The evening world., 1894-03-14
"ROSEDALE.''

The "old theatre-goer' 10 a dreadful
nuisance, anyway. lie IL. moreover, ir-
redeemably selfish. He gloats over the
fact that you can't remember events as
many years back as he can, and he
taunts 20 with his ensy reminiscent
superiority. and looks upon you with un-
disguised dlsdain. There is no generosity
about him. He will not. he cannot pity
your youth, your inexperience. His idea
IL, of course, that ''milken streams, an
age before, flowed gently through the
land" He can recall all this. You can
not. You are obliged to connne yourself
to the Impure water Of the present.
The old theatre-goer was out In album
dance last night at the Star Theatre,
where he went to see "Rosedale." He
was everywhere. There were punches
OF him all over the house. There was a
luxurious crop Of him upstairs. He per-
vaded the lobby, and ~buttonholed me
there. He corncred me in the smoking
room and pulled blue reflections In my
face. He asked me how | liked the per-
Torrance. and didn't wait for an an
swer. 80 anxious was he to get in his
little fine work about the golden age
long before you were born, my boy"
He made me feel very uncomfortable-a
sort OF a grovelllng insect. No fellow
likes to look upon himsaelf as an insect.
You like The show ?" cried the old
theatrc-goer In disgust. MY boy"
with tears In his eyes,. "you haven't
seen 1t. How can you Judge when, In
1853, there was n superb performance in
which Lester Wallack appeared? You
should have been there. Positively you
should have been there"
But how could l have been there ?" I
asked in irritation. 1T Is all very well
to say hat / should have been there,
but i was n babe In arms. and babes In
arms wouldn't have been admitted"
"Oh. then" he said, with n shrug of
scorn. n a most irritating laugh,
" What's the use Of your expressing an
opinion now? It's p~uerile-nothing
else"
l told him nat was my business, not
his. and I tried to escape. but there
were more of him everywhere, and there
was no peace available. All, well ! l
suppose that 1t will be the same with
us all In a couple of decades. If we are
here. We shall be reminiscent on back
numbers, nosing around the past, and
seeing nothing worth seeing In the pres
ent. Changes to us will not be improve
ments. We shall not believe that
=" Through the ages our increasing pur-
pose runs, and the thoughts of men are
widened with the process of the suns"
To judge by the vast applause last
night. "Rosedale" still pleases. The peo-
pie like the old, romantic story with its
kidnapped child. Its h~eiress. it's villain
and Its eloquent gypsy. If 1t were pro-
duced for the first time this season, we
might deplore some of Its artihciality,
and smile at a little of It's antique flavor,
(there were no chestnuts thirty years
ago.. but we should stu feel bound to
admit hat 1t would find Its admirers
even to-day. We might prophesy that
those admirers would be In the vast and
% of town"
AS 1t Is, there Is no reason why this
revival should not be very popular.
Added to the approval of some parts of
play, there will be ~tradition-and
that goes a long way. Folks want to see
what their fathers and mothers enjoyed,
and filial reverence Is anxious to find
reason for that liking. Still. those who
cannot enjoy "Rosedale" to-day, need
be unduly annoyed. They can buoy
themselves up with the sweet consola-
tion that-old-timers Notwithstanding
we hav made rapid progress in the last
thirty years. Everything is better to-
day than 1t was then. just as everything
Will be better in 1924. thar It is In 1894.
The stage does not stand still. 1t is
losing Its artiiciality all the time, and
becoming more and more n true and
artistic reflection of the spirit of the
times. 1t has other aims besides those
OF mere amusement. 1t has developed
into an educational influence, admitted
by the most advanced thinkers.
There may be some rood reasons
for the gloatIng OF the old theatre
Soer when he compares the choice casts
OF the early productions of "Rosedale"
with that now supplied by the Boston
Grand Opera-House. Joseph Haworth,
a forceful actor, is not a very %convlnc-
ing Elliott Grey. He lacks distinction,
ease, and the necessary polish. As for
the Lady Florence May OF Miss Annie
Clarke. 1t Is absurd and cruel. Miss
Clarke Is an excellent actress, a worthy
artist, a most popular woman, but she
Is In every way untitled for this part.
When Elliott Grey declares that he re-
members her as a child. the audience
filters, for she looks old enough to be
his mother. Boston can forgive that.
New York cannot MARI Price Is weak
and st.lted as Col. Cavendish May, and
Miss Isabelle Evesson. most aggressively
insipid. though there are one or two
portions of her work that deserve praise
more especially that dealing with the
Lord Bateman' song. The star per-
formers are Frank J. Keenan,. who Is ad-
mirabie. and Miss Kate Ryan, who Is
exceedingly clever. William Mestayer Is
not unfunny, and there is a cunning little
child called Olive Smith.
The old theatre-goer can't reasonably
object to these few remarks. II, how
ever, he doesn't like them. he must try
and bear them with fortitude.
ALAN nAJE