The morning times., 1896-10-18

| i II unfortunate t!lll me Character
study as Hoyt gives tie Stage in "A
Temperance Town should he linked
TO SO Illogical Il moral. If i Were not
for tie story the play might have bccn
q classic, although this is hard To say of n
character play, in which the resultant is
much dependant upon the art of the actor
as JiIr suggestion OF the drdmatist Let the
proposition, in Difference 10 this limitation.
of the players art and to the actors who
make a vital success of the people of the
prohibi. ion village, be modified, aud say
IL might become q classic il perpctuated
on The endless film Of the vitascope perfected
in conjunction with the photograph.
A pretty controversy might be insti
tuted over the question whether ii is a
finer feat To have created a type in n
drama or Il distinct person who exists in
his individual capacity as the only one OF
his kind Hoyt has achieved the latter in
the play last week presented here. No con-
viction ever led him into the mistake of
the moral Of "A Ten perdnce Town" Long
association with the people of Charles
town, y. H, photographed on his pecu-
iarly sensitive brain the characters, and
he realized he had the genius to reproduce
them. The individuaHzed character is
kneela nd Pray, druggist, a study worthy
of less cheap name.
In this character the personality is de-
fined and real, with minimum of elabor-
alton, without suggesting n type, it i'm
presses itself as distinctly the protot ypc of
at least one single person.
1t is an individualism reflected by the
dramatist in few Words. but with crys-
tallfZed suggestion through the lens os
the actors art. 1t is a high order of
character drawing, where many factors
are coordinate, each distinctive, all inter-
dependent, butlntegralin their union. Thus
In forming chaTacte rthree things sug-
Eest tbemselyes-wDav lie is like, how he
Would express himself in dress, and how
In speech Tie dramatist can dictate only
the speech, he can merely suggest the
dress. The actor must follow scrupulously
the words, take them and the authors
suggestion of dress for his get-up and
from his own faculty for Interpretation
OF these decide upon how he will look and
act the part In perfect characterization
the clothes, the manner, and the voice each
act.
This is true even when the part rs ever
So small, and the druggist in "A Temper
ance Town'is a small part When he irst
comes on he looks as if he night h- W.
stepped on the stage from the street by
mistake. There is 10 make up rcrCeptible
and the clothes are CorSIicuuiSly tunypn-
tional. They Immediately give suggcS.
tion of ColduesS, perhaps they are black
That is detail hat escapes His white
collar is low and meets in front: il sug
gests stinriness and narrowness lie keeps
his overcoat buttoned continually and his
hands in his Pockets. which suggests a:i
absence of warm blood and a self-con-
tainednesS which rercls advances. The
Clothes fiji him. but they are of an ordinary
conventional cut and bear signs OF CON
ununl wear, which indicate thI;i the man
mas certain amount of consideration for
himself, but his Grabbed nature does not
extend beyond, and the overlapping mar.
GIN, which includes even himself is mar
row and comfortleSs
Having observed all this-thouSh you
haven't, for the art in it all rcscnts cbserva-
ton, though IT forces an imDresSion-it at
once becomes apparent how artful is the
absence of makeup. The cold, gray face
unrelieyed by line or Il shade of color is
sharp as steel, biting as frost. When the
man opens his mouth a naturally fine set
of teeth appear, but as If polished for work
and pointed as fangs. Being u man OF de-
cision, the druggist walks directly from
one point to another; he compromises even
on his creaky shoe leather. He scarcely
ever looks another person in the face, but
he does not look away or cringe or lower
his eyes. They are always open, observ-
ant, trenchant, direct, but no one seem.
able to engage them in steady gaze. When
he talks-but you have heard the voice be-
fore he opens his mouth. 1t is cold, pene-
trating, souliess, selfish, unmusical organ.
You anticipated it in the clothes, the man
ner, the mouth, the eyes and the silence.
The druggist might walk silently through
the play and lie would be none the less
heard. He Is distinct, but complete, in all
his parts. His clothes proclaim him, his man.
ner proclaims him, and finally lis words
proclaim hini
ucis moi a type. He is not such creature