New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-11-22
NEW PLAYS IN LONDON.
" MAYFAIR" AT THE ST. JAMESS-MR.
ROBERT BUCHANAN AT THE OLYMPIC.

Escape it did however. and on the principle that
a miss ia good II mile reached tho end Of the
ifth act amid considerable applause Mesars. Hare
and Kendall probably found out before that happy
moment that they had ma lie two considerable
mistakes. They had chosen the wrong play and
the wrong " adapter." Sarions piece has abundant
merits. as those who saw il acted with Mime.
fargne or still moro, Mile Dcscec as its heroine,
must well remember But It was essentially a
play OF the period Il study of bourgeois life under
the Thlrl Empire anil of the mad passion for
success and for sort of social splcndor " hich at
that time had seized on the small shOpkeaper of
Paris Perhaps Sdrdou never wrote a PLAY in which
both temporary and local color were moro marked.
Ii was moreover, both d;icuIt and risky, and
English managers keen they arc tor any
pnvclty they can borrow from Paris, had very
wisely let il alone.
The conrago which inspired M'ssrs IIaro and
Kendall 10 lay hands on it was perhaps the courage
of despair. they know not WHITTIER to turn, nor
What to reopen tncir theatre with. Thcy hld tried
Shakespeare last season but Mrs. Kendals Eosa'ind.
discreet and artistic It was had failed to draw.
They had had "Maison Neuve" for some time on
tho stocks when they heard that Mrs. Langtry
wanted % produce il for herself and that seems %
have settled the matter. Mt pinCrO, believe, had
been previously ut work on tho piece. Ito might
have done fairly good version if he had beon con-
tent 10 keep to the way OF life which NJ SaTdOu had
depicted But no was bitten with tho ambition
against which the fate of the horo aud heroine of
the play might havo warned him. llo pined for u
higher aociLl scale, au this longing has proved his
ruin. Mr. Pinero 10 u clover PLAYWRIGHT within
limits. Wien ho has TO form to himself picture
Of high society. he fails. lie does not catch the
tono His ladies aul gentlemen neither Say nor d"
the right thing There sentences and whole
scenes in "1he lroEmdster' which mako you
shiver. In Mayfair ho has to pant chiefly
would-bo fine Ladies' and gentlemen. bat uc
succeed. no better with the counter cit than with
the genuine character. The essence of caricaturc II
accurate conception of the original. II" IS inst
far astrIy when he has 10 he pathetic or I'M
presslve One or $50 phrases viii IA he put Into the
mouth OF LOrd ,ulgrdro at tho most serious and
critical moments convuscd the house. Mrs. Kendall
fared scarcely better. Mr.. Pncro belongs, more
over, TO the schou of dramatic authors Tor whom
improbabilitIos have terrOrs. Ills faith IN the
stupid ty of the average audience Is profound. 80
long IA he can got what Is called an effect, he "a
careless how he gets il, or whether the c!rcnm-
st Inces in which it occurs were or not likely tO
occur IN real life. There iow grIycr mistakes in
the making of plays A British audience has per
haps dull perceptions of tho laws OF art hut II has
some knowledge Of life, anil some common scnsc,
aud il does not like to be insutcI.
promise of life in it ~ " Mayfair Tho barcst
outline Of the story nay suffice. w. aud uy9.
Rogdqnt arc Young couple living III Bloomsbury |
lie is in stnckbrOling parinersh'p with his old
uncle Mr. Bdaa6ic AMI tncy all dwell ~ the '1mc
house. Tho young wife huds II dali. 1hr husband
is ambitious impatient OF the oldia'hipned
meth1Is Of his uncie anu wants to set up iUs him
self. The play nn ia" nEhS WHEN n new decd
oil partnership between uncle aud nephew IS to he
.t..l L., ,ttst la
husband and wife Talk it over together and each
discovers the discomfort of the other He tells her
b., bas alroaiy resolved tn break up partnership
and homo and has actually taken aud furnished a
new house ia u sm trt street IN Mayfair She insists
Oh sccn. it at once; writes motto To the uncl" TO
say they gone. and te pair rush OIL just before
dinner is announced. There is reason whatever
why they should do this but they do 1t and tho
curtain fall, the unclo in tears AZ the head of
his deserted table. Tho nest t"o acts show the
Hogtaats in splcndor; then cmbarrd,smcati come
then "a Irritation with Lpd $algrGrr. whom the
husband asks 10 stay in the house.; al spun ont to
tedi"u4n"s+.
In the fourth act Mrs Kendall discovers that her
husband has been dcvoling himself to = certain
adventures named iha IT, o. who'n h" has sInan-
d,rcd his fidelity aud his funds. The discovery aud
her com ncut it. botn very chara' trri'tc Of
Mr.. Pinero. The wife forces servant to give her
q letter addressed to her hUshin !, and opens II.
opens it withnut visible reluctance or s"TpIc. rs if
it were the usual and right thing 10 violate tie
secrecy of a letter. When that her husband
is .aithless to her. she begins t. moan over the
good money" he has thrown away his mistress.
In lit Of pque che writes - Lori >viqrdre who
appears in her hOudUr IN response to ths INV iaton
at = in the morning, and max love to r "hllo
she prrtends 10 be asleep half nscrp with
choral. This same chIofal Was to have served Tor
her suicide for between the writing of the note and
the arrival Of SHiJrtrc SO has rcpcntci of her
luminous to her lover and THINKS she had better end
all ny an extra drausht which She has pourci INTO
n tumucr aud left the table. S0jqracc, heated by
his lrutlcss love-mahnp Gn Is the room Oppressive.
drinks OIL the chlorAl aud falls dead. apparently
dead, the floor. At that moment the husband
knocks She drags a soIa before the body, which
remains IN full view Of the house, ami adm t.
EOgdaat with whom cutters on 4 frivolous protect,
Il police officer. They come near discovering thu
body but do not and depart. In the last act the
financial ruin of R0ydIat Is complete, bat Il CATS.
trophc 10 avertcA by the uncle. tho nephew anl his
wifo return to Bloomsbury. 6uipare rcyives.
hold. bis tongue, and burns Mrs. kcndals !ettcr,
and the deed of partnership is at last signed.
| and tho dull life. apparently, begins again
The one sympat hctic character In this medley Of
! paltry personalities Il the old uncle. admirably
| played BY Mr Hare. Mr. Kendall a5 EOgktHi is 30
! goOu as to mako everybody wish his part was
| better Mrs Kendall, thorou; iii artist and actre.,
III one has struggle against the proposes ionS OF
| the house. to whom Mrs. OyfGat was hopolc,,ly
antpathrtic. Sho was 900 sciIuns in The hognni.g
and this false nOto at the outset made it diticut
for her 70 rise to what should have been tho great
scene of the fourth act. IL mattered the irs4
because no actress could have played such scene
with lover like Mr. Cartwright whose wooden
drmeanor in passionate moments much entertained
The audcuce. Mr.. BroOkteld made his debut at this
theatre as rali.h friend OF the young stock
broker ono Marcus Jckyu; dIsrcputdbo scamp