New-York tribune., 1885-07-12
"PREMIERES."'
MR.. BuRNAND's OPINION OF THEM
THE EDITOR OF "PUNCHn ADVOCATES THEIR
ABOLITION.
Copvright 1885.


"What is Premiere 7" The ingenious young
gentleman whose extensive knowledge OF the
French language enabled him to translate ris do
reaua la 6nancerc as the smile of the calf Tor the
calls smile) at tho bankers wife Tor wife OF the
banker)O would probably inform us offhand that
premiere was tbs fem ilo of premier, and that as
premier meant Primo Minister Premiere must be
Mrs Prime Minister" ora Primo Minister'S
wife," or to be strictly and Ollendorianly correct,
"a wife of Prime Minister" But such an expla-
nation would not satisfy the serious inquirer out
side the comparatively limited circle OF Intelligent
individuals to whom, Intimately acquainted as
they profess to he with theatrical matters and
deeply interested IN all that csncerns the stage AT
home or abroad the manager of frst-class theatre
IS far more important parsonage than the chief OF
a Cabinet an eminent tragellan OF greater con-
sideration than the leader OF the House or the
Lords. and dramatic author than the framer OF
the most utilitarian aud beneficial measure ever
submitted to the Houses Of Parliament. A
"premiere,v he would be straightway informed by
any one within this inner rng is the irsIreprcsent-
alton of pecs which depends for it's Importance
not on its novelty, or originality, or its length OF
breadth weight, but the nature OF the various
interests involved in its production.
A"premiere should, grant. be strictly limited
to "the first night of now piece but
nowadays it Includes the revival OF an
old piece with cast the production
Of one of Shakcspoare's plays with
hitherto uninterrupted effects and display OF arch
geological learning which IL to constitute one OF It's
chief attractions. Tho premiere" of a farce may
be an event fraught with as great consequences TO
tho world behind and in front of the footlights as
the premiere of a comedy IN three acts or tragedy
in five. A quarter Of q century ago-a big phrase
which has not so formidable q sound when rem
dercd into "twcnty- years ago tho first night
of a new one-act farce with Wright or Blackstone
or Robson in il was for the genuine paygocrs OF
that time as strong attraction as the premiere
of a comedy at the house of the Bancrofts or the
Kendals, or of a new play at the Lycoum with
Ellen Tory and Henry Irving in 1t, is to all who
consider themselves "patrens OF the drama" now
adays Appreciaby different were those whom l
have termed genuine playgocrs" Of that timo
from the ordinary paygocr Of to-day: the genuine
paygocr is still 10 he found, but he is rarity and
crowded out at these prcmleres by the regular
frst-nighters." BY the genuine playgocr" mean
the person who selects his theatre and for the
sake of the play itself for the player or players or
for tho entertainment taken as whole. The
genuine playgoer Of years gone by freqnented the
theatre paid his money to pit or circle. often went
IN h f-pricc, dined early, made light or heavy
simmer and. as old Pepys would have said, $50 10
bedy This honest amateur Of the drama did not
On IN the theatre on one occasion only, 10
the fashionable folk and for the fashionable folk to
SEQ him than TO enjoy tho performance; no. he
said TO himself
"Thc plays the thing"
And what is m,rc. when h. said this he meant
the bi the whole bill aud nothing but tho
billp-or he would have had his money
back To the playgoer of twenty-five
years ago the play and the players were every
thing. the author noncntity. unless il happened
10 be Sheridan Knowles. Bnlwer Lytton, and for
associated with Madame Vcstrs, and he shone with
reflected light. OF course tho inner circle of gn-
uine paygocrs discussed the merits of the authors
but as rule the names of tho dramatic authors
we're not nearly 50 familiar to Ordinary plnygecrs
asthcy are now. Advertisement aud the length OF
the runs of successful pieces account Tor this
But the authors name toa new piece was not an AZ
traction of itself to 80 many rs II Is now Tho act
ors name was everything. =,
As far as our English stage Ia concerned, and
speak from personal experience OF no other.
peffect performance ON premiere III quitc cAccp-
iionaL No matter now thoroughly piece
has been rchear sed, nervousness ~ lnscparable
from n first nights performance. aud frequently
IL has been proved that the greater the actor the
worse was his performance oil new pafttoh
the first night. o
Why this excessive ncrvousnessf or course.
nervousness belongs essentially to the dramatic
temperament. But It Is aggravated by insnincierI
audience not knowing exactly what he ~ going To
do or what his companions IN the scene are going
to do il must distract his attention from bis own
performance, must interfere with the operations OF
memory and the result must bc failure, or. III sue
cessful il will be to the utter asonishment OF the
actors themselves. -,
every year am glad TO say. insufficient rehearsal
was the rule. not the exception, with us l do not
mean that the actors were imperfect IN their
words; no, probably they were letter-perfect. but
tins is not everything. Tho actors, 50 far N the
dialogue goes. may be quite ready to play the
piece; but, having mastered the words, tncy nave
10 say them in the very same scene IN which tho
action will have 20 take place, 10 use the Identical
furniture aud properties" when thcy VIII hnvo
10 use when'the piece is presented TO the public,
and ia the absence OF these things. OF scenes ara
properties, lay the real cause of many nrst-nght
failure What is the OF fighting with walking
sticks when the weapons onght to bc cutiasses; or
hilt rapiefs, "substitutcs" Tor broadswordrf
When an actor. however perfect he NAY be IN his
situations has been accustomed to rshearse
with book doing duty for jewel ease. with bun
die OF letters serving for what ought 10 DC parch-
Inent title deeds. sitting NJ a small table on low
chair when all his action has to take place at big
table and seated on lligl chair. when ho las had
to imagine doois and windows, trees, steps, ana IN
fact when the scene painter and the property-naa
have c0ntrivcI between them, under careless man
agencnt to leave everything during rchcarsals 10
the actors ina gination no wonder II. even after
one rehearsal on tho last morning with tho scenes
and properties almost complete, he iA utterly stag
gerod by finding himself before critical audience
on n prchcTc III II Iooii' ihiVch'h ny
tnrc which he sees for the first time ignorant to
whether doors and windows open outward
or inward, uncertain AS to whether there
arc handles or not, and confronted
by his fellow actors whom, il they have dressed
apart from him. he scarcely recognizes III their en-
tirely new costumes and perfectly unexpected
makc-ups. All this would have bcen avoided, and
IN our bcst-rnanaeed theatres IL avoided, by good
dressed rehearsal at least three nights before the
production of the piece.
I have been accounting for excessive
nervousness but with all tho rehears-
al possible the actors must be nervous
on n first night when some unforeseen ac-
cdent NAV upset the most careful calcu lat ons and
therefore a that If criticism IL TO be OF any
use to histrionic art aud to DO not merely form
of advertisement aud an item Of the news OF
the day, the manager should not invite the critics
to witness the first night of a piece, and they