New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-12-21

far have seen, they do not thrive; vet over H.
Water their name has been and is legion. Harley,
Rghton. Lionel Brongh. George Honey b io1le
yaiaes, Harry Nicholas George Barrett chasSs
frS cc Ppu once a a sS are
i fI1as s% ssne;s b%s tLsss /. j. fs :s%S;
In other branches Of The business Tl nglsSS;
~ not 80 excellent. Ii IL doubtful for
example, If we possess a really frst-cIass. juye-
peaTaDce canse Plancbe to leap out OF his seat and
cry. AZ last we have an actor. lis still perlans
tie best despite his years, winch be carries very
| hgntly. Charles Coghla1 has great talent. but 4,
unequal and very weak in scenes of passion. whers
Neville is strong. Kyrlc Bellew has shown a6un
dant promise bat ~ somewhat too self-eOnscion.
| and artificial while Harry Conway. who began AZ
| tho very weakest of walking gentlemen has lately
shown remarkable earncstness and latent strength
In personal attractvencss. william Icrriss il tha
most endowed of them all. His styie, however 10
unintclligent. and his method unconvncmg.
The same lack of genius which Is the fault of our
juvenile actors, is to be found among our actresses
In scenes OF power and pasSiOn. even Illen Terry
| loses much oi her charm. Mrs. Kendall IL an mrnlta
BILE comedieaRe but quite without the pathetic faacy
IN romantic and poeilcal characters, which she has
sometimes attempted. Her Pauline, In the Lady
of Lyons" rs not higl-bonl beauty IN distress but
"A honsemad In n passion her Claire, in the Iron.
solicitations. In pure comedy, however, Mrs. Ken.
dai is supremacy delightful. Much her sn.
| perlors IN the higher graces OF fbe art
| actress.
and Miss Lingar now playing at tho Princes
Theatre; but neither of these ladies' possesses any
versatility. Passing away from leading ladies' wo
have iHg6nues by the score. and sogbteftcs by the
dozen; of The brightest of the latter being Miss
| LottIe Venne. an inimiiabe actress IN her own Pc
| culiaf line. CHANGING downward through the ranks
| of the profession. we shall discover that the most
| noticeable artists are those VINO follow the good
| old method There Is Mr. Mead, whom remember
PLAYING the whole range of the drama years ago az
! the Grccian; Mr. Howe. who graduated IN tho
robnsty vigorous Haymarket sehooll MI Willard
and Mr. speakman, both IN Wilson lIairett's com.
panyy Mr.. Hermann Vein, perhaps the iinest
lent, when suited Mf fernaaaes, excellsnt
N eyelyibing but especially sseelisn,s
lps VIII" "T sss "",,aIIs' and i's cy I ~
| culiatlv his own All the artists | have named
ate 70 be DISTINGUISHED fron The moh Of gentlemen
ease aud aet without mielleetaat conviction,
| Why " H. then, that With, 10 many capable AZ,
li,h, ahd ~ warm ~ appreciation ~ thrii 'aehts
on tho pa,t Of tho gah',o We hase , a. Low
| anihofs, say tho critics, lieoanse the managers
ara unnslruoied, say the playwrighls' iieoagae
tho public = great silly baby. to 10 pleased WIN
| Ii may be quite true that we have no great
dramatists but tit y also true that we have among
| us men capable of splendid dramatic work, n
| such work were IN demand not only within tho
circle of known writers for the stage, but outside of
it, are such men to be found. But 1t is simply luz
| possible to insure the production of any drama
which is not to certain extent, conventional after
| the known and approved fashions. The enormous
| outlay necessary in London to mount an important
piece the loss COnsequen, on failure the apathy OF
the pubic 10 new ideas Of any kind, frlghten tho
managers from making experiments. About year
ago. when Caudlan was produced i IN LONDON
an ideal and far-off subject, and Mr.. Barrett, him.
| self, though most enlightened manager aud actor,
| had so holy fear of the mere mention of blank
verse that he caused the piece to be written In
sort of hybrid lingo neither verse nor good prose.
which utterly destroyed ts value as literature Al
% flA ntn
forced along, till at last Its novelty and beauty
were recognized. Here however, the circumstances
were very exceptional; and moreover, Claudlan"
| furnished star part for q manager OF ample re-
sources. Under any other conditions the piece
| would have been withdrawn within month My
own experience. which may cite by way OF Illus
tration is the experience of nearly every dramatic
author living. Having an intimate ana practical
knowledge OF stage requirements, acquired through
early connection with the theatre, ma IL easy 10
| produce pieces which please the manager and
| sometimes the public: bat whenever have pro,
posed any drama lofty in method or unconventlonai
In form, have been met with the answer that slch
productions are inexpedent. Management Is too
precarIous business for experiments of any KIND.
the ma agp aS Is yfs s n % and what peases
one will often repel the other. Nor are critics al.
ways unanimous. Two pl Lays OF mine, produced last
successfully here met with exactly opposite treat
ment from the newspapers here and on the other
side Stormbeaten" IAN adaptation OF my own
| novel God and the Man y was received with
| chorus of praise by the leading critics of London;
| in New-Yorl II was roundly slaughtered in several
quarters. On the other hand Lazy clare" which
| some London critics treated cody, and when
| gained its success in London in the face OF luke
warm criticism, was praised ilOerauy Dy TIC A'her-
| lean press, almost without an exception
| 1t is the custom in London. and often sheer
necessity to force plays into success by large ex-
pendtures OF money, and ia the teeth OF disastrous
business. For many weeks " Plnafore," the most
inadequate receipts: so am informed, did mo
Colleen Bawn.0 " The Private Secretary when
acted at the Princes Theatre, involved the author
in a Oss OF some thousands OF pounds but ne hed
firmly on to II, and transferring II TO the Globe
rcaped late but abundant harvest. Ofcourse tins
can only be done where the play possesses great
vitality in ITSELF or where the manage
If is seldom or never | believe done in Amer
lea where pieces stand or fall by first
nights reception. and Oy the pertunctOry morning
criticism. The exceptions are cases where tho
llay is produced with an ultimate eye 10 tho
road. rather than with any view of immediately
Rave touched upon the commercial side of tho
matter, because, in dramatic wOrH. there Is no
0oiden mean heiween success aud failure. 4 play
is condemned absolutely, If il does not prove man.
! apcrially profitable; no matter what its literary
or technical merit no matt how excellent ssgocB
Frsmr II is justified or condemned by heamount
of money paid by audiences who Wish 3 see II;
Now. modcin audiences IRE mixed assenblages OK
mon woiupn and even children When great
drama h,ufished in England, paygqer' yete
| different ready to re'pord 10 any kipd ot mnhop
however daring, If It aa{ justified ~ rs ellser-
nes,. and If prudc sat isieniig Under the rim or
! 4rriirht ter blislrs wete hidrn rs nask,
/ airt dn t,hrr We ini snretb toihrty, rr'at m
si,r 8f H. rcerse, the tinlIitbili Nffg thr saUi
he Subjects vrig sglreith wi'f9tt 'te'il9fh 'p
| ,r.tr5. sni WH Il x ie8 lais ~ ~ Hrt W ~;
| AHisss lhrar es1AiliBHs. NNt $50 ! efrogsliri
| IA. AFrr-f ihat tNftt ttB+WirtiHH HHHt
| T. de5l,iIlH. iiQe ~ lnilsFrNiN4'elI-FN i'Ht
le-D,i8 ali eFeA eNtaogeiaf az N4i n slii w
! iisA, ~ B4rla 40 tne pAlala hWsl pNt . 7 ~,
,ipHs AZ giaAee lilt atSHlllht tt lts tft,s
AiArl u legi annlgnfe' NHh AtE ~Nh Alia3 lin7H"i
H. Che Stalls, mast ch01se hlssngeea catelNlll aug
| SoDLoeles he would have io e,cheW tle sl1l ~
| OEiipns; were he au Euripldes, he would nave 10
haht shy oil the domestic life OF PnwlEt u must,
| m short 10 be listened 10 az all, avoid a ohehtS
against moral and religious prjudlee'i lon3N ~ ~