinor those emotions ara practically
understandable, An tho matter now stands,
any attempt al pure poetry on tho stage
isyery like skating on thin ioe There can be no
doubt. nevertheless, that our grandiathers very
often took pIatiude for poetry and heroic posturng
for the acting of nature. A modern dramatst or
actor must now reckon public prepared at all
points to dispute and ridicue his method wherever
it conflicts with common sense. Love is not a pas
sion la mode, and there Is tendency to guy"
love scenes Strong exhibitions Of emotion
popular In real life and equally so in the theatre.
At the same time the lift inspiration OF genius can
conquer the prejudice against the sentiment of love,
or rather against Its too maudlIn expression, and
Justify the strongest and widest of emotions under
the right conditions
While the drama remains moribund, the world is
full of actors vino may fairly be accounted yirie.
IL is no exaggeration to say that the greatest of
these actors are Americans. On the other side OF
the water we have no artists, with the exception
perhaps of Mr.. Irving, worthy to rank by the side
of Booth of Jefferson. of Lester Wallack. Even to
an Engllshman familiar with the finest efforts of
Charles Mathews, the acting of the younger Wal
lack with all the force of revelation. saw
this princely comedian for tho first time few
nights ago in 1.-The Bachelor OF Arts"
lie had long been to mo an illustrious name
one of the few American names known
by familiar report the other side, but j
had imagined him one of the =" old school," in the
Gilbertian and nvidious sense Of the old school
he is certainly in far his method puts all the
efforts of the new school to shame; at once broad,
subtle swift and penetrating, it is the method of
the born actor equipped with all the culture OF his
fascinating art Nowadays, fear, actors are made,
not born, and made very badly. Young men flock
upon the stage because it has become a lucrative
profession. Formerly only those achieved hIstri-
onic reputation who possessed by nature com
handing, an interesting, or an amusing personality.
Nature even more than art, created in their vari-
ons lines Oh character, WIS n 1,'"om C tp ne'o n
ricIc'uy' iN. $50. r"n,a, W. o"a
,n'WS p"oN''v, n4oS To'"p.o"i "r
wafer Lacy NOT pu' !H'' tIl' SUM A'nt VI oIea-
ton takes place occasionally even , now Nature
far more thah arr mas gwen Us h"eh i'rry'
The fact remains however tha1 iloue'h ACTORS
generally suggest the lu'a o' professionals VINO
have mistahen ther procession LEU any on' WHO
d,ubts this 90 10 Wallacls when the master Is act
irO and comDqre him with the ladies and gentle
men VINO surround ihn' lHcic 'ic oieN'I p'oPlc
among Them pnt' WIN tne exception Oh
the tired veteran John Ullper'' anu TIC hu-
manej humorous Harry hu"arus they s'rlAe 'he
spectator rs people VINO act ID hTe no I'VE - act.
I'm companies whore there IS no star or the nrSt