The Saint Paul globe., 1897-06-06
new plays before managers and othefs inter.
ested In dramatic art


II is Manager Pitou's present intention to
produce early next October at the Fourteenth
street, street thsater ca new war play which will be
50 well satisfied with the manuscript that he
ngures on the piece running until the end of
January, when Chauncey Olcott reopens. The
play will be called Cumberland, 81" and
VIII have the scene of dts first act at West
Point, June l, 1861. The action Of the rest Of
the play takes place two months later in
the Cumberland mountains OF Kentucky.
One Of the features of the piece will be a
war wedding in ane old stone church, which
has almost been demolished by Union bonn
Dardment. The events of the last three
acts are supposed 10 happen within twenty
four hours. The scenery will be painted by
Messrs: Homer Emens,n John Young and
people, but so far Mr.. Pitou has only en-
gagged Mr. Frank Losee for the part Of a
Confederate colonel and Miss Milie Sackett
who. will impersonate an old negro mann
N.Y.
Mme Alexandria Viardi, a Polish TRACE
alenne, whose continental reputation is said
to be very high, will make her first appear
ance In this country next fall and winter. She
| is now In London, studying the English Ian
guage and her present plan is to come to
| New York in July, to rehearse with an Amerl-
| can company. Her repertoire includes over
twenty classic plays, from which she has
selected Mary Stuart. - .Medea, "Alexan-
! initial engagement.
One of the most amusing things that occurs
| now and then In these buriesques is the un-
! expected hit made by the specially artists"
that are introduced, says the New York Her.
! AID. The managers rely on famous and ex-
! pensive star comedians to make the piece q
| go, and incidentally engage few ordinary
music hall people to fill in vaudeville scene.
| The comedian makes more or less of success
and is patronzingly declared to be quite
amusing but along comes music hall team
later in the evening. The house fairly howls
with delight, and the music hall turn" some
/ Old specially that has been done to death
! for. years perhaps, completely eclipses the
! star comedians most humorous original ef-
forts If there is any moral to this it would
! seem to be that when 1t comes to funny
| business the average comic opera comedian
! isn't in 1t with his fellow comedian of the
music hall.
| The dean of Canterbury, F. w. Farrar,
recently sent the subjoined letter to the
principal English journals. referring to
! events that took place last Sunday and Mon
/ day:
The Deanery-Canterbury. May Z, 1s97.-S:r:
/ Will you kindly allow me to announce for
the information of the numerous strangers
matters, that on May 81 Sir Henry Irving
will read Tennyson's "Becket'' in the mag
nificently restored chapter house Of Canter-
bury cathedral for the benefit of the Thir-
teenth Century fund? There Will be an ex-
ceptional interest in1hearing Sir Henry Irving
read Tennyson's work in the midst of the
!
great archbishop took place. st. Thomas
Beckett entered the chapter house on the
evening of Dec. 29, ITO, only a few minutes
before his murder in the adjoining MARTYR
dom. The restored chapter house will be
opened by H. r. H. the Prince Of Wales
Saturday, May 20, and will be first publicly
used for the reading which Sir Henry Irving
is SO generously to give Your obedient
servant F. w. Farrar.
Commenting caustically upon Sydney Ro-
OIlnd of oe
farce and music designed to caricature every
body and everything, which is holding the
stage of metropolitan theater, Hillary Bell
says in the New York Press:
1t is to be feared that Sydney Resented
spends too much time in fighting to have
leisure for thinking, and, after the manner of
pugilists, he is much given to loquacity.
However that may be, he has reached mon
umen al dullness in his libretto
story of this kind should be nimble in wit
eccentric in fancy, surprising in situations.
| grotesque in characters, plentiful in action and
unconscious in humor.
1t is the latter quality that Mr.. Rosen-
fed especially fails. His mirth is predes-
tinate; his drollery is foreordained. He is
the Presbyterian of puns.
He comes on the stage like confident merry
Andrew. crying Justify, Behold, am going
/ to be funny" He is not funny. Indeed he
! is passing melancholy.
| His travesty on Shakespeare is gross, point
! less and out of all manner of telling. We
! have never known a man to. receive SO much
! and give so little for it.. -.j-
! This author has been helped by fame and
! for une without profiting by either.
He has gained the assurance Of experience
7 bat not it's swisdein. s H e nposes ION the good
! natureh of sthe audience because they. have
/ hopes of his good humor. kindly folk are sell
dom weak. 1t is the peevish that suffer long
f, est. Being prepared for gru1nbling they are
| not disappointed. 1895
When an American audience is bored pa
! tience flies out of the orifce.
There is nothing more fatal to play than
| the knowledge that you are the mental supe-
! rior Of its author.
In the theater we may despise the actors
| and our ne.ghbors without losing enjoyment
/ but the moment we forfeit respect for the
| dramatist unhappiness sets in.
| Ingenious playwrights, knowing this. avoid
I plentitude of words in which we are prof.
c1ent and arrange curious actions y which
we ignorant.
Astonishment is the health of the drama.
| Else we should sit perpetually with the mas
terworks of the classic poets and refuse lesser
| things.