New-York tribune., 1896-10-25
"NTPKINS AWAKENED"
WILLIAM MoRRIs's ONLY PLAY.
-om The Saturday Review.

From The Saturday Review.
on the subject of the theatre. enthusiastic
young first-nigher would probably nave given Morris
up after The first attempt to gather his opinion OK
zen VINO mad never formed the hablt of paygo.ng.
and neither knew nor cared anything about the
during the pantomime season. But Morris would
stag thai poet zoe and artist could write for When
the Socialist League once proposed TO raise the wind
snould provide the play ne set 10 at once ans pro-
vided IL.
play on the lines OF those in the Towneley
mysteries between the "sh, pheris abiding in the
his idea Of "A good bi, OF comedy? Not at ali: il
topical extraNae9nzl. entitled "NuPkns Agak- yak
Edlin. Tennyson , and an imaginary Archbishop OF
on charges of 'obstruction" which always
passeroy or vehicle had wished to pass over the
particular spot in thoroushfare on which the
their presence would have o5structed him.
This contention whcn was resardea as quite sens
was put into a nutshell in tne course OF sir peiers
matter OF grave doubt whether W NOT ali OF
us continually committing mis- oifenGe rom our
Sir Peter OF course never made, though ne certainly
would have done so had he had wit enough TO zee
for two months because another man could not walk
through himIespeealiy when wohd m nave W. oesn zen
spectacle pretext-wiU prooaDly Keep SIR Peters
ai,''%'S are forgetten. % soo,,,,.. ,o
As TO Tennyson. Morris took Socialist who hap
pened to combine the right sort Of beard with
melancholy compartment. and drilled him in a GER
tain portentous inciyility OF speech which: taken
Morriss opinion of Tennyson which was all the
more Instructive because he delighted I'm Tenny-
son's verse as keenly as Wagner delighted N the
music of Mendelssohn. whose credit for qualities OF
larger scope he. nevertheless. wrote down and de-
stroycd . ,. =. -
Morris played the ideal Archbishop himself He
made no attempt TO make up the part In the ordi-
nary stage fashion. He always contended that no
more was necessary for stage Illusion than some
saint a crook for bishop. or. II you liked. cloak
and do gger for the villain and red wig for the
Comedian. A pair Of clerical bands and black stock
ings proclaimed the Archbishop: the rest he did by
obliterat ting his humor and intelligence and pre-
senting his Own person to the audience like Ian.
ton In his dignity which several minutes OF
the widest screaming laughter at him when he
myself: and I can still quite clearly the long
TOP floor OF that warehouse In the Harrington Road
asI IT in gimpses between % IN my paIoxysms With
Mrs Stman. tall and beautiful ngure rising Ike
a delicate spre above skyline OF city chimney
lowing guffa wing Socialists between.
There has been other such successful hrst
night within living memory. believe; but remem-
present-william Archer Morris was so interested
hv his experiment In this sort OF composition that
h.. for some time talked OF trying his hand At Q
serious drama, and would no doubt have done II
had there any practical occasion for It, or any
under proper conditions without spending moro
time on the job than II was worth. Later. At one
OF the annual festivities OF the Hammersmn social
chair in short piece called The duchess OF
Bayswater" mot By himself, which once served Its
turn at the Haymarket as curtain raiser II wa!
impossible for such born teller and devourer Of
stories as he was be indifferent to art which =
wovs OF STORYTELLING No man would more willingly
have his figures move and heard their VOICES
than he. !