The Washington critic., 1890-04-03
AMERICAN THEATRES.


Mr.. Charles Wyndham, the English
comedian, who has just returned to
London from his American tour, gives
an interviewer some information in re-
gard to his latest experiences in this
country. He speaks enthusiastically of
his reception by the press and public,
but his admiration is not indiscriminate.
He does not like our hotels, and he does
not like our theatres. Both are too
large.
The size of American theatres and the
pecularity of their construction Mr..
Wyndham attributes to 'thc feeling of
equality which exists in all American
breasts" He says that in America, II
man wants to go to the theatre, he
wants TO go TO the best place; if he can
not afford that, he will not go at all.
The result is that an immense theatre is
built, while the whole Hoor Of the
auditorium is covered with seats which
ale sold at uniform price, and he adds
that 1t is common thing to see this
part filed and the balconies empty. To
accommodate large audiences, there
fore, the auditorium has TO be large,
and the actors in such theatres are
strained physically and mentally to
make evident points in delicate comedy
ineligible to the people.
Mr.. Wyndham is only partially right
in attributing 10 the equal American"
the desire TO get the best place at the
theatre or nothing. Of course, what
an American desires and can pay
for he will get or he will know
the reason why. But great num-
bers of the American people who
attend theatres do not intend to
pay more for an entertainment than the
lowest price at which it can comfort
ably be had. A very large class has no
insuperable objection to the balconies if
the stage is attractive to them.
The curious fact is that the class
which ordinarily fills the balconies does
not take kindly to delicate comedy, and
this will account for Mr.. Wyndham' s
observation in regard to the disposition
of his audiences The people who en-,
joy legitimate comedy are usually per.
sons in easy circumstances and pos
sessed of considerable literary and So
cial culture. They are fitted by educa-
tion and the circumstances of their
lives TO enjoy the satire, the keen wit,
the colloquial felicities and the light,
easy persiflage of comedy,
The balcony people, on the other
hand, take the play seriously. They
prefer melodrama and tragedy, and
when favorite tragedy or melodrama
occupies the stage it is no uncommon
thing to see the auditorium of theatre
sparsely filled and the balconies over
crowded. This is why Mr.. Wyndham,
comedian, found the auditorium full
and the upper part of the House empty.
But, when all this has been said, Mr..
Wyndham's objection to our theatres as
being ill adapted for comedy purposes
remains just In some of our theatres
the best comedy work is entirely lost
swallowed up in space, as it were. All
shading, all significant but nearly i'm
percepicle infections, all delicate
nadnces are difficult to communicate
1t is almost impossible to convey them
to an autience over the vast Intervening
spaces. If the attempt is made the
delicate shading is lost in what at once
becomes unnatural, improbable and
absurd. MIR. Wyndham is right. Most
of our theatres are too large for comedy.
OF late years the tendency has been to
make them smaller. But under the
present combination" system it will
be difficult to inaugurate policy differ
ing from that which has so long pre-
vailed.