New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-03-18
TENNYSON'S NEW PLAY.
THE FORESTERS" AT DAYS THEATRE.
A SUPERB PRODUCTION OF A ROMANTIC PASTORAL
DRAMA.

DRAMA.
Besides, the Kings name IS tower Of strength
Thousands Of people all over the world honor, ana
ought TO honor every word that falls from the pen
Of Alfred Tennyson. He is n very great man. NO
poet since the best time Of Byron has written the
English language SO well THAT is TO say with such
aNuent splendor OF imagination; such passionate
yieor: such nobility OF thought; such tender
ness Of pathos; such pervnsive grace, ana 50
much OF that distinctive variety and hcXlDhlN
and oopious and felicOus amplitude which are te
CHARACTERISTICS Of an original style. No poet OF tho
last fifty years has done so much to stimulate
endurance in the human soul and to clarity spiritual
vision In the human mind II does not signify that
now at more than four score, his hand someulhcs
,rembes q little the harp strings, and his toucn
falters. and his music dies away. IL Is sun .''e
same harp and the same hand ms fincnui' h'"iS ;
visionary drifting and altogether romantic colneuS
Of Robin Hood" is not TO be tried by the stanoaro
that its author reared when he wrote Ulysses a"u
"Tthonus.o and "The Passing OF Arthur I'M
perta unapproachable standard that no other poe. mus
sat,sNcd "Cold upon the dead volcano Sleeps
the CLEAN of dying day" But though the passion W
subdued and the splendor faded the deep cuiion. %
feeling flows On and the strong ana Hhoer VOICE .a'
s,Il touch the heart and charm the ear. lha' 'iuo
:, o,ion and that tone OF melody blend In THIS play
o,d make Il beautiful. The passion Is no longer Una.
=, aFnonen and "Incretius." and "Ouihe'ero' anu
atoc,slev Hail. and Maud' and The VISION Oh EN-,
Tho is
90, oo,omn majesty and infinite pathos' A"o
ns -. no longer that OF "The May Queen
nd Tho "Talsinp oak and "Idle Tears But WI!
shop,d these be expected lie who STRUCK "'o00
notes strikes now another; and as we hs'e4 ou' -,
der grows and cannot help but grow. tha' p"iu "
fourscore and upward should write IN such
sympathy with youth, love, hope. happiness anu -.
tbat "a free md wandering and martial ana ac,'o ~
the v,cissitndes OF adventure. the exploits OF civ
and the yacabondsh spirit Of gypsy Tohc'
fact that he does write in that moou poin'' 80
one lumnative truth now essential W DO ie4Ne Sos
The voice to which privileged 70 hs'e4 ph l'h
for the last time is the voice Of great poet-p! ~
,s meant poet who Is able, not through 'io nv =.
NJ Intellect, but through the medium OF e'io~o
aba the total experience of mankind MS o"u q"
nenence and 10 express 1t not only IL uie w. =.
art but with the fire OF nature. Inc e1eii, IN
mower in all the expressions OF such ii'"1 nv, ~
euctuate: but every of Its expressions wa -,
encore and In a greater or less degree VIII W ,r,.
with universal and permanent slghiho'i. 81
,r,a is In Alfred Tennyson's comedy oi NooN
tood--whch was produced last night before go"
and refined audience at Days Theatle-AHu uN o. =.
Gained for 1t a hearty welcome AMI VIII i's"'o ~.
an abiding endurance In afectionae puoio '' 49,. 1,
The realm into which this play alues It's auOi'o'
ha realm Of Ivanhoe"-the far-of, rornahuo reeo. "
ssrrood Forest in the ancient days of stout h''is
R,chard the First The poet has gone u l"' 49,
legends OF Robin Hood and TO TIE paIhuS "u'
heen made upon them and out OF uiosc i'"'
psips them freely according to his own fancy '"p
chosen his scene and his characters ana nas ""1' ~
story II is not the England Of the NINE al" va
,porhshon that he represents and neither Is II ING s
,nd ~ the trim villa and the formal landscape " -
the England of the feudal tmes-of gray Castle Co"e
and armored knights. and fat priests ana "".Oe,'e
mipstrels and crusades and tournaments InsiNr "
rnshetrwn bowers and under green oougns' H'o 10
land in which Wanda Tested and Blondel sung ~
Inn x m
r,s. IN feel again the COOL sweet winds OF summer
mon the brow of youth; catch. In huui gi'pseS'
The simmer Of the Lincoln green In The SUMMIT eouen
rlades of the forest, and TO hear the mer! no' VI @
hnntsmau commngled. far away, Win hori's VI ir
IorA faip.ly blowing" The appeal is maze 10 'Nc
primitive elemental, poetical instinct cl mankind anu
M detau ~ realism is obtruded no question OF prOo
ability considered, no agony of the sntortureo spun
spbiected to analysis, no controversy promoted a W
MORA, l@sson enforced. For once the puonc Is a'oo"
With serious poedcal play, which aims snhPy "
deuse happiness by arousing sympathy WIN P'o"su'
w., o.,as and nicturesoue persons, with virtue that
ronant and humor that refined, with the GeeiIul
1or,nde that takes adversely with smile' ana win
that final fortunate triumph Of good over evil ""c'
4 neither ensanguined with gore nor saddeheo Win
tears nor made acrd With bitterness Inc pay
rastoral comedy written partly in blank verse anu
nar,v IN pree and cast almost wholly out OF doois'
pa - a,r arA nnder the greenwood tree-and, IN
oer IN stamp its character beyond doubt or question:
one scene Of It Is frankly devoted to cohVoc@'o" VI
fairies around Tltania, their queen ,
The impulse that underlles THIS piece Is 'i0 O'1'
ro.ssant undying aspiration that men and women
Of the best order feel, for some avenue Oh e''aI~
some relief some refuge, from the sckenins tyranny
n, conventlon and the commonplace, and from the
overwhelming mystery with which all human Iilo
Is haunted aud oppressed. man VINO Walks "oO"'
q a forest is not necessarily free. lie may DC ID
great a slave as anybody. But the exalted Hhaeiia
ton dwens upon his way OF life as eihanoiphV'u,
breezy natural and right. That way, 10 the Ircu
thinker lies peace and Joy. There II any "heio'.
he fancies-he might escape from all the WRONGS VI
the world all the problems Of society, all the u'ii
business Of recording, and anayznS' ana uohe''.e
mankind all the clash Of selfish systems ulaV pooPio
call their history, and all the gable ulat uicS 20"
their literature In that retreat no would feel the
rain upon his face, and smell the grass anu '.'0
flowers, and hear the signing and whispering OF 'le
wind in the green boughs and there would be no ho0a
10 trouble himself any more, whether about lhe pas'
OR The future Every great Intellect OF the "oriu
has felt that wild longing, and has recorded iV-,ho
impulse 10 revert 10 the great heart OF Na'u'c' I'm"
knows doubt, and harbors no rear, ana heop' ~
regret and feels no and troubles itse hoI az
all Matthew Arnold dreamily and perhaps austereiy
expressed il in 1.-THE Scholar Gypsy Byron' more
humanity uttered IL In four aforementioned lines,
Of "Chlde Harold
Oh thot the desert were my dweiling-pace.
With one fair spirit for my minister,
That 1 might all forget the human race,
And hating nothing love but only her.
robin Hood" a technical drama Is irhL' l's
movement indeed is not more indocnt than that OF
It's lovely prototypes in Shakespeare As You Like IL
and "A Midsummer Nights Dream Win all inc
nastorals T,me ambles But on the other hand, Tell
nyson,s niece IS not a match for either OF those
shakespearean works, in massveness OF dramatic sig
nnca,on or In the element Of opportunity for the art
Of acting Character poetry, philosophy, humor ana
suggestion It contains but 1t contains no single scene
In which It's persons can amply put forth their iuh
Mstrionic powers with essentially positive oramauc
effect rs charm resides more being than in doing
and there,ore IL rnnrn poem than O play and per