Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-08-24

cess at the Lyceum is not a success OF real
sheeT-bells or costly satifs. 1t is not the
RosaliDd of matron or society beauty.
1t will not compare to any ofour celebrated
reyivals in mere costlinsss; it exceeds
them in culture. The actors and actresses
speak their Shakespeare as if they under
stood him, they reproduce him as if they
loved him for the beauty of his verse, the
majesty of his thought, as poezs and not
merely as picsure"
Nine. Janausshsk will begin her next
seasons tour aheat October I'd, With an
English translation of DIR. Heinrich Lau-
ber's "Graf Won Essex" acting, of course,
the part of Queen Elizabeth. She used to
be seen in this play in her early American
engagements before she became an Eng
disappearing actress. 1t was added to her
repertory about the time her great Italian
rival, Ristori, was doing the Elizabeth of
Giacommetti, at the Theatre Francais,
now the Fourteenth-street Theater. DR..
Lauber's play has not been hitherto trans
lated. 1t treats of the legend of the ring
that was to have saved Essex, the rivalry
of the Queen and the Countess of Not
tingham, and the secret love and marriage
of the Essex and the Countess of Rutland.
The play closely resembles the old Eng
lish blank verse tragedy, "The Earl of
Essex" by Henry Jones, the "Irish brick
layer" that was favorite piece in the
repertory of tragic actors in the eight
eenth century. The ring legend is, of
course, incorporated in Giacommetti's So
called drama, along with most ofthe other
tales and incidents of Elizabeths long
reign, and is set before the spectator, we
believe, in the eighth or ninth act. But
DR.. Lauber's play is poetic, imaginative
work, not chronicle. and it is Justly
esteemed in Germany.
Cecil Raleigh, the dramatic critic of
| Vanity Far, writes to the New York Her
aid; "The remarks about English preju-
dice generally emanate from those who,
being condemned upon their merits, seek
respect. Miss Tottie' of this or Miss
| Lola of that is entirely unknown in New
| York. But she mandates London with
preliminary paragraphs; she advertises
| that she is Americas greatest actress; she
| takes second-rate theater for half dozen
weeks; she fails; she's damned-and then
howls about it. But what sort of notice
would she have got from the fierce, irrev-
erent scribes of New York She knows
only too we'll; that's why she elects to ex-
plot London. About the American drama
know very little. What / have seen of
| it does not inspire me with respect. In
fact, when an authority like A. NJ. Palmer
says there is not an American drama, / do
| not feel inclined to doubt him. Person.
ally, am of the opinion that dramatic art
| is the outcome of high civilization, and
America is not yet sufficiently civilized to
evoke dramatic art of its own. | do not
anticipate that for another one hundred
years an American author will write
play that is as good and as true of any
other country and people as it is of Amer
lea and Americans. No classic thing will
come out of Connecticut yet"
Lawrence Barrett says: The Act of Eliza
beth so often quoted as referring to all
! actors, was aimed only at those strolling
players not licensed by the authorities.
They thus became vagrants, like any other
| law-breakers. This Act of Elizabeth, called
the Fourteenth, was the first legislative
protection extended to body of men en-
| gagged in establishing the infant English
theater upon solid foundation as home
for the growing English drama. 1t licensed
responsible corporations and outlawed all
| others. In no other way can actors be
| termed vagrants. This law isan honorable
Endorsement, not degrading stigma. AT
time when the Puritans OF the city of
London were clamoring for the suppress
sion of the theater, because of its too free
exposure of their absurdities, the Queen
| of James /. had under her patronage
Company of theatrical children"-the
| 'little evases" of whom Hamlet speaks.
The great majority of the actors and
dramatists of the Elizabethan age were well
| born, we'll bred, we'll educated, mostly uni
versity men, and not better or worse
in their way of living than their cotem-
poraries in other callings. To
brand Shakespeare and his fellows as
vagrants is either to ennoble the title or
| asperse the taste of their closest friends
! of Essex, Rutland, Southampton and Wal
| ter Raleigh. In the patent of 1896 Shakes
peare is styled "of Stratfo.d upon Avon,
gentleman" by that giver Of social ranks,
the College of the Heralds. The wearing
| of swords bv actors and dramatists who
were also gentlemen" is proved by the
fact that on the death of Greene "his doub-
| let and hose and sword were sold for a
shilling" showing that an equality of
value existed between the knighly badge
of gentleman and his more necessary be-
longings. But Mr. Aldrich is also right
in hanging sword by Shakespeare's side,
upon the authority Of the last will and
testament of the great actor-dramatist
himself The words of the document are:
'To Mr.. Thomas Cormbe, my sword"
Surely this was not a stage weapon
property Sword" In such noncombative
parts as Sweet VIII was wont to act such
weapons were unnecessary. Old Adam
carried only a purse, and the Ghost in
Hamlet was hors du combat by all the laws
of chivalry.
PANToMIME AUDIENCE.
If there is one thing more amusing than
an English pantomine, it is the English
audience that go to see it. Men, women
and children who are intelligent enough
on ordinary occasions seem, under the in
fluence of this potent spell, to lose all con-
troll of themselves Before the curtain
rose the faces in front were expressive and
even thoughtful. But when the entertain
ment was in full swing all sense of pro-
priety was thrown off.
The audience were carried away and de-
lighted beyond measure, and swallowed the
most idiotic nonsense with one broad grin
that seemed to mantle the face of the
whole house. Shout after shout went up
when the clown sat on the baby; and as
the cockney swell appeared, extravagantly
conscious of his own dignity and charmed
by the effect of his personal appearance,
the heartiess public sat in eager expect
ancy, we'll knowing that some disaster was
about to befall him; and when half-bar-
rel of -four was poured upon his devoted
head they would burst forth in the most
boisterous manner. Any catastrophe that
occurred to the police was always hailed
with delight. Why is it that these guard
ians of our safety are held in such con-
tempt theatrically? When double-eyed
william gets his quietus, and the innocent
heroine is restored to the arms of the first
walking gentleman, We applaud with de-
light. Surely under these circumstances
one would suppose it to be our duty to re-
sent an affront offered to the 'sforce;;" but
no, the slightest indignity bestowed upon
a virtuoua policeman, such as the empty
ing of bucket of water over his helmet
seems to give us joy.-Jossph Jefferson, ia
the Century.
What the Matter Was.