New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-03-12
THE LONDON STAGE.
SIR AUGUSTUS HARRIS AND MIR. HENRY
IRVING YPATIA" AT THE HAYMARKET
MR.. GEORGE ALEXANDER - MISS
ELIZABETH ROBINS.

II ever the London playgoer is tempted to take
4 survey OF the actual condition Of the London
stage, he must say to himself: Some other time
would be more favorable. Yet, to wait for that
ether time would be like waiting for the Thames
to run itself dry; hoping to cross dryshod from
Westminster to Lambeth. The condition OF inc
stage is, in truth, much better than IT was
twenty years ago, better than it was ten years
ago. and very far short OF what it might be; to
adopt the hackneyed view. The best way 10
Judge il is to judge it by its best.
-, Perhaps the average is no higher now IMAM
twenty years ago; or not much higher
The best is very much better than the old best
Drury Lane is, perhaps, at its lowest; under
the prosperous reign of Sir Augustus Harris. That
enterprisirg manager gauges the depths of the
public taste with perfect accuracy: the heights
he leaves to others. Tho 'PantOmime season Is
not yet over: it is not quite certain that, I'M
der Sir Augustus lIarrls's rule, it ever Is over
Those who know what an English Panto-
mime is like may suppose they know what
IL is like at Drury Lane in its present FORM They
do not take account of the influence Of the Music
Hall Sir Augustus Harriss latest triumph Is
to make the stage at Drury Lane platform for
the celebrities of the Troeadero and the Tivoli
for Mr. Dan LenO and Mr.. Herbert Camp
bell, for Little Itch and Miss Marie Lloyd. This
great man. who in addition TO Drury Lane, con-
trolls the Empire, which calls itself a theatre
and is simply a music hall. lately took over the
Palace; which also is music hall ard
called a theatre He proclaimed 20 the public
that he was going to elevate it as he had ele-
waited Drury Lane and COvent Garden. lie has
elevated it downward, and provided certainly
one Of the most popular entertainments N Lon
don, and certainly one of the least refined. is
1t not the business of manager to lind out
what the public wants, and supply it, Is mol
political economy as potent on the stage as III
the market?
And yet there are publics and pubacs Much
depends on the kind Of public you choose 10
cater for. suppose no London theatre during
the last ten years has been, on the whole, 70
prosperous as the Lyceum. Mr.. Irving, like Sir
Augustus Harris, is a manager lie has TO maze
his theatre pay. lie has to consider the taste
Of the public: or of public. Yet the contrast
between the two methods of managing is COM
plete.
It might he possible, if it were not little In
vidious. TO classify the theatres of London. or
even to group most Of them into two classes
The Lyceum, Nth Mr. Irving as manager, would
stand at the head Of class Drury Lane.
with Sir Augustus Harris manager. would
stand at the head Of the other. In the hrst
cass would be found the st. Jamcss under MIR.
George Alexander: the Ilaymarket under Mr..
Beerbohm Tree: the Garrick under MIR. John
Hare: and for the moment, the Avenue with Mr.
and Mrs. Kendall. That is short list, but is
there in truth any other to be added? In the
second class are to be found, not all the rest but
the majority of the rest theatres of melodrama
like the Addphi, Of farccal comedy like the
Criterion at the present moment where MT
Henry Arthur Jones holds sway with comedy
which is all farce; the Strand where Niobe All
Smiles. is in its eleventh month of vulgar pros
perity. The rest may, for the present, go I'M
named.
Such a play as "Typatia" at the Haymarket
NAV be said to be on the border line. 1t is hardly
play at all. but string Of scenes in which little
IL done, much is said, and scope is found for Mr.
Alma Tadema's very beautiful costumes and
scenery and for Mr. Beerbohm Trees very vigor-
Gus and adventurous acting. II is remarkable
that an artist of Mr. Alma Tadema's rank should
be designing dresses and sets upon the stage
But Mr. Tadona Is an artist, and art is to him
q thing to he loved and practised for its own
sake. II he can interest people in what he cares
for, he is content, and it would never occur 10
him that the stage is not as much the home OF
true art as the lesser canvas on which he more
commonly works IIypatia' in his hands is
lesson in archaeology and lesson in beauty.
Mr. Tree does what he can with one OF
those character studies in which he delights.
His Issachar the jew is on extraordinary
performance, the work Of a ripe actor, OF
very varied and often admirable powers lif
IL would he hard 10 maintain that Mr.. Stuart
Ogilvies version Of Kngslcy's powerful novel is
itself powerful from a dramatic point of view, or
that the piece is quite what the lIaymarknt pub
lie has right to expect. Mis- Julia Nelson,
fhnaf
has not yet made up her mind to turn aside from
the essentially false methods in which She has
been taught. and to give herself fair chance b.
reverting to what is natural and sincere.
In Liberty Hail." the other hand, at the
St. James's Theatre, Mr.. Alexander keeps fairly
within the traditions which have become par.
of the good will of this house since he has been
manager of il. Liberty Hail. is a comedy Of
domestic manners, constructed on familiar and
somewhat fiimsy lines Mr.. r. c. Carton has
done work of this sort before and seems con-
tent TO do il over again. He is neither better
nor worse. II is his mission to provide Mr..
Alexander and his well-traincd company with a
sort OF scafolding 1t is in this case, as with Mr.
Irving in Tennyson's Beckett" the actor. rather
than the author who does the real, solid en-
during work. 1t is Mr.. Alexander who is the
architect Of this pretty fabric, as it is presented
to the judicious public Of the It. James's
Theatre In his firm hands the somewhat I'M
certain outline becomes fixed the proportions are
settled the color is laid on: the building he
comes modest temple of art modest but real.
Whether Mr.. Carton meant his piece to impress
the public as a one-part piece may be doubted, ror
Is IL quite that. II is only a Onc-part piece
in this sense, that without Mr.. Alexander as
Mr.. Owen il would collapse Mr.. Righton is
useful and interesting in his study Of the strug-
slinr tradesman with sentiments Of kindlincss
for orphan girls. The orphaned girls, Miss Mar
ion Terry and Miss Maude Millett, are pleas
ing specimens OF their kind, and there is d
shopboy who has merit, and female cook and
general servant who takes possession OF the stage
whenever she feels like it. Bnt more OF all