Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-10-13
A LOT OF NEW PLAYS.
Mr.. Willard Reveals Genius in the
New Play Called the Middleman.
THE TAR NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Roland Reed and His New Comedy, A Club
Friend, Make Decided Hit.
CRITICISMS ONALL THE PLAYS IN TOWN

burg has seen this season; more than that,
excepting three or four, he is the greatest
the English speaking stage has produced in
this generation. The dimensions of his
genius and its exact character, one perform
ance in one character, do not of course re-
veal, but nobody who saw Mr.. Willard last
night make Cyr7S BlaahaR'S troublous
life an aching, throbbing reality
for several hours, can deny him genius, pos
tive creative genius as an actor. Nor is
there any doubt that besides natural gifts
Mr.. Willard's art is potent and polished, or
potent because it is polished. In the mirror
of his art nature is reflected, and then comes
that something which is indefinable, but
which vaguely we term genius, to illumi-
nate the reflection, to make il move our
hearts in sympathy.
This is a triumph; Mt Willard's perform
ance last night at the Alvin Theater was
triumph, marked with tumultuous applause
upon the fall of the curtain on the first, sec
oud, third and final acts. 1t was victory
Of quiet methods and simple naturalnesS in
tone, gesture and expression. When an
actor whose face is new PLAYS before us We
are apt to believe him the evangelist of
new doctrine, and the more so If the I'M
preston he makes is deep. Here, then, 1T
might be said of Mr. Willard that he
breaches the gospel of quietness; he
gives us passion without wild cries,
passion without tearing of garments.
But it NAV be after all that what he does is
not 50 new as it iS true. That be does what
all great actors have done-he acts.
THE PLAY DIsTINCTIvELY ENGLISH.
The plav in which Mr. Willard appeared
at the Alvin Theater last night, before
large audience, was ''The Middleman," q" by
Henry Arthur Jones' 1t is an English
play, altogether, body and spirit, English.
Not alone the scene, the atmosphere,
and all the characters; but the
play is constructed on the English
plan, according to the rules of the school of
dramatists who have for the last ten years
at least dominated the English stage. Con-
sidering the play as dramatic work of art
many serious faults appear. There is far
too much preaching in and out of season;
TOO little action-eXcept in the one great
act of the play, the third, which is intensely
powerful and moves from point to point till
the climax is reached. The preaching of
several fthe minor characters, such as JcSSeS
hGrangues in fine language such as no such
man would use, may catch an audience,
especially an English audience, but they
nave no place IN tne play.
The humor is essentially of the pattern
prescribed for wears. one might almost say
centuries, to make English audiences laugh.
it is very lneaCer in quantity and poor in
quality, and though il affords relief and
contrast in way, and compels some laugh
ter, the humor of yeSSe'S courtShip of Nancy
is not worthy of the play. Other light
there is none; the principal episodes of
the play contain none but grim
sardonic grins for seasoning. and the
most interesting perSonages rarely or never
smile. But the play contains one act at
least of sustained power and many situa-
tions of real human interest, while the story
is simple, pure and sweet from beginning to
end. The play is founded upon grand
moral
THE HIGH AND MIGHTY PUT DOWN.
The cycmplifcation of this moral may be
rhrased in the grand text: "He hath put
down the mighty from their seat, and hath
exalted them of low degree Csr1lS Ble7tkay7a
is a potter of an invent re turn. Joseph
C5aad5er Is his employer. The employer
grows rich on the labor and genius of his
emplove. One Of the latter's two daughters
is loved by and loves Captain Chandler,
,Joayh'S son. The Captain is a deceiver, but
one who means well. We cannot respect
IL
love. The story Of shame by chance comes
10 Cyrus ears. He asks Joseph Chandler to
bring back his son, hut he won't even try 10.
Then CgT1hS begs heaven to give him riches
that he may contcund his wealthy employer
and his rascally son. Riches come to him
through the discovery of the secret of
certain ''Clazc' in making porcelain, and
he finally actually takes the place, and the
Very factories of his employee, Joseph ChGJsd-
lI'. But Cyrus is magnanimOus in his
triumph. Then the -erring daughter, who
was supposed to be dead, reappears. this
time as the wife of Captain CbGnde~, whom
she has married abroad, and the play
ends with conventional binding up of
hearts. and general distribution of Justice.
such as unhappily never happens in real
life.
Mr.. Willard's impcrsonation of Cyrus
Bla,bgiw would have kept that character in
the very front of the PLAY, even if the au-
thor had not helped in making it prominent
\ beautiful, lov&hle character it is, too, of
an enthusiast in rough clothes, a potter with
terrific ambition, but a big, rich heart In
the first act. and through The earlier part of
the second this rugged piece of human ma
tUre was seen in repose. At
the close Of the second act where
1y7hS asks heaven to aid him
in Furnishing his enemies, although the in
vocation was very long, Mr.. Willard struck
a wonderful vein of convulsive griefs and
anger which showed in the tremor OF his
husky tones; the shaking of his legs and
the workings Of his worn, wan face. and
brought from the audience those thunders
Of applause which only work that is
supremcly true and noble can bring.
he MAKES NO MISTAKEs
Again in the nervous excitement of the
scenes preceding the discovery Of the
wonGrous glaze the work at the
pottery furnace and the triumph
ant ecstacv IN the moment when
the perfect vase is found, Mr. Wizards
intensity and subtle differentiation of feel
ing were superb. Perhaps the finest touch
OF all was in the hollow sardonic peal of
laughter with which Cp7w greets his late
employers proposal to buy him back. and
which forms such an effective finale to the
;hird act But ali his work was good:
there were TO mistakes: not even of taste
in the matter Of taking curtain calls,
which Mr.. Willard rightly refuses to do in
the common way. Every time the curtain
was raised ii response TO applause the
actors had resolved themselves into
tableau
Mr.. Roycc Carleton PLAYED the unpleas-
ant, In, not unlifelille Joseph Chandler with
considerable force. Miss Marie Burroughs
was upon the age all too short time in
the sorrowful role of lKary Ble1,kdr7o-the
character Is a hacRneved one in drawing
and lacks color Miss Tilbury and Mr.
Tyler made the most of the small vein of
low comedy which fell to their share. Mr..
Cane made clever bit Of character of Bdty
Told Tie rest of the company almost jus
titles the use Of a slang phrase, for it was
nearly out of sight.
The scenery was in itself strong part of |
he Dl9y The re-. lic+io foo+,rac of H., not |