The Irish standard., 1893-12-16
HIBERNIAN STARS.
Brilliant Comedians Of the Present
Day Whose Delineations Are
True to Nature.
IRISH CHARACTER ACTORS.
An interesting Contribution by M.
]. Murphy, the Manager of the
-hlsfF +. + ,
Katie Emmett Company.

]. Murphy, the Manager of the
Katie Emmett Company.
Tyrone Power, Drew, Collins, Hudson
Broughsn and Boucioault what visions
OF artistic representations. and enjoyable
characters their names cali up from the
departed past, when the bright halo d
romance crowned the genius Of Celtic
humor and wit. What an inimitable art
was theirs, which not only ehed q lustre
DER the stage during their own day, but
comes down to us through almost cen.
tury Of time unchanged and apparently
nnchaDgeable. The creation Of those
brilliant minds not only welded an in
fluence on the drama contemporaneoue
with themselves, but form the moulde
wherein the Irish playwright Of today
must cast his work; and many indeed Of
our most successful modern writer's owe
much Of that which is pnrest and best in
their works to the study and example OF
shese ilustrious players.
Few people are without defects in
character, yet because they have fallen
abort Of ideal besuty, why should We net
pause to consider them and, by 90 doing,
miss rough grandeur and h0mely
beauty, which the same may possesss
The analysis and treatment Of character
was really the foundation Of the success
Of these great artists. The inner traits
OF character were never lost sight OF, and
the Irish character, with it's mass Of ap
parent contradictions, was known to
them AS it is to mono of our modern
writers.
The grandest character among all the
brilliant men who have adorned the Gel
tic drama in modern days was the genial
John Brougham. An able and brilliant
Journalist, prime favorite as an actor
and the wittiest Of playwrights, he on.
joyed an unbounded popularity for years.
In his early days, his acting was peryaded
by an inexhaustible flow OF spirits which
invested the most prosaio parts with g
matchlees charm. To this exubersnt
vitality add rich endowment OF mother
wit, bright intelligence, keen sym
pathy and appreciation and rare personal
magnetism, and You have before you
.'Glorious John." Glorious John Broug-
ham, whose hearty voice it was always 9
pleasure to hear, and whose face beam
ing over with good humor, was always
hailed with delight. e..e III
Broughsm's Hibernian delineations
were perfect and to the manor born.
Filled with the traditions OF the stage
and schooled under the rigid dicipline OF
the old stock system, Brougham was q
through master Of his art. He loved his
art and never prostituted it to catch the
applause uf the masses. In giving his
audience q aportrait OF an Irish character
he needed no exaggeration to make it IN
teresting. His art was all sufficient.
With him idealism was everything and
in making q ascharactAr an ideal one he
never departed from nature. Whether
s,e impersonated the peer or peasant, his
Portrayal was thoroughly and distinct
lively Irish and possessed all the peculiar
characteristics OF the Celt. What q rev.
elstion his sSir Lucius @ Trigger" would
be to the theatre goers Of the present
day! With all his subtle art, he gave that
character (the most delightful personage
in Sheridan's . masterpiece), N it's author
intended it. Not the upstart clodhopper'
OF Florence and James, with the odor OF
the stable and the dialect Of the bogs
olinRiog to him, but the suave, polished
aristocrat, erratic but courtly, ready 70
act as second-aye, or princip pain 9
duel, should occasion demand it, and an
authority on the code. He pictured 4sir
Luoius' as the Irish gentlenanof the old
school really whs; 9 man among mem % the
soul of honor and an ornament to any,
circle OF society. #
The influence of Brougham on the e
dramatic works Of Boucicanlt can readily
be sesn from comparison Of their plays.
The spirit Of the work is identical and md
many of the characters very similar.
As an actor, Boucicault never was the
equal Of Broughan. He had neither the
unction nor the spontaneous wit of the 1pe'
latter. He was thoroughly aWareof bis b J
faults and in creating 9 role tor himseh egg lE'
ne depended on the dramatic Mtne etions
OF the play and the lines, scint tillatil'g
with gems Of wit, which he placsd q q the b
mouth OF the character he assumed. As
an analyst Of the Irish charantef Boucl-
cault was superb. There was hardly
SINGLE idiomatic peculiarly IS speech. =
charact cteristics gesture IS = hunoro or.s s
lng OF the I1 Irish peasantr :!