The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-08
DRAMATIC OBSERVATION.
riCrS REPUTE THE THEORY OF TIE
STAGE,S DEGKNERACY

Inc Dudhooo ou"ooA ioi tho ucaucs tnis SEQ
son Is bright Inc general prosperity OF the
country seems sure 10 provide more than tho usual
amount of money TO spend for diversions The
disposition to be amused by stage performances
has grown steadily among all sorts OF people,
especially those who formerly held the playhouse
In taboo The average OF theatrical manage
mcut has responded TO the better requirements
Of ihr audiences happily increasing demand
lu' r'uStlc acting and Intellectual plays has met
WITH supply which, II not quito adequate, Is
TAT aud away more nearly satisfactory than ever
hloir. A capuous and careless writer in the
iHas2sndem declares that "our theatre has with :
drawn from art andlbecomo mere commercial
speculation" No such thing is true II he
had said simply that me managers are all try
lns t. make money out on art nc Wouio nave stated
tie ease at Its worst ana me worst Is not bad.
Tie papabie truth being that there Is wider
GhG reader sale Tor good IMAM bad dramauc ART
III has come TO this' says 'he capuous one mat
decent admirers OF the art OF acung arc holding
h,u' from the theatre. which Is not 80 at oil,
a. be would find out II he were to see what's being
done un the stage. and to observe the character
Ui the people who are enjoying 1t Nor Is 1t true
that 81 many foul things are dumped upon the
local boards that to merely lisp their names would
pass the bounds OF patience" Let us see about
that Nineteen new plays were produced in
Sew York theatres last month. Two OF them
were adaptations OF Indecent French farces Two
were cxtravaBanzaS containing reprehensiblo
nudity in their displays Of women and very
little !mmodesty in some OF the spoken matter.
Not one Of the other fifteen answers in any degree
70 the description which the reckless maligner
applies to the general output Among them
are the compositions OF such authors as Anthony
liu,c Arthur W. lhueto and Jerome X. Jerome,
while they include dramauzauons from Dickens
and Thackcray and the literary average Is not
lowered TO anything like degradation by the rest
oi the lot Nor was this september an e&cep-
uona month in its good average grade. The
old plays In New York use constituted Just as
agreeable an exhibit There is deplorable stuff
on our stage, but tho amount OF II Is relatively
small The durable prosperity OF wholesome
Plays In contrast with the cPhemeral value Of
Unwhocsome ones proves that most OF our peo-
pie who go To theatres are all right and that
the lndspendenfS magner is all wrong
\ long credit mark for decency has TO be made
opposite William H. Cranes name every time he
brlngs out new play. Peter Stuyvesant" tho
only important stage disclosure last week. was
quite clear OF blushable offence No piece this
season has caused so much contrariety OF 1udg-
mcnt among the reviewers mo difference OF
opinon in the general audiences has been less
evenly divided, the tendency being much more
favorable The faults OF tho composition are
such as TO eXaspcrate tho expert observer. be-
cause they are crudties such as Brander Mat
thews and Bronson Howard should not be guilty
a In literature and stagecrat II is weak to an
Hmateurish degree. Mr. Matthews does not mako
his personages talk in the New York manner OF
two hundred years ago Mr.. Howard does not
maze them do things imprcssiveIy. On the
other hand, there is charm OF freedom from
papabe ar,ihce in much that goes on and 80
the lack Of iuIeby rule strength is not altogether
weakness IN the estimation OF majority OF
peope AS 70 MI franc poi"a''uro Oh mo
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Po''o''e0 P%'Son0HS when
0''' "'a' 'A0u''' 'u' ho' apo'ish
me e&uaFagant romantic ideas OF girls just
IN 'h"ir teens are amusingly depicted in My
lnnocen' Boy" last weeks new farce Those
VINO have read Sarah Grand's Beth Book" would
ENJOY 'ihs In the farce girls boarding school
Is shown' and all the pupils arc ultra sentimental
4Hry are so enamored OF good-looking male
ta'her that study or anything else Is impossible
ne! adore the singing master. who. tho play
Icing taTce Is not really one. and knows moth
''e ABOUT music lie asks the girls TO sing z"
WV" '"TS say mat 'ney nave never seen
,,,,, 800 nc r"p'',,r' 'n"' ~ 10 MS peounar