Los Angeles herald., 1891-06-21
PLAYS AND PLAYERS
Dramatic Writers on the
Daily Newspapers.
Stephen Fiske's Recent Crit
icism of Critics Criticised.
A Varied List of Companies Booked
at the Theatres.
Should Daily Papers Criticise or Re-
port Performances?-A San Fran
cisco Critic at War With the
Dramatic Papers.

The best dramatic critic in the coun
try is Stephen Fiske. of the Spirit of the
Times. He makes that paper sought
for by people who do not give rap for
horses, to which the greater part of it
is devoted, because it contains every
week couple of columns of his utter
ances on players. But he has lately
been interviewed on his own business,
a proceeding which is almost sure to
cause the best balanced man to be a
little erratic.
In the interview published in the
New York Mirror of the 18th, Mr.. Fiske
holds that daily papers should not at
tempt to criticise theatrical perform
ance, but should make a plain report.
He gives an example as follows:
''Last night large audience witnessed
the first production at the Colosseum
theater OF A Glass Infant. The piece
was favorably received"
This view Mr.. Fiske explains by add
ing that criticism should be left to the
weekly papers, as it is impossible to
write ''an intelligent, thoughtful essay"
in the time between the falling of the
curtain and the going to press of the
morning paper.
Both of these claims are wrong. AS a
matter OF fact the weekly papers have
no department left to them by the
dailies nowadays. The writings of a
charming refined man, like Mr.. Fiske,
are always interesting: his criticisms
would be more or less sought after if
they appeared in monthly, or a quar-
terly, or an annual, but, for one New
Yorker who will wait till Saturday to
buy the Spirit to see what Mr.. Fiske
thinks of premiere given on the Mon
day evening previous, thousands will
buy the Tribune or World of Tuesday
morning to get Mr.. Winters or Nym
Crinkle's views.
His point about the want of time is
no point. A newspaper writer can, if
he needs it, give two hours or two hours
and half to expressing his ideas about
play after the fall of the curtain; not
time enough, it is true, to write bro
chure, but plenty in which to give
an intelligent expression Of his
ideas, if he has any, and is trained
writer An evidence of the value at
tached to such work by daily newspa-
per proprietors is the fact that in New
OTk JOI bilO ooidl AOO
members of the staffs are the dramatic
critics, and outside of Mr.. Fiske him
self there are no dramatic writers Oh
weekly papers who have a national
reputation.
But in some severe assertions about
the average quality of daily newspa-
per critics Mr.. Fiske is correct. The
really eminent writer's of the class re-
ferred to in the United States can be
counted on the fingers of ones hands,
while there are upwards of 1000 daily
papers nearly all of which boast a
critic. The monotony, dearth of ideas,
and aimlessness of the stuff which is
printed in most papers as criticism has
suggested to some one the use OF blank
form about as follows:
''The - company last evening at the
- theater appeared in -. The
audience evidently found the play very
-. Miss -, who assumed the role
of -, was decidedly - in her work.
Miss - as was -, and the same
can be said of Miss AS -. Mr.
who played - with - effect is GER
tainly - actor Mr.. - as -
was -, and Mr.. - can be character
lied as -. The play was - mounted,
and altogether the performance was
--.'
Still there are number OF writers on
the daily press on dramatic matter who
are conscientious, discerning and in
formed about their subject. These men
are not dramatic judges, it is mistake
to SO consider them; their decisions are
by no means final, it is the public
which passes the decisive verdict, but
what they say has the weight of an
honest opinion, and if not sufficiency
to the reader at least serves him as a
basis for his own reasoning, and whet
of his own ideas. To the actor what
the honest critic has to say is invalu-