Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-01-23

Howard Poals Estimate Of the Author
Of 50 RinafOre..'

Howard Paal's Estimate Of the Author
Of g PinafOre.''
A CYNICAL And UNsYMPArHET1o MANTLE
PERAMEEr-How HE DeEs HIS woRK-soME
OF HIS BON MgTs-How HE LIVES.
From the n. Y. World.
Though an undoubtedly brilliant man, Mr.
William Schwerik Gilbert is by no means pop
uiar with the artists OF the theater, nor favor
| lite In what is termed society. The reasons are
not far to seek. The author of the "Mikado"
and the "Pinafore" assumes grand air OF i'm
pertinent tranquility; possesses enormous con-
hdence in himself, rarely missing an opportu-
nifty OF saying rasping and cruel things Of his
contemporaries, and is In fact hard, cold and
unsympathetic in manner, seldom unbending
except where his immediate interests are con-
cerned, and even then his concessions are
yielded with a reluctant. unwilling air:
opposite of his gifted coilabora s eAs Sir
Arthur Sullivan, who is suave and amiable,
and whose manners are those of man accus,
Gilbert. To-day he may greet you with a nod
and even a smile, if he be in decent humor-to-
ment is SO slight that you feel it cost him an
effort to toss you the meagre courtesy. He
keeps on hand gamut of bows and mods, and
the scale is closely regulated according to the
status OF the individual to whom they are ac-
corded. Should the Duke Of Edinburgh roll by
relaxes and a species of dental smile feebly
| lights up the mouth, but If a moment after
humble journalist, should approach, the face of
| the great ibrettist assumes quite different
| expression, and an upward movement of the
| eyebrows must suffice as a recognition. Pleas
ant smiles and cordial greetings are
not for persons Of lower degree. Somebody
| once said that the cold granite of his native
| northern Aberdeen, where he was born. had
entered into Gilbert's blood, and his unyielding
hardness favors the correctness of this opinion.
| stance-Gilbert is silent, observant, and takes
no active part in the festivities Now and again
he will whisper a mot to his nearest neighbor
about the peculiartties of q guest which will
create laugh. but he prefers the role of critic
to that of performer. An evening party COM
for uproarious hilarity or gayety OF spirits. His
ideas On the subject of dancing are those of the
odd that Gilbert should 80 fervently desire to
write successful comedy of manners or play
illustrative OF human passions. And in these
respects his plays, apart from his librettos,
which are grotesque, ingenious and most anus
Ing Ing, nave never touched the popular heart.
instance, ION Guard" and atom Cobb" are
dramatic distractions. They move about the
stage, but have no pulse and do not vibrate
with human emotion. They come and 20 in
well-directed fashion, but they are in manner
marionettes, and you lack faith in them and
drama that would stir the masses must be in
sympathetic accord with humanity, it's sorrows,
down, and hence he is adroit and powerful
when he can be satirical, ingenious, picturesque
and unconventional. Although he may be said
in mind Moliere's well-known saying that the
best theatrical work is that which pIeases the
most.
Even in burlesque Gilbert has not ALWAYS hit
the mark. In his younger days he wrote a piece
of this genre for the Gaiety theater, in which
the comedian found few opportunities for fun,
ana introduced number of gags and some
business of his own. Gilbert was furious. He
would not have his lines tempered with, and it
was agreed that the part should be played pre-
clsely as 1t was written. The result was a mar
row escape of failure. Hollingshead, the man.
ager, who has will of his own then insisted
that Toole should revise his part and act it in
his own way. A rehearsal was called, to which
the author was not invited. ToOle let his fancy
loose, gagged in his gay, genial, familiar fashion,
and secured run for the burlesque. Had Gill
weeks life in the piece He owned up after.
wards to Toole that he did wonders for its sue
cess, though l believe he never wrote him
Before he blossomed into plutocratic
G o frequently did the work
which he called "On Bail" There were MANY
vexatious delays in the delivery of the manu-
script, and Wyndhams patience was severely
taxed. The manager in his Indignation wrote
Gilbert this note:
DEAR SIR: Unless you deliver the third act
shall at once put another piece in rehearsal
A messenger was dispatched with this curt
m mus ~ wao brought back an instant reply
row." thought Wyndham, knowing the pep
perry, not to say despotic character Of his cor
the seal and read:
T., SIR Since you adopt 50 lofty and imperative tone
6 De ready tomorrow at IL o'clock as you suggest
ooedlentiy, w. S. GILBERT.
Gilbert is an excellent stage manager and
mas adopted the exhaustive process of NJ Vic
torien Sardou. He will work at a single scene
for hours if necessary until every detail runs
smoothly. He invented most Of the quaint
poses assumed by the FLAPS" in the "Mikado,"
ana the ioiiing, SPRAYING attitudes OF the
attentive study at the Grosvenor gallery of Mr.,
Bgrne-Jones long legged figures seemingly
| afflicted with lateral curvature of the spine,
whose conntenances were inexpressibly wope-
| gone and who wore stiff draperies clinging in
impossible folds to their attenuated limbs
Gilbert successfully Gees caught the spirit and
smote the esthetes hip and thigh with irresst-
ible vivacity. He has been lately disbursing
and his napoeons in Egypt, in search of a suit
able subject for his next comic opera. 1 be.
ieve ii is definitely settled that the locale will
be the latter country, and the Pyramids and
the Sphinx will of course come in for the usual
Gilbertian badinage. The Egypt of these latter
times suggests disaster and suffering, rather
than combinations to evolve fun, but no doubt
the dexteriOus librettist has remembered this
and will go back hall dozen centuries.
sayer OF Don mots and some years a go when the
late Tom Hood was the editor he contributed
jokes and comic verses to the journal Fun
Most OF the popular Bah ballads were written
for that publication. He has found a better
market for his jests and reserves them for his
operas. Now and then he gets Off droll reply
Going into the Savage club one day q person
stopped him and inquired: "Have you seen a
man round here with one eye named Mac
fussel?' Gilbert instantly replied, "No; what's
the name of his other eye?' and passed in.
A friend OF Gilbert's was Ill of an acute ner.
vOus disease. He said, speaking of the London
street noises, doctors tell you to keep your
patient quiet. How is it to be done while al,
organ of ten panO-fOrte horse power is grinding
the bones of the Men of Harleck' to powder or
pounding the Last Rose OF Summer to a mad
dening pulp OF variations?"
He was speaking on an occasion of q person
who had asked him to dinner a long distance
in the suburbs of London and had catered in
differently. "Never again will be his guest
but he shall dine with me. have an avenging
sherry at One-and-nine that think will aston.
ish his digestion"
An author said in presence of Gilbert that he
had just written a brochure with the tuking
title, :" How Penny Became a Thousand
but could better write, How a Thousand
Pounds Became a Penny much easier" re.
marked the wit.
Somebody said Rothschild had grown weary
OF whist. II can believe IT," remarked Gilbert
"He Is too rich to enjoy the piquancy and ex-
element OF gambling. He doesn't care whether
he wins, and he can't feel what he loses"
having said that husband can hone to he a
hero in his wife's eyes only two months-the
month before he is married and the month after
his DEATH. 1t certainly has the satiric smack