New-York tribune., 1896-09-01
THE DRAMA.
49,, DREW AT THE EMPIRE.

MR. DREW AT THE EMF iNH'
.,,..o,rarv: that's for remembrance The
.,n.l note that Is struck In this play Is the no'e
= ,namory. The purpose OF the piece Is 10 oeP'.'
noble and gentle character IN mature "ie. SUI
,. vanoushed, but not degraded anu not de-
oe's hx the passion OF love. Those to whom
. spV comes late must usually suffer.-because the
.r.cter has been formed. the environment mas
1--we rigid and the iron control OF CIRCUMSTANCES
sno, he broken. For youth there Is future
- se there is only past. Youth may nope. Age
~ orlv remember The chief person In this
CO" s"r,s NAV Sir Jasper Thorndyke loves young
ms .,o,n he has befriended. but with that self
sura,,on which is one of the attributes OF great
-... brushes his passion. for the happiness oi
~,nsr ma n and Of her own future, ana a1terWar"
. ,ha twilight of his life. looks back to this ex-
.-;ence when her name and that OF her husoaho
go long been carved upon the tomb The piece
"on,alns more of picture than OF action; out the
W., - q Is high the texture Of IL Is fine the con-
o,on OF II is skilful. the language or II Is
ts,,citous its persons are drawn win oeep
ou,sdxe of life and with fidelity to nature. ana IL
q, hoth strong and lovely with the ATTRIBUTES oI
sma,ic contrast and suggestion For any paraiiei
:. ,h,s play the observer. at least of our stage
.,us, revert TO those days of acting and not OF
.,enical captrap. when such superb players as
- placide and William Rufus Blake were at
their best.
Mr.. Drew. who was very warmly welcomed py
.,eat audience at the Empire, has not before APP
eaared IN so fine light. so conclusively reVeaieu
~. tenderness OF his nature beneath the polish ana
~. glitter OF his flexible art. The playfui humor
IA eccentrcity. and the grace or the carrier scenes
we're easy to him. as might have been expected, nu'
:, was In the perfect refinement. the sweet gravity
ncS the gentle dignity OF the parting interview ana
T. The pathetic smu,ation of reminiscent age mat
Ss rose TO the full stature OF really noDle art Such
10 ~ acheyement refects with fatal force upon those
sanefu exhibitions of carnal tumut which. In so
ssnv recent plays have been thrust upon publicity
-" ne denutements of love or course We are all
pbiiis,ines when we decline to accept beastiy
.,ions of the most celestial feeling that is pos
sibje 10 human nature; but all the same we are are
right: and such an impersonation as Mr.. Drew mas
sysn is worth a wilderness of monkeys and tigers
Tbe feelings appertaining to the closing situation IN
aposemary' are perhaps, such as no art can fu!ly
.rnrsss' and no actor can more than indicate
readers who recall Tennyson's lofty and lovely
noen Of "Locksley Hall Sixty Years After, VIII VIII
,Ssok Of the scene in the moonlit chapel when the
s9ed lover stoops over tn, sepuchre Of the woman
~ The marble statue on her tomb; There are situa-
that need no wods rew ne hers % aoee ape hmse
great honor by this performances, and he places
the "n oTsT ssh Il n pay does Of
Else II proves that the dramatist need not groye
for his material Many thoughts are susssssteH % oy
awful hing" says Thackeray. ITO get glimpse;
Sometimes TINES does when the wors hd Whole
mighty machinery OF fate and see lD how our des
'nes s turn 0n, Oo bn inferred that the drift of this
play is entirely serious-for nearly the whole or
lis foreground is humorous, the humOr Delns ue-
rived very adroitly from contrasted eccentrcities
Of English character. In this particular. and IN
or two Others it makes the So, sp nrv q
by Mrs Inchbad The heroine IS just simple
girl fascinating in the inexpressi6le sweetness OF
incarnate simplicity by Miss Maud Adams. who
seemed more clever and more charming than ever:
Tha character of Jogram, quantity impersonated
BY Mr. Harkins. seemed at first sort of male
summidge and meddler but s,ro at the supreme sene
ileman Mr. Drew. in this scene greatly moved
his audience-the response to- denotement ol
rght nrinciple and right feeling being thing
most encouraging both to and to hear Miss
Adams in the reading of the page from the diary
was deliciouslv effective and satisfaction
was derived from the spectacle of the quaint cos
tunes of the earlier Victorian PERIOD Inc Whole
comnany was many times recalled,-the mouse re-
sounding with plaudits and cheers.