Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-05-06
TALKS OF HIS ARr
Professor HenneQuin DiscusDoo
the Modern Farce como6y
ORIGIN or "A MODERN HusBAno
Cheap ssns,onslisn Has nssa - -
of American canssy No.
Bess Msrisorious ~ Tragedy.

.Entrex," called Prof. Hmnooz
ouin. The reporter ssentrsnni's -
found the professor st fun lsnesA =.
ne bed in his room st - Geeonn
yesterday. Prof. Hennsquin & ID.
tnresaue or Was when he received a..
reporter for THE HEkAID. um eroy.
shaggy hair was tumslsd akout A.
head, his almost white beard poap&o<
straight hsavenws7d. his hf4is hrirh&
eyes were half closed and from a.
mouth he exhalec great clouds az
cigarette smoke HIS oostume ~
prlmatlys and simple But svon
thus clad be wss charming en1
bis CHEEKY, bright mannsrs and 49,
lutte disregard Of the usual convensioo>
aIities lent the final touch that u,nko
the typical Bohemian. He speaks en-
tlrely without accent, rapidly auf
eagerly. and is never st lon Tor th6
word that will give the utmost fono6
and nicely to his sentences.
"You want 10 know something about
the origin of a Modern Husbandp
he SAID, We'll. that g not hard 10 tell.
The play WAS begun four or five years
ago and VISA written with Roland Reo<
|
write him 'one part play fhourh0
the idea OF the Modern Husband toe
good a one 60 be thus sacrii7ced
and was too uUxlliing 10 immoiati
the literary and Artistic eiemrnt6
Mr.. Reeds Individuality. So the vorIr
gotten until = few months ago. wbon
fred &. Whitney OF Detroit induces NE
10 finish the play and prom.sec q
bring Il out. / have never regretted
not Welding 10 Mr.. Reeds demands. Z
believe that stock companies csn he C
successfully maintained on the read e
IN New York or Boston. The idea thao
the provinces are not worthy Of stocb
companies is islte and far behsod tho
times.
The Art Dfanstie.
Speaking Of the TENDENCIES Of craus
atic ART in America. the professor sssdl
'"The farce OF the olden time is roW the
vogue in America. Illustrators a
this kind Of comedy may ~
found in Gillesse's swiikinsou'o
Widows and other plays Il llko
nature. There yol Will fad =
certain degree OF retirement Asd ele~
gsnce and none Of the rough snd tun>.
bic that charActerizes the comedies u
Hoyt and others Of that Tx. The coss-
edy CT manners must make lts way
siowly IN thls country. and we cauRoe
look for the best work for some simo.
The farce-comedy OF the present day
- exaggerated IL chafActeriEatlon, oons
tsins . strong alotand an undercurren(
or theme sufficiently strong 70 CARR
home . moral. Excepung Howard
Thomas and Belasco. j feel free % ~
that ali Of our drsmatiss aim at theoo
ends.
The bsne Of American drar.a 10 ssns
sahonaliem. We have introd ucod
steamboats,, sawmiils and guillotinee.
and 80 far rs i zee, the only
thing left ~ The slkuGhtexs
house. The better class Of farce-cou-
edies has been Killed BY the work %
| Hoyt and Others. for clsim that farce-
comedies may be QUIT. a original and
meritorious as tragedy. The charac>
! tiers of tragedy exist, they are histor,~
cal. generally, ard hence gam strcnrth
by that fact. The characters of . con-
| edy are not 90 favored. They uust %
necessity he largely imaginary aud
| forced. Hence ] claim that comedy
may I've justly placed on the came plane
as tragedy. But II an Americas
writer of comedy fellows the plaln and
honest rules LAID down by Aristotle, he
| IL accused OF affectation and feollsh.
ness. IL be attempts something Horo
elaborate his comedy proves . failure
from the start and be 10 accused Of su>
ploying archaic and outlapclsh mcths
ods. All IN all the lot Of the plsywrigtt
IL not happy one"