The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-03-11
DRAMATIC OBSERVATION.
RETIVAL OF THE STOCK CON-
PAW SYSTEM IN MANY CITIES.

.erm to want one. The organized actors In the
smploy Of the Empire. Lyccum and Days are
mt s,url : In the old fashioned meaning of the
tenn. winch implied changes OF plays weekly or
ot,rnrI. Tho Frohmans and DAILY put pieces on
with the hope and effort to keep them there
dnripg long terms. While 1t is truo that DAILY
hos neglcnt recourse to Miss Rehan's roper.
tory Of familiar roles and Is compelled to shift
trom ono TO another frequently. no devotos his
te.ourrcs rs far as possible TO producing things
"for a ruu." \ production by Charles Froh-
man Is hnrdly regarded rs a success unless IL
i.srs Lalf "A season at least. and Daniel Froh.
man brings out new matter at not much less
nrotra,trl intervals. The opera season at the
American Is conducted ON the former stock
plsn. but the only dramatic undertaking of that
hind within years here was tho ono which
failed last season at the Murray Hill. But.
while wc nrc disposed to reject the stock cont
psny a. an obsolete institution. 1t has obtained
a fresh vogue in cities as large as Boston, Phila-
delulia and Chicago. There are moro than
twenty in existence now and the disbandments
are more than e~qunlled by the formations. In
most cases the newest obi ainablo plays are
u,cd, and such material is eagerly sought among
The pieces that hnvo run their course with trav-
SLING casts. The average OF talent Is quite
equal to that of tho local companies Of thirty
years agu, and, although there Is no demand at
XII for Shakespeare, the selections Of modern
material are such as to betokcn generally re-
spectacle taste in the audiences. Or course
those who have longed for n return of palIny
DAY methods. Tho bringing out of "A play every
Monday means u necessarily ,hasty and slovcn-
" performance, as compared with adequately
prepared representations given by the com
panies on tours. The faults of unsuitable
casts md scenic makeshifts glare extensively at
he auditor accustomed to better things. Moth
Ing else than tho cheapncss of the current stock
entertainments renders them prosperous. They
.Aa a. nm IA IA M n nnaf hmm thn
tourist companies entail. However, they give
q full moneys worth Of diversion, as q rule, and
theatrical business. Here In New York the de.
mand for novelty is paramount. II we pay at
ten'ton to occurrences OF plays at moderate
we insist that they be acted and mounted much
more Adequately than can be done remunera-
lively for q single week.
Authorities may say that the red light In the
pky on Monday night came from the reflection
OF q fire at Fort Lee, or from an aurora borealis,
but the audience in the Grand Opera House
knows exactly what caused 1t. Elita P.aOtis
Is acting there In oliver Twist" and when
ever that happens the western skies are lurid.
Two years ago at the American Miss Otis en-
acted Nancy, and the North River ran red for
several weeks after. But 1t was the sky on
Monday night that proclaimed her presence to
the public. Anybody who doubts Miss Otis's
power to incarnadine q region round about
when she is murdered in mimicry need only sec
the tragedy. 1t Is such q bloody dissipation as
has hardly been seen on the stage outside of
''0liver Twist" for many n day. The fact that
Matilda Heron. Fanny Davenport, and other
actresses painted Nancy red has been taken by
Miss Otis as good enough authority, but wheth-
er that be the conventional manner or not. 1t Is
no longer the best. If the part were now treat,
cd In every Dartipulnr inst M ~ urao a - q n VI
the performance would be no more acceptable,
according to the moro artistic modern ideas,
than Miss otiss carmine paint is. Her acting
Is 80 fine in other particulars that it should not
be damaged by this touch of realism. Here is a
lghthearted Nancy. with the comedy cle-
enjoys them. In her scene with the gin bottle,
and in the encounter with Fa0in, she is very
that Miss Otis is above ali things a Coincidence,
She indicates NarcYs feeling of suspense and
her pFem on of tho murder definitely
acting in A serious roles Gould doubt fSp its hsr effect;
but ii is with humor that her best results have
She played tLadu Gag Spanker in the w est
II5st ! part H:1i nance dgSssiii.. over tS st st the Hs5 Murray Htns "
does, for she was dreadfully in earnest. with
fate i, imTRRenaing inesorably; But Miss Otis does
with FnHin, AS well as every other one that
approached %subtlety, Is likely to meet with un-
sympathetic snickers from the gallery. There
are occasional points where some of the specta-
tors quite, fail to distinguish between the
I ~ tb ana the n wrong emotion. But as a whole
and It is diticult enough certainly to follow
NE changes Of scene and Situation. Charles
deserves an me Commendation that " ever got.
Hnafies DANDY Is better MS the Artfn,l Dodger
man ne was IN burles,que, and his cockney dia-
lect sounds delightfully."- genuine.
Evidently the actors are not the only persons
who feel that there are too many benefit per.
fornanccS given now in New York. The public
seems to be growing tired. Tho benefit at the
Metropolitan Opera yesterday afternoon Is not
the first that has been witnessed by q small
audience. Few offer more attractive pro-
grammes. William Parry, for whom the enter.
amen was given has been associated with the
operate stage in New York for many years, and
among the artists who had volunteered to ap.
pear yesterday were Pol Piancun, Clementine de
we're, David Bispham. and many others. Not
all OF them were at the theatre. and tho
most notable instance OF that laxness which
prompts popular performers to lend their
names when they have no idea of APP
pearinG was Mr.. Bispham. There were
several others who failed to sing or act. but
mere was an ample programme without them.
,aWi!e GArvillc, Dorothy Morton, Iiilda
'lark, Walter Jones. Joseph O'Mara. and Je.
rome Sykes were some of the other PARTICIPANTS,
aha there was no defect in tho list of artists TO
EaScohnt for tho wretchedly small audience.
ne attendance could not have been smaller il
-SemiFamide" had been the bill. The
weather. was too attractive outside or
le ,afnir had been too hurriedly pre-.
pared or the public is tired of benefits. One or
Oh OF these causes mny have kept the public
iOrs vas very small and Mr.. Parry must have
ueneii"d but slightly. II seemed n pity that
soN'c "t the performers should have been vast.
sons.
Fol Plan on sang two Of his most popular
tei"ctLnns, and Ciementine de We're sing nd.
nTahy The aria from 4" Linda dR Chanounix,"
mh,,N whe latrIy revived with such brilliancy
pl Maf,cilt @cmbrich nj the Metropolitan con.
s1ettS', ilchard Carroll, GustRvus York, Memo
rs AdHLnH, Burke and Anlrus. Charles
ianhS, Frank Cell, the Bo,sey sistcrs-no
i,lShi The irnsey children Joseph Sheehan,
mhl u" entire company from tho Broad.
WY THEATRE, were other actors on the
Ito.l 7nIu", Tie scgOnd act Of The Highway
'I9l, VS. Jung and the performance was not
.lN eN'"n.ed, hut more agreeable than the av-
.Ishr h%rncfi. Few Of these have The co0pera-
E.on "i such artists u, Pol piancOn and Mile. DE
ere l"r Instance. But tho public wa, so little
|, .'",lui Nv This list that il must he weary OF
"W'NI performances. The public. moreover.
actors have.