Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-03-10
AN ENGLISH FIRST NIGHT.
The Influence of the Prince of Wales In
Theatrical Exhibitions.
rom the NsqO York Sun.

! runs second to none. People stream
there, the majority to see and be seen, the
minority to listen and to be heard. The
former belong to the literary world, the
theatrical denomination, and the upper
] crust phalanx; the latter to a posse Of
medical and other students, with dash
! OF Bohemian dilettante. Both sets pro-
| vide almost equal entertainment, and not
! unirequently arouse more interest
| and amusement than the play it.
self. Very often the Prince of Wales
adorns the meeting with his royal and
cheering person. Then you witness a
! phenomenon. During the best part OF the
| evening it seems as though strong wind,
or some other potential factor, was fore
ing the occupants of stalls aud boxes to
turn their heads sideways, and most awk-
Wardly, as If they were intent on cOnjec-
turing the presumptive heirs most secret
| thoughts. A phenomenon rarely occurs
alone. so you presently behold another
wonder. Suddenly ali those stage-aVerted
faces will automatically beam or grin as
dolls responding to spring. This second
miracle, however, is accountable, and
is worked out in this way: The
Prince, who has followed the
play, has grinned or beamed
at something in 1t, and that is all. The
leading banker in his box, the leading ar
moner in his crest, the leading critic in
his transcendency, the leading actress at
| her best, the leading masher in his brill
fancy, the leading writer of plays in his
worst humOr, the leading beauty in her
lrresistib leness, the leading rhapsOdist in
his bijOutry, the leading craZer In his
piebald hair, all known and unknown
buttermen, haberdashers, British mat
rOns and courtesans grin ana beam. Lit
Wnnnap u
students and the Bohemian dilettante
feel called upon to furnish the critical ele-
ment, and do it with unbiased elusive
ness.
Enemies" produced last week at the
Prince Of Wales theatre, was the last first
night we have had. The house set forth
most OF the above charac terlstics, preva-
lently displaying, however, a symptom
lOus tiatness Tor aconspieuOusly fiat play.
The Prince was in his box. Mrs. Langtry
was on the stage. The house was starred
with radiating bodies. In the morning
had been to the medieval exhibition of
the old masters, and here l found myself
in the middle of living gallery OF our
modern masters, not in one single
craft, but almost in all. The
great number Of our modern masters,
which, OF course, are of both sexes, know
each other, and are all agOg FOR acquaint-
ing the public with the fact. So they
smile, aud halt, and salute, and courtesy
rapturOuslv as lovers meeting by special
license. Yet they do not seem to have,
after all, much in common except this Gu
rlOus want, which, for instance, induces
the leading banker to advertise his &C
quaintance with the leading actress, and
80 on, for all only exchange swift words,
as people expected in better place SYM
pathetically employ the flash in looking
at other persons.
Meantime, Mrs. Langtry, neither more
nor less handsome than she has ever
| been; COghlan, with more reserved and
hidden t9rces than ever, and Fernandez,
rising to the summit of mis- art, carried
the play to its end. l sincerely hope that
COghlan, who has written it, will do bet
| ter next time. The crisis of the drama
rests on the murder Of young girl on the
stage, with misleading mimicry, by deaf
and dumb idiot. You can hardly con-
ceive anything so revolving. The i'm
| beetle springs on the poor maiden.
| gags her, strangles her, and hauls the
body till you expect every woman in
the house TO faint. There, however,
you are disappointed, as no one, not
excepting the historical British matrOn,
even frowns. l was, however, surprised
at the insOuciance of our friends, the
students and the Bohemians. The fact is
! that this people have strong nerves, and
at heart do not abOminate rough rational
| ism, provided it does not come from over
the Atlantic or the channel.
THIS is very much the way proprieties
are understood in this country. Not long
ago, being in PARIS, met at two or three
fast theatres an English lady manIfestly
IN high glee at the most artless jOcose-
nesses. Later on 1 visited her in London
and asked her if she had gone to see "La
BOule" played by the French actors at
| the Royalty.
'sOf course moi, - was the response; and
| the voice had a severe ring, as If it had
been that of holy abbess.
"But yet" timidly remarked, 'when
| you were in Paris"
"Yes, / know; but now l am in Lon
dom"
! Just before the curtain rises for the last
time an equerry of the Prince of Wales
| peeps in the box just above the royal one,
| in which Mr.. PigOtt, the lIcenser of plays,
sits with Bret Harte and other friends.
| He possibly is the bearer of a message
| from the Prince. for the licenser of plays
| goes out with him Immediately. | wonder
| if His Royal Highness has consented once
more 10 interfere for some theatrical man
| ager who has found himself inca pable OF
| overcoming, single handed the refusal OF
Mr.. PIgott TO license the play which he
has been looking forward to as a special
treat for playgoers.
| The Prince Of Wales is a man of wide
thoughts. He stands the spiclest Jokes.
He holds that theatre is not chapel,
but place OF relaxation, and that il peo-
| pie have to be represented it is best to
| represent them as they are.
Mr. PlgOtt, who before occupying his
! present and most difficult position. as he
/ has more than once defined 10 before me,
was one of the most brilliant and lilcient
writers of tue DAILY Nei1S, is a well-read,
| enlightened, discreet, unadventurous,
sure-iOoted man. He is English to the
! backbone, while there is much OF the cos
mopOlitan eclectic i'm the Prince. Mr..
| PigOtt, though of most liberal mind.
| still belongs to the old English generations
who mad to overcome their dearest feeling
not TO indiscrminately damn all French
4 ways and persons. Tue presumptive
heir is rather fond Of either.
/ Mr.. Pigott is a short, plump, red-faced
man with bright, inquiring ewes, full
iron-gray hair, an Opueut forehead, a
very kind expression, conciliatory man
ner, and a constant cough.
He does not care 10 20 out much. but is
much liked where he goes. He is a solid
and amiable friend. He's quite acquain-
ted with foreign literature, aud speaks
/ French well. He understands his coiln-
/ trymeh outright, and this is the source Of
his troubles, for he knows full well that