The times., 1898-02-06
THE PASSING SHOW.

| there were to be seen audiences of a
type that are only brought out three or
four times year and, il only because
| of their rarity. are distinctly worthy Of
| notice. John Drew, E II. Sothern, and
one or two other stars of equal oromi-
nence, attract these people and even
| the most casual observer could not mis-
| take them.
After the final curtain had fallen on
"a Marriage of Convenience" and the
boxes were giving up their occupants
the difference became still more nota-
1 Bile and in 1t one could read not only
the distinction mentioned. but could
understand why the costume play had
ever come in vogue at all. How did
you like it?" Was it not prettily in
| teresting!" 'Charming!" Delight
full Enchanted and other phrases
/ OF the kind We're the criticisms passed
upon John Drew's latest acquisition to
| his repertoire. AS a general thing such
! favorable remark came from the ladies
in the house. One gentleman behind
me said after the first act, Il would not
sit through that again for fortune"
All OF which marks the passing, as
| well as the presence, of the costume
4
| years at most-and yet there will be
little regret when, like many other class
| es of the drama, it dies of neglect.
There are play epochs just as there are
| historical ones, and that of the romantic
| drama is almost over. 1t was. at best,
an extreme product of other extremes
and as such was, even from the first,
destined to become a fashionable fad
ana then memory. 1t was forced up
on us in moment, when, wearied of
its first cousin, the society meIodrama
we were quite willing to take anything
new. First we got it in mild doses
pieces like The Prisoner of Ienda" ="
and AN Enemy TO the King" which
even though set back few centuries,
were filled with action and had other
causes for existence than the padded
calves of the leading mans legs.
'Heartsease" was the intermediate
stage ana we descended TO it gradually.
Confessedly a failure set in modern
times it was dressed in cheap coating
of white wigs and patches and served
up TO us as the mark of a new c1ass-the
decided costume play Finally we came
down to still mlder bits and now we
have been given "A Marriage of Con-
venience." and the days of the sew
enteenth century drama are numbered
to regret in the total loss of this class
| of play. If it resembled a sugar-coated
pill more than anything else, it was, at
least, quite as palatable and in its
daintineSS and quiet was rather pleas
ing TO the eye. But this was the only
virtue To which 1t could lay claim A
play that partakes neither of the mega
tive nor of the positive degree cannot
last longer than the condition of af-
fairs that caused il. Like the class un-
der discussion it must begin. at last.
to appeal TO only one rung in the social
ladder and end by losing even that
place.
The costume play has. always pleased
the. senses rather than the sense. The
melodiouS tone of admirably rounded
sentences and sight of silk and lace is
undeniably pleasant until one is sated
with it, After that he becomes critical
and notices that all Of these dramas
are precisely the same--in plot, in sit
uation and In treatment As proof of
the first let us cite the fact that both
of the romantic plays here last week,
a Marriage of Convenience" and
Prince Rudolph" had for their theme
the time-honored and well-worn idea
of married man learning to love his
own wife. They were not both placed
in the same land, the former sticking to
convention in that matter, and choos-
ing France for the scene of its action
At least one abounded in artificiality
in stilted language and in the powdered
wig and black patch. There were no
situations, and the absolute lack of eli
max often forced one to think that the
man in the flies had gotten his cues
tangled and dropped the curtain in the
middle of the act.
Even in detail neither differed from
the hundred and one plays of the kind
that have appeared and reappeared in
the space of three years. Did anyone
ever see costume play in which there
was not a simpering lover to kiss his
ladyS hand and elaborately assist her
to the chair furthest from their
starting point? Did anyone ever hear
a romantic drama without the constant
repetition of the ancient phrases, Are
you mad?" and What will become of
me?" In short, did anyone ever attend
production of this sort that differed
materially from any other of it's kind?
Forced. lacking in originality and ac-
ton, filled with the sickly sentiment
that we have forbidden our daughters
to read in the works of the Duchess
and Laura Jean Libey. the passing of
the costume play cannot be deeply
mourned by anyone.
W. H. Crane. Henry Miller, John
Drew, Wilton Lackaye. Herbert KeI-
cey, James *. Hackett, William Fayer-
sham, E. II. Sothern. E. S. Willard
and Robert Mantell are actors far too
clever for the narrow confines of such
pieces, and the sooner they can be re-
signed to leaving them, the better it
will be for American art A real artist
does not need pads and patches to draw
audiences, and the value of play can
not always be measured by the length
of the line in front of the box office
window.
Do not understand for an instant that
in this arraignment are included all
productions of historical order
Nothing of the kind is intended A
good play is a good play. whether set
in the nineteenth century or the six
teenth: but bad play is also a bad
play, in either of the times mentioned
The argument is that there is no rea-
son why a production that could never !
reach favor through Its own worth
should do so by the time in which it |
has been placed. Such state of affairs
was and is lamentable and cannot last
long.
And now that we have prepared to
speed the parting, how shall we vel |
come the coming guest? Who will be |
the next visitor: or, In palmer words. |
what will be. the next epoch of the |
American drama? Personally, / am in |
clined to think that the trend will be
toward extreme fidelity to nature.
When one thing is left for another. the
two are generally wide apart in class,
in stage affairs where a
success in either leads to such a num-
Der of limitations that we soon become
surfeited and wish for something en-
tirely different. The true art of the
Iheater is that which gives us life as
It is. We may not yet be ready for