The times., 1898-05-08

that fits him perfectly. Though not
romantic actor in the truest sense OF the
word, he speaks the brOgue and blarney
OF the piece with zeal and earnestness-
He is a magnetic player. has musical
voice and stage presence that could not
be materially hurt by a costume that
probably set ajar the nerves of every
woman in the audience. With daShing,
gallant. imDudent sort OF a rake like
o Malley, the star can do quite as much
as with his former line of parts, and
there is absolutely no reason in the world
why the piece should not prove one OF
the gigantic successes OF next season.
John Drew is either afflicted with the
most malignant taste that ever fell TO
the lot of man or else he is possessed
with an unusual realization of his own
deficiencies. Anyone who knows Mr..
Drew personally and has ever seen him
locked up in a room with his six by
ten nose and large and healthy opinion
of his own Importance will have no
trouble in deciding which of these Is
really to blame for the wretched plays
he has presented in the last few years.
Not since that maudlin example of cheap
sentiment, THE Butterflies has this
actor brought out a single piece that
might be an acquisition To anything
more valuable than a schoolgirls col
lection of dramatized dime novels. Rose
mary was a reasonably good play. but
pleasing in it required something more
/ than the ability TO languish romantically,
swear prettily and twirl ones mustache,
and, therefore Mr.. Drew made such a
botch of the whole matter that one grew
sick long before the second act was over
1 and either went to sleep or hunted up
the services of a physician.
One Summers Day" which has achiev-
ed the distinction of being more con-
! demned than any other comedy ever
written. is the latest example of ridicu-
| lous and mawkish tonmy-rot to which
/ his narrow limitations of mind and abii-
/ ity have confined Mr.. Drew. The pro-
! duction is altogether lacking in dramatic
! essence and is so totally without the
] qualifications of success that one cannot
conceive how any human being with a
! fair amount of change and common
] sense could sit through the performances
/ The piece is made up of trite epigrams
and callow philosophy. of monotonous
artificiality and TGudlin sentiment. Of
| Inconsistencies anG improbability, of
/ three hayStacks, basket of lunch and
fiat boat that is moved without diff
| Guilty by means of a single puHting oar.
4 IC also contains several impossible gyD-
sizes. small and dirty urchin who has
absolutely nothing to do with what ac-
ton the story has. and two love stories
that differ in their degree of TidicuIe
only when the hero of one becomes child
ishly and boyishly pIeasing-which is
very seldom.
Mr. Esmond. who has the effrontery to
| claim originality for his work, may be
and doubtless is a very capable fellow
/ his press agent says so-but he does not
know the first principles OF pIaywriting
His dialogue is heavy and graceless his
/ ideas conventional and poorly expressed
/ and his constructive ability decisive only
/ in it's shortcomings. One could not like
foolish schoolgirl who idIed all day in
I hay field and talked nonsense. but that
q man who Is big enough and old enough
( TO know better should do such things is
/ inexcusable.
The one thing that makes It possible
/ to relent a little toward Mr. Drew is in
/ the knowledge that ne cannot do any
/. better. He can only act when imperson-
ating a gentleman. and fails miserabiy
when trying 10 seem anything else that
appears not to come natural The one
/. bit Of simple emotional work ne is forced
TO do in "One Summers Day becomes
perfectly farcical in his hands Mr.. Drew
I. IS an Internal bore and his play has on
+. ly one mcrit-its brevity.