The record-union., 1898-01-23


The first production of stage work
before a metropolitan audience settles
its career one way or the other With
almost infallible certainty. Mr. Boucl-
cault, who used to analyZe his own
works mercilessly, calculating ounce
by ounce the weight of each of the ele-
ments which he had joined together,
was unable to the very last of his long
and active life to accurately gauge the
value of his completed plays. Several
years after the great success of 1.-THE
Shaughraun,' he wrote another Irish
play, which he called THE Oma
dhaun.' This play was read to me in
London, afterward going over each
scene separately, pointing out the eff
fects he desired to reach and display
ing the varying qualities and materials
as they appeared to his skilled eye.
He brought this Irish drama to Amer
lea, and produced it at the Boston Mu-
scum, with whose patrons he was held
in the highest possible favor. "The
Omadhaun" was an absolute failure,
demonstrating as clearly as any other
example within my remembrance the
utter impossibility of foretelling the
fate Of a stage presentation.
The rule here indicated is evidently a
good one, since it at least fulfills the
requirement of working both ways. it
is as impossible to tell in advance
what play will not succeed as it is to
pick out the one that will be vastly
successful. Augustus Thomas gave
Alabama" into the hands of A. NJ.
Palmer for production, and that CON-
n in
hearsal and taken out again no less
than six times before the first per-
formance was finally given Even
then Alabama" was put on purely as
a stop-gap, to take the place of a
failure that had gone before it. The
extensive and continued success of Mr..
Thomas play of Southern life is well
remembered.
The history of the stage in this and
other countries is replete with Incl
dents such as the two here recalled.
and all going to show that there is no
such thing as unfailing judgment on
the part Of playwright.
Miss Olga Nethersole is another Of
the English actors who come to Amer
lea and find that they like it well
enough to come again. Her present
tour is her third in this country. and
since she came for the first time her
own country has not seen much of her
Like most actresses who regard them
selves as emotional she cannot be re-
strained from playing Camille" Pro-
badly ii is not her fault, for the Amer
lean theater- going public, especially the
feminine half of if, seems firmly at
tached to that cheerful drama. As
Miss Nethersole's marriage gement
has just been announced it may be that
she Will not be seen on the stage so
frequently in the future as she has
been in the past.
The London Daily Mali revives the
agitation to abolish an arbitrary and
obsolete restriction which has hitherto
prevented Londoners from hearing
works like Saint Saens' Samson ct
Dalila," Rubinstein's "Maccabees, and
Goldmarck's Queen of Sheba." at
seems hard to imagine" saws the
Mail" that anybody could take ex-
ception TO the fact that characters from
ancient history-who were nowise di-
vine in any of their attributes-shou
be the motive of a work of art" In
Germany such performances are per-
nlitted so long as the Savior himself
is not introduced as an acting char
acter on the stage. Rubinstein's
"Christus" was forbidden at Breslau
not long ago with reference ito this law
of censorship.
There is a general impression thar
musical critics would rather find fault
with than praise a performance There
may be such, but the normal critic is
always delighted when he can write
about an artist whom ii is almost alb
surd to criticise because. though he
may make an error, 1t is nearly always
an accident and not likely to occur
again. PaderewskF is such an artist
The De ResZke brothers are two more
The leading critics Of London recently
gave expression TO their feelings of
gratitude and admiration in a testi-
mOniaJ to these two artists which Is
worth repriting. even though ii does
not dwell on what is perhaps the great
est moral and esthetic trait of these
singers-their refusal ever, under any
circumstances, TO make any concession
| to vulgar taste: To the brothers Jean
and Edouard de Reszke: To the great
artists. who have ever upheld the dig
nifty Of their profession and enioyed
the confidence and respect of the pub
| lie. To the men whom success has
failed TO enervate. and abounding
! honors to deprive of manly modesty
To the vocalists in whom survive tha
traditions of a glorious past, and
through whom the succession OF all
that is illustrious in their art has con-
tinued to the present hour. To the
| lyric actors who have given substance
and vitality to creatures of Imagination,
and made them live in sight and men,
| ory We whose names are hereto ap-
pended. being musical journalists in
London. desire TO offer the homage Of
our admiration and MISUNDERSTANDING
ton of brilliant talents. gratitude for
high example. and the rare delight of
perfected art
New York Post: Some of the London
newspapers and a great number Of
| simple minded actors have allowed
themselves to get very much excited
over what has all the appearance Of
| being deliberate self-adveriising
scheme on the part OF periodical and
| newspaper. The latter has delivered
/ himself of some violent and campra-
! hensive remarks upon theatrical life
/ in general--some of them true. some
| greatly exaggerated, and some wholly
/ faise-and the periodical has published
| them r. the hone that they would at
tract attention and excite angry dis
| cussion. In the first pace. the op.n-
/ ions on this subject of the authority
! quoted are of no value, being self-con-
| trajectory and n mere rehaSb ~ -