The Portland daily press., 1897-10-02
A TALK WITH JOHN DREW.
The Actors Views on Stage Affairs and
Concerning Stage Folks.

"What do think of the present condi-
ton of the stage and of its immediate
future?'' said Mr.. John Drew, the actor,
who is nowistarring in Rosemary"
| well. don't you think that is some
what big and far-reaching question to
have to answer? And yet know it is
one that has agitated many bright minds
and clever pens for some years past" he
added thoughtfully. 1t was, says a St.
Louis paper, an appropriate question to
ask an actor of Mr.. Drew's professional
standing. Certainly no one on the
American stage has a better right to dis
cuss stage matters than Mr.. Drew. For
many years he was leading man Of the
most brilliant stock company in America
and he is now in his sixth season as a
star. He comes by his talents and posi-
ton naturally, for his father was an &C.
| tor, and his neither and her sisters were
actresses. His grandparents, and his
greatgrandparents on the maternal side,
were also on the stage, but that was in
England in the last century. His sister,
Georgia Drew Barrymore. was most
favorite comedian in her day, and Sydney
Drew, though only an adopted son of the
late Mrs. John Drew, has conspicuous
| talents. Mr.. Drew's charming niece,
Miss Ethel barrymore, is already an or
| nament of the profession, and is certain
| TO win laureiS in Henry lrving's COM
pany, which she has just joined.
''Do nut expect me to answer your
| question in pesslmistic manner" said
Mr.. Drew. ~ know it has become the
rs, 81 lr+n %@
| about the stage, but do not and can not
| look at it through any but optimistic
| glasses. OF course, it has it's ups and
| downs like other mundane things. The
downs have been a little too frequent for
the profession generally during the
last few years, perhaps, but then the
whole world has been bit sick. There
come famine and financial depression,
labor troubles and social discomfort,
perversion OF the public taste, and a gen.
eral disarrangenent Of the public mind
| had almost said stomach In such
times the stage suffers, just as every other
form of art and luxury and higher mental
effort suffers. The same thing has hap
pened periodically for generations, for
eventually. The world gets sick, that's
all, but it gets well again. 1 suppo;e it
will continue to get sick and we'll, Just
as we all do. until, like us. 1t ceases to
| be.
| II think the record will show that
when the public mind is topsy -turvy, as
| it were, the baser sort of stage material
always hourishes. 1 do not know the
philosophical reason for this, but it is so.
| The stage, like all forms of art, is what
the public makes it. Managers are but
human. They want to make money
they could not remain in the profession
| If they did not do SO. Playwrights are
! likewise, human, and they must live. The
| same pens from which flowed the idyllio
plays OF decade or so ago have also given
US the so-called problem plays-have
| emptied the sociological dirt barrels on
the stage of the world. They did so be-
cause the public wanted these things
their financial success showed that the
public wanted them. When the public
| sensibIy wearied of them, the playmakers
returned to their first loves-their better
sweeter loves-and gave us the poetic and
thesromantic drama-healthy, wholesome,
refreshing. The world was getting we'll
again. l saw this in the success of Rose
mary, and to me that success has been
one of the most gratifying things Of my
career
Yes" said Mr. Drew in answer to a
question, ~ must lay Rosemary aside
for the present. 1 shall do so regretfully
reluctantly. I am sorry l shall not be
able TO present it in all the big cities OF
the country, but having spent nearly five
months with it in New York, together
with long engagements in Boston, Phila-
delphia, Chicago and elsewhere, am I'm.
able to do SO. l have just returned from
a delightful tour of the Pacific coast,
as successful and as we'll liked as it was
in New York. In few weeks I shall
present my new play "A Marriage Of