New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-04-01
A HERETO AT THE PLAY.
HIS DESULTORY AND IRREvERENT CoM-
MENTS.
4 STARTLING DISCOVERY" TOWN AND ToVN.
TRY" REGARDED AS A NEW rLA &c
Itcrn DrGESERACY OF THE STAuE


LEGFD DEGENERACY OF THE sIAoi-
wen: io Wallacks the other evening" anu oa'''
had time TO the name Town anu |0""''
the bill before The curtain rose IL was "'' -,
long before wished It down again "ha' p'a'
The construction was bad Characters "e'o M"
duced TO talk indefinitely, especially IN 'ho oA -.
scenes who had nothing whatever to do Win 'no
S,oa, rts dlslogue was bombastlc and stilted 10
dcoroo that might have been amusing II 1t had no.
heen wearlsomc Did anybody ever hear youlhiui
brother-in-law even In the pages oil hanhAn "o'o'
mr. Miss Edgcworth, discourse to young i~1' "fO'
the duties and Joys Of motherhood III .ho n" .'S.
I'm which tho plump Mr.. TcaTie Was oohs0u w
the equally ample Miss Conway "ha' al u''o' ,"SI
Of interest In the story, and such tahchoS'' " v
tepld water. throughout! Why ddnt We 20 wv
80 N,hlo,s and see The Henretta'' When there
w., so many good old plays, and new ones, too, why
did Mr. Wallack produce this onef ~ Gan "''0'
no successful. And where did he get lit
EbY What's that An old English comedy !
Good gracious!
Ahem! -
Now that you mention It, SEQ that this IS goou
specimen Of the comedies that delighted our loio
fathers In the pamy days OF the theatfe 'h4t A'o
gone. alas never to rcturni 1t may not suit the
toe,a ~ a modern audience In all particulars, but no
nerson of critical Intelligence behold 1t without
signing over the degeneracy Of the drama IN these
latter times The older dramatsts knew how 10
draw character When will their descenuants W.
quire that difficult art The dialogue, now tna' you
con,a IN listen TO II with reverental care sounds
or,at deal better than 1t did. Surely that was
fash OF wit. And there goes another. why, 'o'
begin to see that there is great deal In the p'eeo-
when Won remember that 1t Is old comedy. IL
is quaint picture Of life several genera''ons Oaoh
and extremely Interesting. Don't yawn so Dluch
in what Edmond About calls the charmirgly candid
American wayn If you are not careful the people
about US will think you bored ana VIII SCI vs.
down as persons devoid OF culNa alton. mH' niays
the dramatlsts of the present day write such PIASs
necause n ,Lev did no manager would read more
than one act the play would never be pr9uuceu T
# should be given by any cha ps1don me- but your
views are somewhat alarming. I'm AFRAID you ~
beretic and ! am a little sollcitous dOou tho ,h
IN NV reputation II | am seen in company VII" VIII a
Yerson who is I'm danger OF excommnnic atiom Wnon
We meet hereafter in the sunny paths OF H'or''uio'
would you mind keeping to your own S'N0
II Is so easy to admire tho things that are Ola
They are all tlckeed and labeled by the common WI"
sent OF generations There Is no dlnlcuIty III hno
ing how to dlate with the right emotion but ~
show wise hospltalty to the new requires taste ana
discrimination and originality am somo" nav .s'
weary confess OF hearing of the dcGeneracy oil inc
staoe have had magazine and review art'clc'
upon this subject thrust at me. have had po'"Po"o
lectures forced upon me when was In q corncl anu
COLD not cscape-ln most cases the Calculation oe
the work of gentlemen who had galneo moio VI '''
reputaton in various literary labors but who were, 10
be- entirely frank somewhat Ignorant OF tho opic 'no'
attemnfcd 10 treat | thought the other nlgh'' hs
saw Mr. Irving's faultlcss production OF the
10 Vcnlceo and then within few hours ME- DaiS
DELIGHTFUL performance OF "The Midsummer Nieht
Dream what a commentary this was on 'hc eh0'i
prattle about the degradation of the stage "oh We
hear so much Of from certain class oil "inerS' %
pecally from those whose plays have been ueouou W
tbe pubc. even when they have been accepted Dy
the managers Here two large ana oosutii"'
theatres crowded to the doors to see TWO OF 'ho A'
tors pavs set on the stage with lavish beauty Oh
which he never dreamed And whenever i'iio pay
IS well acted and handsomely moun'cu' We ha'o '"o
same result. Probably no two artists tha' ever H''u
are reaping the harvest Messrs. Booth ana harte''
are gathering ln playing always inc DesV uranAs III
the language And whenever VIC see theatrical rep
entations Of the highest class, see the greatest
financial success the loudest popular applause bu',
some one protests, "A Rag Baby and " TN soldier
draw crowds too Yes. the vnlear and the ioosh mus
have their amusements But dld you ever renc0' ''"'
these become steadily more innocent ana uhooJoouoH
abIo7 MIR Brander Matthews said good thing In
recent public discussion OF this SUBJECT when nc To
minded the pesSmists that the trivial cureSque anu
vIrar variety show of to-day took the place OF inc
barbaiting and other brutal sports of an earlier era
A. for The talk of atesuppOrt, winch breahS OUT
periodically, the Imagination shvers NJ me aaouEn'
aVrn II sucb a system were within the bounds oil posi-
Lilly In this country. Imagine Tammany forcing us
gerca struggle with the County Democracy over the
choice of the lady who Is TO experience mo IoyS anu
~ 6oSe The aid to come from the Federal Govern
ment imagine the bitter rvalres OF 10 Sc ana senate,
nnIlcy The conference committees which the Delegate
nom Idaho and the Senator from Texas would re,
srectively adorn. Even in Paris the dramatic CAPITA
Of the world there is far more politics mixed ~ WIN
the than the innocent outsider suspect No. ,ne
hppa a.
uncs bS system Of su6scrptiGn ke mat %ntn m
supports opera and the apparently aral nv
TIL. s.. that while the pleasure OF music increases ny
reneu csn. the acted drama usually snhers Dy IT,
Going to Daly's the other evening rather broke my
record as lasnlghter On first nights the perform
ance Is apt to balk, to be long and wearisome. !
prefer to watt and the result Is that often 60 In
a hurry TO see the play before 1t IS taken of. And
by the way. one OF the first things the American
Daudet must do when he arrives is to describe New
York first night" analyze the crowd and tell who
they are and where they came from, and how they
made their money lost their characters, or did both
What contrasts The Tombs lawyer and the Union
Club man side By sdc-the millionaire and the man
who wears thousanddOlar sleeve buttons, but doesn't
know how he's going to pay his hotel bill, for he al
ways lives at hotel actors journalists doctors with
taste for the theatre, amateur actols the neVabic
stockbroker and so on with great number OF women
better than We degenerate men, their husbands,
and others no better than they should beal Of them
cassed together in the newspapers that print names
on such occasions under the comprehensive head OF
." society," But TO return to the Midsummer Nights
Dream Shall confess that was disappointed
Not in the acting and surely not In the setting but In
the effect of the play itself when put before you
Ougbt # ever to be acted How delightful II
is in the reading, and how duh much of 1t is In the
seeing | can understand Just how Pepys came Ia
abuse IL in his downright way. II fairly takes our
breath away in these days of ShahesPeare-worshp to
hear any one talk of him as Pepys did. but you can
understand IL better when you realize that this plece
was presented then wthoi the aid OF beautiful
scenery There Is very little real interest, 10 be
fearcSsly frank I'm the love story and II you dared 10
saw so YOU would admit that yOn sIOn grew tired OF
these maldcns all fOrorn.. So IL Is thai Mr. Days
company q far from being exhibited 10 great ad
vantage really have no chance TO- show what they car
do except iottom" and his colleagues. When Miss
Rehan Is condemned 10 signs and sadness We who are
in front lose something, even II we are listening to
Shakespeare.