New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-12-01
THE LONDON STAGE.
.,rs PATRICK CAMPBELL IN MR.. HADDON
cuAMBERs's NEW PLAY AND MISS
EVELYN WILLARD AS DULClE
LAROUDIE IN THE
MASQUERADERS."
London. November 10.
MASQUERADERS.'


MASQUERADERS."
London, November u
.r,,,cs who. for reasons sufficient to them
Inv r.ise the question whether Mrs. Patrick
e''s '.hsn Is zone part actress have answered
Ca"p .so,r own satisfaction and much more to
II ..,sfaction Of the public, which also answered
'"e ,,s own mind and in the same way. Her
,., ~ Kate Cloud in Mr. Haddon Cham
ZEN" new drama "John-a- Dreams has dis
pe'' .os,,v enough of such doubts as there were.
po' .o,, Is not a very strong one. but it is at
Inv mart which. unlike Ducie. in THE
isas' ..r.aers." it is possible to play in one key
-sou, Still. 1t is a character which gives
'''O .,,ason for others to do something than
MOI. actress who has to interest the public in
io' n.s, and present of a very equvocal per-
sonage .u.s ,,., ., ou,,s. ,,o
So,bv Of a miscellaneous audience in
.r with a "nameless past" This sort of
70" has taken possession of the mind of the
~o~,,sh dramatist OF the day. He borrowed her
.,., the French stage rather than from real life,
"a hs has never succeeded in making her more
~ ,oerabe. II she be more than tolerable
=. ,vss H. and the author owes It, to the actress.
80 cloud is a less Objectionable person morally
-. paula but she was at once objected TO, on
thor than moral grounds, as Third Mrs ran
v.,,.v She is. nevertheless, the prize for whom
~. ,ood man and the bad man of the piece con-
I'D originally the play bore the title Two
a. ond Woman which is far more descrip-
,... ,,., "John-a Dreams" But 1t seems to have
Ian thought necessary 10 indicate to the au-
,,rna that the chari cter Of Harold wynn was
~, central point OF interest: that. In fact the
.,,v twisted FOR him and not for Kate Cloud
,,owsver that may be. the woman. with all her
,,r,,s and her past. is a more winning creature
IT, tho onium eating lover or the rufhan-ioVer
1000, whom the poor woman has TO choose.
Mr. Tree plays Harold Wynn In such way as
. o,,an the .ess agreeable features or MIN.
w. again the personality Of the actor counts
., much In less competent and virile hands,
u.-o,a would seem poor creature indeed Mr..
c,.r,hsrs has chosen to make him poor Great
=. NTH not much but his love for Kate and
~, ,ovo ~ his father To entitle him to attention.
d. ,s mot whose poetry comes not OUT OF the
4. ,o,,ls hut out Of the laudanum-botte oi
o,ber Inspiration he has none. But MI Tree
..,ss him nlausible If not convincing. bestowing
On him another oent Of intellectual interest IMAM
,,rbaps. no better test of genuine cred'Ne
,,var IN the actor He does. in the French sense
xMch ,s also the true sense. compose the charac-
"a, hs represents Mr.. Tree plays admirably ana
,sal,v succeeds in carrying his house with NM
Mr. cartwright Is hardly more than foil lie
,lsvs the ruffian in rufianly way. just as MI.
Herbert Warning plays the rutfian in The Mas
ousraders" The injudicious praise bestowed on
Mr. Warirg has perhaps encouraged Mr. cart
wright IN follow his example II is an excellent
example to avoid
An actress with a temperament 50 emouohai
a. Mrs Patrick Campbelrs is seldom seen az her
hos, IN y first night. She nervous on
r,ursaav and at times ineffective and indistinct.
from mere physical failure OF her powers. Ihese
roonents however. were not frequent nor long
They nattered the less because Mrs. CampDeil
has the gift OF expressing much by very shgh'
efforts: only efforts which seem slight The VOICE
Is full of beauty and OF pathos: Its soft. delicate
tones vibrating through the house and reaching
something more than the ear OF the listener Her
story OF her past as she related II TO her lover
was a pec. Of studied elocution. yet so simple as
IN seem perfectly natural. Somehow or o'her'
YOU cannot always tell how. she does i'hpait 10
her audience the emotion which possesses he''
wi.b tho robust school she has nothing IN COM
mon nor vet with the melodramatic. from "hich
she a,oerped once for all when she qultted inc
Adelphi.
How wide her range is. she has yet TO SNOW
An actress. be her gifts what they may - III
these davs more or less at the mercy Oh au-
,hor and OF manager 1t IL the theory OF t"e
manager that the public will have nothlhe ou'
novelty That Is TO say, there must pe "'"
niece with new heroine, but IL the he" p''.
attracts the public 1t is kept on the stage III j.
hecoross old and often musty. The actress mas
therefore n accept such part as the au'"o'
and manager between them select anu u
NAV 1, .,ll the public will have no more Oh IT,
Tho svs,ero ,s not a good one. from the ART point
n, Wow The best chance the actress mas Is 10
vs.v. about the figure as the author has lell II
Soma ., tho fascination which belongs 10 herseH'
and 70 endow It with qualities. intellectual anu
otbsr ~ her own. This Mrs. Campbell does
Kate Cloud bears so little relation to Paula that
the frs, act was enough 10 show with "ha'
or,g,na,,,v the actress was investing character
resembling sunerfcialy and far too closely that
,,,h ,h,o, sha was 40 long identified at the
81, James's Theatre 1t was better test io' ."e
actress than ~ the part had been totally uhIiKe'
The acknowledgment Of her success came - "'''
" ho,b fro,o the nublic and the press. Ihe hIS'
night audience was UNUSUALLY o'9'''a
cihicult. including at least TWO e'hi''1.' 49,,
Who canno, no ranked among frst-niehters' inc
Lord Chief Justice and the Home oec'e'd'
we're many more. belonging to se'' II i ~ " 49,
Of equal social and intellectual einihe"ce'
l do not know what name ought 10 oe -
to the band Of enthusiasts VINO reea'u
Masqueraders' as great play anu MI
Arth,,-
"Jonesites' cannot be thought eupno"'''
convenient Perhaps they may as wen 10 W..
out name. They are not very cohere'' DoN'
nor likely to have a permanent exis'ence' "'
body may have disciples for time mere VIZ
multtudes who really thought MI i"pp
considerable poet and believed they iou"u -