, 1884-04-06
AMERICAN DRAMA.
Mr.. Cazauran Gives the Fruits of
Many Years. Experience.
The Original American Plays Now
on the boards Mere Adapta-
tions---The Talent OF
Years Ago


[Croffnt in st Paul Pioneer Press.1
called the other day upon William A. g.
Cazauran accent ON the first syllable) who is
and for years has been stage manager, com
poser. playwright and adopter OF the Union
Square theatre He is certainly the best in.
formed man in the city concerning his bust
ness, and at the recent discussion of tho
American drama at the Nineteenth Century
club he made the speech of tho evening. 1
asked Mr.. Cazauran If American drama
fists had a fair chance to get their plays pro.
duced on the stage.
There are ten or twelve theatres in New
York now active" he said; "and during tho
present week all OF these theatres, with ono
solitary exception, present plays claimed to
have boon written by American authors; the
one exception being Niblo's, where Mrs.
Langtry appears in a play OF Sardou's. This
practical unanImity is unprecedented in tho
last thirty years, and causes no little exultn-
tion among those who insist that our theatres
have evinced n great lack of patriotism in
refusing so many plays presented by Ameri-
can authors"
In the course of further conversation Mr..
Cazauran remarked:
Several American gentlemen, connected
with the stage in various capacities, have of
late made 1t a practice to visit Europe once a
year, and thore, by the aid of hints, inter
prefers and dictionaries, TO commune awhile
with such men as D'Ennery, Sardou, Augier,
and others Of that crew OF thinking French
men who. for the last half century have de
voted themselves TO stealing the works OF
Americans and English dramatists before
they were written. These unscrupulous
Frenchmen have, 1t is said, with natural i'm
pudence, received these American authors
whom they have direfully wrongod, with
superciliousness. Indeed. the best words
they have for these ointment American dram
ntists are escroc, voleur, brigand, coquin-
and Belot, after dinner at the cafe Anglnis,
when the wine is on, seldom hesitates TO
style them jean ~foutresl
"Of course we have now tho straight and
easy recipe for an American drama. 1t is
simple; Given three or four French plays by
the best French authors; take the best situn-
ton in each; change French names to Amer
lean; shake the whole vigorously together;
pour over the dish the sauce of current Now
York slang, and serve cold. Judge Barrett
can rest in peace. Tho future of the Amer
ican stage is guaranteed"
"This is evidently banter and irony" / said;
seriously, is there such n thing as n good,
original American playf'
"NOt in thisd day. In the carly part OF this
generation we had a fnw American drama
fists who were talented, original, self-reliant,
too proud TO steal, and worthy of the craft.
These were Judge Conrad. DIR. Bird, George
IL. Boxer, N. L. Willis, John Howard Payne,
all OF whom produced plays of originality
aud true mcrit-of so much power, in fact,
that all the greatest English and Amer.
lean uctoIs mnde populations on them. Bru-
tus, Nirginius, Francesca da Rimini-the
men that produced those were artists"
"Why could we produce good plays then
and not nowf'
81 might answer that question by asking
another: Why have tho last generation Of
wealthy New Yorkers-Peter Cooper, Moses
and Henry Grinnoll, and others like them
been superseded by such millionaires as VAN
derbilt, Jay Gould, Henry Clews and Jim
kcenci Why arc statesmen of the type Of
Washington. Jay and Jefferson succeeded bi
politicians Of u far lower type-not to men.
ito namcsi Why has il come to pass that
money, no matter how got. has become the
passport to favor and Distinction Why does
John Kelly rule New York; Why should an
American not steal a foreign play tina
brings him money, in an era when money is
considered the only thing worth having, us
well us Mr.. Gould steal the English bonds
that built the Erie railroadf"
asked him II in his opinion the American
drama had a future.
"Why, OF COURSE he said. N country
III the Noiiu ouers 30 mucu opportunity 10
the truly original dramatist as this. America
has all varieties of the worlds scenery. On its
soil are gathered, not as transient visitors,
but as residents, representatives OF all the
nations OF the earth in hundreds OF thou.
sands, many OF them speaking tho speech
and wearing the garments OF home. Even
among Americans alone. difference Of food,
climate and surroundings have created great
varieties of chn-racter-varicties OF infinite
use to the dramatist. What could be more
unlike a native New Highlander, who has
CarolhIiani What more unlike tho semi
Dutch Pannsylvanian than tho semi French
Louisianiuni We nave in America the negro
in all his grotesque phases, the Indian with
his cunning and austerity, the Chinaman AS
Ii foil to Caucasian characteristics. The di-
v~ersities Of scenery and climate in tho United
States arc as great as arc embraced In all
Europe.
"They who say we cannot have any great
original dramu in America because we have
no nobility show that they do not appreciate
the difference between what Ia and what
seems, Tho disparity between various classes
in America is about rs great as exists In any
country. We have ruling castles here. the
same as in France. The diversity Of climate
and scenery, and the social contrasts nsces-
sary to tho widest dramatic action, exist in
America, and all that is necessary TO the Gre
alton OF an American drama is n man who
possesses shrewdness, self reliance md Oh
servation enough to see them, and capacity
enough to reflect them"