The Philipsburg mail., 1899-07-21
THE BOUCICAULTS
SON WHO NOW PERPETUATES
DlON'S NAME.
All His Children Talented-Austrnlas In sin
Is Fond of Them-Nina BOucicault Is
Great Favorite on the London
stage To-day.
Especial letter.

30 the youth OF the present genera
tion among playgoers the name OF Dion
Boucicauit is associated with the rep
utation of the son. and, though the
name may recall memories of strong
melodrama, to what few IS given the
power to picture the face within its
silvery setting" Of the elder man! To
those who are older and in whose
mind there fingers yet the production
Of his pen. anything which would con-
meet the reputation of the dead drama
tist with the grace and cleverness of
his defendants is not unendowed with
interest.
Boucicault was Irish--he was born
in Dublin on Boxing day, 1S22-which
accounts for much in his career. Edu-
Gated at University college. London, ne
began his extraordinary busy career
at the age of 19 and in the course of
nearly half century Qs41-1SsO he
produced no fewer than 14O pieces.
The best known of the series Is THE
Colleen Bawn," produced in 1860. "The
Octoroon," beloved by modern ANA
teurs, appeared in the following year.
while "The Shaughraun" was not writ
ten till 1875 Boucicault was the ia
vorite dramatst of Queen Victoria, who
went to see The Colleen Bawn" two
or three times, and to this day his best
work retains an extraordinary hold
. on the provincial and colonial audi
ences.
INT hnI Il civ
left a remarkably clever family, who
still amuse us. Rarely indeed has a
clever man so perpetuated the essence
of his brain as in this case of Dion
Boucicault. There is son an actor.
there is a son dramatist, ard there
is also a charming daughter whose
grace the public cherishes. The wheels
of chance have given to the brothers
Dion and Aubrey a twin success, since
Dion Boucicault and Arthur Chudleigh
have produced Aubrey Boucicault's
play, "A Court Scandal" at the Court
theater, London-an adaptation from
the French by Aubrey Boucicault and
Osmond Shillingford. Miss Nina Bou-
cicault presents the latest Lavender in
Sweet Lavender" and surely her per-
formance is as refreshing as the flower
Is sweet Thus, with the present mem
bers of the family as public favOrites
their popularity is not girded by the
island seas, since in Australia and In
New Zealand Dion Boucicault formed
| the guiding spirit OF the Brough and
Boucicault company.
| So long as the drama wields a GER
tain influence in Australasia the name
of Dion Boucicault will be pleasantly
recalled, and it is by those only who
are acquainted with the monstrous
companies which tour the colonies that
the immense work this son of Dion
Doucicault accomplished for the cause
of the drama in the southern hemis-
phere can be properly appreciated. II
would seem but very, very recently
that American and British managers
have thought it necessary to send COM
panies of even moderate excellence to
New Zealand. 1t is almost four years
since Dion Boucicault visited New Zea-
! land; to him those years have brought
success in London, but for quite two
years after his farewell there was, in
deed, blank page in the histrlonic
history of Maoriland. There was a
time when the Brough- -Boucicault com
pany accepted the November race week
in Christ church as their opening, and
their arrival in that dull center of CO.
lonial life was heralded as an event
But with the return of Dion Boucicault
to London the soul and spirit of the
company became extinguished. The
company that was is now known by
another name. To the colonials il
will never be again what DOT" made
it.
AS an actor Dion BOucicault fills has
capacity and the faculty which per
mits him to identify himself with al
the minor-the more important, in the
d-idiosyncrasies of the character
which he Is assuming, so that, sinking
his individuality in his art, his study
becomes the more absorbing since il
~