National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-01-24
DRAMATIC FEU1LLEroN.


home as the quietly fearful Hazel, the simple
hearted Esmcraldu, or the gcntocly naughty
young Mrs, Winthrop. May herself Is not II
very robust and loud spoken girl She does Il
bit Of vigorous talking, aud wccps several
times with much more than the wontcd Madl.
sou square energy and observation-disclosures
She also uses Il convulsive sob of unfamiliar
trademark, or at least of very recent admits.
sion to the Twenty-lourth street school Of act
ing property ROOM But II Is a ladylikc ,ud
interesting girl nevertheless which Miss
Georgia Cayvan shows us. Most Of the ro-
bustiousnuss and homcly scnsationallsm fallsto
the lot OF the other characters There, for In.
stance, Is Steve Harlan, tho nearest up
proach to lurid villain yet admitted
to the Madison Square stage. What
must have been the feelings the well.bred
Larcs and Ponatos of the home house when for
the first time they heard Joseph Wheelock in
the third act demand in thunder tones of
May what he shall do2 They must have
been dreadfully panied by this display Of vul.
gar passion and probably held an Informal in
dignation meeting and took other means to re.
lieve their minds and settle the startled dust.
Mr. Forrest Robinson also does some rather
violent business, when he comes home to fluid
his best girl married to Joseph Wheelock.
This departure from the traditional Madison
Square type OF play is not on the whole ielici.
tous, either in conception or execution. 1t is
not fresh or original, and the really good actors,
who do tho leading roles, are not employed TO
anything like the best advantage.
"a
How significant sign of the theatrical times
was that saw displayed in front of the three
minor places of amusement in this city early in
the week. 1t was, standing room only"
The remarkable fact was not the full houses.
but that the houses should be full notwlth-
standing that at each the entertainment of.
fcrcd was out OF its accustomed line, and rather
above the heads, IL not beyond the sympathies,
ofthe classes from which We might suppose II
draws its support. At one place Dominick
Murray, an excellent actor, was playing "Es.
capped from Sing Sing" at another Pauline
Markham, she ofthe tones Of "yocal velvet" as
Richard Grant White said years ago, was do.
ing the lugubrious roles of Lady Isabel and
Madame Vine; while at the third Helen
Desmond was melting honest Irish
hearts with the trials and tribula-
tons OF William Reilly and his dear
Colleen Bawn. That plays of the class OF
EAST Lynne" and the Colleen Bawn" can
find audiences at the cheap resorts, and that
such an actor as Dominick Murray thinks II
best to so to the popular" places Of amuse-
ments, bespeaks most peculiar state Of the
atrlcal afinirs, due mainly to the recent rank
and unchecked growth of the slam. bang and
ham.fat style Of performance on the legti-
mate stage. An / were philosopher, as
many Of your egotistic theatrical penny.a-
liners be, could moral herefrom draw
which would make Pantaloon grow grave, and
fasten in the wise of thought the giddy head
Of Topsy.
The average theatrical manager pooh.poohs
any suggestion that his business should not be
purely matter OF dollars and cents, supply
and demand, as haberdashlng or tallow chand-
ling. He will tell you he gives the people
what they want; they seem to want vicious
melodrama and slam.bang burlesque and he
supplies them. Pampering low appetite Is
not good way to eradicate or refine 1t; 1t
thrlyes on what 1t feeds on, and constantly de-
mands pabulum more and more rank. So it
has been with the public taste in theatrical
during the last decade. Season by season the
stage has been given up more and more to
plays without moral thought or purpose, save
to dazzle the eye or provoke the vacant laugh
The public seems TO have thus become
thoroughly impatient of anything that
hDp'hltu w bhClI llltllttlutl nature OF
made the smallest demands on their
minds, save In few rare instances Stale
old situations and incidents, with elaborate
new scenery, came along under new names as
dramas; antique jokes practical and other.
wise, furnished up anew, were strung to.
gether with pretended plot and masque.
raded as burlesques and cxtravaganzas. The
public seem to have at last discovered that
about all possible changes having been rung
on this sort of things they might as well go
back to the old originals for dime or
quarter rs to pay Il dollar to hear the garbled
modern versions. So they 60 to the Dime
Museum, and lIerzog's, and the Theatre
Comique, pack the audltoriums and laugh.
s"A
do not pretend to deny that the hard times
have had something to do with tho prevailing
tendency of the public to patronlze cheap
places of amusement The scarcity of money
however, is only small factor In the situa-
ton. The real causes lie deeper, and think
/ have indicated them. Managers must DO
less mercenary; they must take higher view
Of their profession If they do not wish to en-.
counter these frequently recurrent periods OF
eanui with all public amusements, or tolera.
ton of only the very lowest kinds. If the
managers do not guide public tastes they will
in the end be ruined by 1t. For awhile we
are pleased with those who iatter us aud
humor all our whims with slavish subservl.
ency, but in the end we desplse aud repudiate
them.
/ know Of noannouncement which would
be received with more genuine pleasure by in.
telligent patrons of the theater than that which
II talk with Mr.. q. A. Chizzola enables me to
IL Cat, 4,
INSTRUMENTATION not to visit this countryagain,
| and will be here next season for a six months
tour under Mr., Chizzola's management. The
great Italian tTagedlan, whom have no hest.
fancy In placing frs. among tho world
| players, Is now studying Coriolanus and will
include 1t in his repertory for his American
tour. Ho will also revive Corporal Simon"
drama in which he speaks only
in the first act, going through the
remainder of 1t In dumb show That he can
make this lineless role strikingly effective no
one who saw him as Conrade in la Morte
| Ceyilee' can doubt. Corporal Simon" is an
old French play, and was written for Freder-
lex lie Maitre, the younger. salvini will play
| four evenings and one matinee each week.
Mr. Chizzola has already engaged Mr.. Joseph
Eaworth as leading man TO support salvini,
and Miss Augusta Foster, now with Nine. Ris-
tori, as leading heavy lady. slgnor salvlnl
will be at Albaugh's the week of Jan. 4, 1886.
~
Mr.. Chizaola will also bring to this country
next year, for u season Of ten weeks, the great
| French actor, Coquelin, Of the Coincide Fran.
case. one Of these weeks will be given to
| Washington, beginning Feb. g. NJ, Coquelin
| will bring his own company from Paris 10 sup
port him in his American tour. MAX EssE.
/ ----------ss-------
Action OF the Steamboat Inspection
Board,
The board Of supervising inspectors OF
steam vessels at their meeting Yesterday
adopted rule allowing the use of steam
syphons asa substitute for fro pumps on
all steam vessels of 100 tons and under.