The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-24
ACTORS AND AUDIENCES.
0HARLES coGRLAE's IBILITE As
PLAYER AND PLIYWRIGHT

Charles Coghlan's now version of q for.
norfy familiar Dumas play and his own par
uoipation In the performance have received
hardly anything but praise from the review.
ers, though some of tho writer's have INDUCED
thcir propensity to mako fun OF things meant
70 DO serious. "Tho Royal Box" and Mr..
Coghian's acting are excellent art, and 1t 10 SO
easy TO prove them 80 by means of customary
eests that no dissent upon that point has
arisen. Whether or not tho commendablo
qualities will, in the absence of sentimental In
terest, the piece successfully TO
general audiences is q question which. lot us
hope, will be answered in the Affirmative.
There 10 one bad thing in 1t, however, though
not Of q nature to damago Mr.. Coghlan's
property. He gave out the information prior
20 the production of his work at tho Fifth Ave.
nue. that some remarks which he was going TO
mako about the stage would excite discussion.
And 30 they should. In tho guise Of a great
actor, who in tho Dumas original was Kcan,
he 10 visited by a sta 60, struck girl, whom he
advises to give up her intention of becoming
an actress. The rgument which no uses
mainly is that she will not find 1t possible to
remain reputable In his profession. 1t IL not
alone that she will DO socially disfavored, but
also that she will be compelled to deserve In.
fanny. He tells her plainly that her salary at
hrst would not nearly pay for the dresses she
would have to wear, and that 1t would DO
necessary for her to become the wanton Of
some liberal man In order to get an engagement
at all. To be sure. the time of the play Ia 1910
and the place London. but the passage meM.
TONED Is an Interpolation by the present adapt
OF, 1t IL spoken by him with especial candor of
manner, and naturally It Is taken by the audi.
enoe as his own earnest exposition of what is
true Of our theatres to-day. Now, that is q
libel upon the great majority of our actresses,
yoad ' Sspr6 RSaS n 81 course SnS ~t sSsse T Is q c]o af ! st.
Ing minority. of shameless. creatures, whose
%aii ssraes % Mo@ SSldhls pubic as shs spd aE wnH 70 1 sSsi 2
profession: But Mt; Coghlap, an actor, should
S aEs '9 house. '' Rsshe II s IL lSii he ' asfen ~ bis Il i prU a
f~essional castle against its enemies.
The art of Mr.. coghlan in The Royal Box
is admirably brave. Ho did not draw back
when he saw. as no must have seen, that he
was going into an independent theatre kind.
Of venture. That is to say, he could not depend
atan on the rousing of emotion In his audiences,
nor make any intentional appeal for laughter,
either. In case he met with profitable support
In money. 1t would come solely from o cool,
calm, discriminate appreciation of an unexciting
play. Moreover, he took q rink Of ridicule In
tho episode mentioned in his new title. The
royal box as shown in this play is so much like
= factor In many recent funny pieces that PEG.
pie might readily be excused for a mirthful
prejudice regarding it. The expedient has been
resorted to time and again In Casino ex-
travaganzas, Lambs Club gambois, music hall
burlesques, and vaudeville sketches. Actors
placed in the audience to interrupt the stage
action, have become familiarly comic. There
Prince Of Wales. the cuckold Swedish Ambas-
eador. and the sinful Countess took their seats
parts q Interested sp assaas a1 Of t tSs bSloo snS
scene from Romeo and Juliet the rest of tho
aesemblago would take 1t as an amusing sight.
But there is no such mishap. In the French and
Serman Representations actors are not only put
n ,mSS So and PIT ha several g az are &c; scattered tier 9th through S Q TIE
ing his mistress and his rival together. forgets
his mimic character and delivers a denunciatory
TRADE of his own: Mr.. Goghlan has sought
and found safety in an exgertly conservative
the box remain silent and do, not become dc.
monstrative even at the climax. Indeed. tho
centred upon himself.
Speeches by actors before tho curtain seem
70 be taking on an interest which has hitherto
been lacking. Richard Mansfield, ever alert to
do surprising things, denounced Nixon & Zim-
Norman, in whose Philadelphia theatre he was
playing, as members of the dreadfully wicked
Hayman trust" The ensuing actor In the
eame house was Edward H. Sothern, and. when
an enthusiastic audience demanded an address
ct the conclusion OF his engagement he extolled
pAO bouiO fNhAOh q AlIuuloTmdu do among INC
best social and business friends he had encoun-
tered during his eleven years Of starring, and
declared that the methods of the wicked trust
were conducive to the highest purposes of the
stage in America.
Several actresses have picked up an idea
somewhere In thu West for a variation in the
bouquet business. and we may expect to see 1t
operated here In New York. They have punches
OF flowers thrown to the stage from the top gal.
lery. and, while accustomed to such tokens
from the parquet, they are much astonished to
get them from aloft. They express their de.
light by p~antomimic kisses. and the whole audi.
ence becomes enthusiastic.
The drama is struggling against adversely In
Salt Lake City. Six successive arrangements
Of the Lyceum Theatre failei miserably, in o
business way, and then some patrons of stage
art came forward with a proposition to give
new support. provided that q really able and
responsible man be put in control. The son of
2 soui bank cashier accepted the trust. At
the end Of two weeks this man, finding that he
had only $500 with which TO pay debts Of 5000.
At the Castle Square Theatre, one Of tho low
priyo houses with stock companies in Boston,
IN case Of storm, Experience with this seem
tngly reckless risk proves that people who go TO
theatres are umbrella honest In q surprisingly
At Keith'is, in the same city, the Utmost o-
likeness Is observed IN the abatement of the
nigh hat nuisance. II a woman wears obstruc-
tive millinery an usher very quietly slips a card
into her hand and goes away without attract,
copy Of the city ordinance forbidding such hoad.
Eear and the managers half: apologize yet posi-
two admonitiOn to remove it.
Theatrical souvenirs are usually ~ephemeral.
Clocks that don't keep time can't keep place.
Crude limitations of art objects arc not treas.
pred by people who pay parquet prices. Things
labelled conspicuously with tho names OF actors
or plays are advertising offences. But the tokens
given away at the ono hundredtn performance of
''rhe Little Minister" are likely TO DO treated as
real keepsakes. They. were timely tinted and
Rttframed portraits OF a sweet-facod, delicate,
eoulful girl with abundant brown hair and ten
Ger eyes, This is Maude Adams. and the pic
her or spoil the reminder OF her.
One OF the travelling farces Is called "a Hired
Girl" after the pri .cipal comic character. and
when the piece was played In Providence an
understudy of the ACTOR was displayed In tho
window OF n store adjoining the theatre. made
Up for the funny hired girl. and kept busy for
hours with suitable pose and pantOlnime.
Pretty little Alice Nlclso the singer with tho