The evening world., 1894-09-18
ARMS AND THE MAN"

The Herald Square Theatre started
upon its career last night in the vast
competitive theatricalism OF upper
Broadway. There was very little about
1t to suggest the old Park The rampant
ugliness and the irredeeinabe vulgarity
of the old house had departed-where
do such qualities go?-and in their place
is n modern luxury, an air OF refine
| ment and aesthetic culture. The Herald
| Square is charming with its timed
decorations. its sedate colors. its pretty
| fixtures. How II was ever possible to
make this theatre out of the old one
| Is difficult to understand. What / like
| best in the arrangements Is the wide
carpeted lobby. with It's divans and
plants. Much of the space might have
been utilized for seats, but the new
lessee Is evidently ungreedy. Then
there Is picture gallery. which may
or may not prove useful, but which Is
undeniably ornamental.
Richard Mansfield opened the theatre
with n most eccentric, century-end
comedy by Bernard Shaw. called Arms
| and the Man" At the close of a theatre
| cal season. when one has become weary
of stage heroes and heroines and vii
| lains, and our souls rebelled at the con-
ventionality of the thing, Arms and the
| Man" might please many, for II holds
up all the stage traditions to ridicule.
| But at the seasons starting-point, when
| we have laid In n new stock OF vitality
| to protect us against the brain-turning
lplaywrights, Arms and the Man" seems
out OF date.
1t Is an odd, airy, unusual little affair."
bristling with bright lines, but unattrac-
tive to the average theatre goer. who
wants his moneys worth Of stout, usual.
beefy dramatic entertainment. Mr.
| Shaws aim seems to be to show that
on the stage fine heroism Is but one
degree roemoved from crawling base
ness, All the characters in Arms and
the Man" discover their own perfidy.
The heroine. who Is an attractive little
liar is found out by the hero, who is
chocoiate-cream-ea eating soldier Sara
non, the heroines lover prefers Lonka,
the servant girl, and Nicola. Lonka's
lover, gives her up cheerfully Every
thing Is topsy-turvy. The scenes take
place in Bulgaria, during the trouble
between that country and Servia. and
Mr. Shaw finds plenty of humor in the
Bulgarians themselves.
| Nobody knows better than Mr.. Mans
field that such n play as Arms and
| the Man" could never become popular
The actor therefore deserves consider
able credit for presenting 1t. The specu-
lative New York manager would give it
n wide berth, but we need few men
like Mansfield who are not afraid OF
displeasing the average theatre-goer"
once In a blue moon. for the sake OF dis
playing a novelty. Arms and the
Man" is nothing more than novelty.
Bernard Shaw has not the knack Of
rendering II acceptable. Gilberts satires
are so full of mirthful suggestion that
they Please everybody. but in Arms
and the Man" there seems to be grim
determination to be unconventional first
and last. Some of the expressions l
heard from the audience were really
amusing. They took 1t all seriously
were surprised to find so unlovely a
heroine, sneered Mt the hero, and tore
up the play. What mani" Is the
final expression uttered on the stage.
My neighbor. as he took his hat and
Joined the outgoing throng. remarked
what n plPy."
Richard Mansfield did extremely well
with the role of the chocolate cream
soldier. Every point suggested by Mr..
Shaw was admirably elaborated by the
actor. His manner was easy and nat
ural and his comedy unstrained and
spontaneous. Miss Cameron was as spas
modic as ever. but In the third she did
| some clever work. Henry Jewett was