The record-union., 1896-07-19


pany will, commencing with Monday
evening, present at the Clunie Opera
house comedy from the pen of the
distinguished author should prove
strong factor in inducing patronage for
Arthur E. Moulton and his talented as
sociates. While the name of w. S. Gill
bert is generally linked with the famous
comic operas for which Sir Arthur Sui
Ivan furnished the music and Gilbert
the librettos, it was as "a writer of COM
edies that Gilbert won his spurs, and in
England he was recognized as a sterling
playwright long before he collaborated
with Sullivan in producing comic op-
eras. The enduring play of "Pygma-
hon and Galatea,' in which Mary An
derson appeared ait the Clunie Opera
house some years ago, was written by
w. S. Gilbert, and it was his conception
of refined comedy that helped that ia
vOrite American actress in winning SO
enviable position. The production by
the Moulton Company of Gilbert's ia
nous comedy entitled THE Wedding
March is certainly an event in local
dramatic circles, for not before have
any of the masterpieces of this clever
author been presented except at a high
scale of prices.
THE Wedding March" is, as the au
thor aptly describes it, an eccentricity
in three acts adapted from the French
lie Chapeau de Paille d'Italie." It was
first produced in London in 1878 at the
Royal Court Theater, and it's success
was instantaneous.
1t ran there for 400 nights to crowded
houses. 1t was presented at Wallack's s
Theater in New York soon after the
London production, and made a great
hit. To outline the plot of the play is
difficult, for the piece is written IN Gil
bert's well-known style of pungent sat
ire and witticisms. The character and
text in "The Wedding March" may be
aptly described as constituting a satire
upon everyone and everything. AS its
chief purpose is to amuse and create
laughter, it may be safely assumed that
In the hands of the capable Moulton
Company it will be presented in the
spirit intended by the author. Every
member of the Moulton troupe will be
seen, we are assured, in a character en-
tirely different from those in which they
have appeared here, and each one calls
for acting of the most artistic kind Mr.
Gilbert always wrote his comedies and
operas with the understanding that
they should be played by competent ar
fists only. The conceded ability of the
Moulton Company assures a successful
production of The Wedding March,"
To quote the author of this satirical
comedy: "The success of the play de-
pends on the most improbable things
being done in the most earnest manner
by persons from everyday life.''
Lou E. Drinkall of Sacramento has
been for the past five months member
of Fred Belasco's Lyceum School of
Acting in San Francisco She will make
her debut early the coming fall, and ex-
poets to then join one of Dave Belasco's
New York companies. She has ambi-
tion in plenty, and her friends entertain
the hope and belief of her success upon
the stage.
"reminiscences of the romantic story
of Nell Gwynn and her royal lover,
Charles II, are recalled by a common
place fire which took place at the Con-
servative Club at Brentford recently,
says a late London letter. The building
now devoted to club uses is named the
Brent House. from the stream on whose
banks 1T is situated, and is surrounded
by clumps of particularly fine old chest
nut trees. In its early days it was oc-
cupi6d by the famous actress when
Charles was either at Kew or at Hamp-
ton Court, from which royal palaces he
could easily enough ride over to visit
her 'sauciness." The billiard-room was
destroyed, but the main portion of the
house, and the most historically inter
esting, was not much affected. The
broad staircase, up which King Charles
is said to have once ridden his famous
charger, was luckily absolutely un-
damaged.
William Archer, writing Of the per-
formance of THE School for Scandal
at the London Lyceum, deplores the
manner in which modern actors destroy
the whole effect and value of the piece
as a comedy Of manners by their alb
surd insistence upon the innumerable
traditional points which are now ex-
aggerated to the verge of positive alb
surdity He says: The Lyeeum per-
formance is a very fair one on the old
lines but the point-farcing, the exas-
perating laughter and the unmannerli-
ness were certainly carried to extremes
And this is typical, not only
and indeed not mainly, of Mrs. Camp
bells performance, but of the whole
production Everything is coarsely
overdrawn every bit of comic business
dragged out until lit becomes a weari-
ness of the flesh. When Sir Peter be-
gins to talk of Joseph's affair with
Maria, and Joseph tries to stop him
lest Lady Teazle should hear, Mr.. Far
ren goes on gabbling and Mr.. Forbes
Robertson talking him down in defiance
Of all versimilitude, until the jest has
become stale to the point of nauseous-
ness When Sir Peter is making up his
mind TO tell Charles about the little
French milliner behind the screen, he
dadulges in such interminable chuckles
that Charles has again and again tC
say. Go on Ghe words are not in his
yart). and one wonders that the audi
ence does not openly second the sugges-
tion. When Mr.. Righton, as Sir Oliver
has to speak of the honest dignity O
genius and virtue, he hurls the word:
at the gallery with such vigor and con.
viction that the sentiment narrowly es
capes round of applause. Every en-
phasis, every pause, every attitude
every grfrnace is a direct bid for laugh
ter at any cost. Imagine delicate mez
zctint translated into picture posteri'
According to the London "Athenae
um" the number of provincial festivals
this year is legion" 1t seems, indeed
that there has been a great quickenns
of musical life in England in recen
wears The following clipping from