New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-09-13

bouquet concealed epoch,
Recky's conquest of Lord Steyne is foreshadowed,
los Sedleys absurd ecoentricties and foolish pro
c.edines are comcaliy displayed; the gambling
,-icks of Becky and Rawdon are shown and
s,,rhasized: and the solemn effect of hilarious
festivities suddenly broken. and held in a chill OF
anguish suspense. and dismay. by the opening
roar OF the cannon Of Waterloo is superbly created
nv the time the second curtain falls George Os-
horne Is dead. Amelia has rejected the faithful
Dohhin and Becky is reigning IN her pretty little
ror6on house. in Curzon ST. heset with duns and
ANTIQUITIES. and comes the tragedy OF the
a6venturess. Act third containing TWO scenes,
shows that Becky has cheated and swndled one
~ her husbands guests and that her iniquty has
,ocn discovered. and then II depicts her making
compact with Lord Steyrc. TO grant him a
rrivate meeting If he will pay her debts. She lies
- her husband; she meanly connives az his arrest
sAe makes ready for utter perdition; and In most
painful and shocking scene. she is. suddenly over
..kcu by the stroke Of exposure which Is reirihu-
tive fate The climax is a burst Of horrible
.vsterlcs Of mingled anger. shame delirium and
sespair. Mrs F1ske. radiant with physical beauty
and with saurical pleasantly throughout the
Greater part of the performance.-was magnificent
., this juncture. causing brea thless suspense. and
thinning the sympathetic response that true and
deer emotion. adequately uttered. always gives TO
Natural passion and authentic power
A. usual there IS the ethical question. and OBJ
sryers who look below the surface likely to ask
ubcther q vas worth while 10 put Becky Sharp on
,hs stage As to that point opinions will differ
y- Mitchell has made a good acting play and Mrs
I-iske has given great Improvisation OK intrinsic
.ore5noss fraueht with the obvious and perfect
-. Confessional moral that evil Is hideous and is
-,sestincd 10 ultimate failure. There Is. however
sreeter way OF doing good than the way Of show
&C. .re vice which should be Stunned. and that Is
go u.av Of showing the virtue which should be
o,,,.,a.ei People are better and happier for pass
,,- an hour with DIT Primrose than for passing an
so,r with Iago But good can be dramatically
sb.Or only by contrast with evil, and tho great
%, ~ writer's. with Shakespeare at their head.
have always presented that contrast. The essen
,i,l thing As the manner OF the presentment The
.,bicsl defect Of Mr.. Mitchels play is that its
,,rt+s are low and It's shadows heavy. Viewed
.ota, reproduction OF Vanity Fair It might as
well be- called Sally Blunt" as Becky Sharp
IN ,he novel human nature IS shown at It's best
ss WEI as It's worst. Even Becky,-liar, thief,
.winder. impostor. presumptive adulteress, IN
prncipled and corrupt.-is endowed with traits
cha, nals redeem her depravity: she is good
rstured bNthe buoyant brilliant. seductive, and.
~ occasion she Is capable OF kindness. In the
,,av-a,though she helps TO unite Amelia and Dob
lin hv exposing the fraudulent character OF tho
..lu,el Goorge.-Becky Is scarcely anything more
-fan the unrelieved incarnation OF vicious, re-
guls.vo aggressive selfshness The subduing effect
Of perfectly natural surroundings, such as are
given "a the novel, are lacking in tho play, and
this helps 10 make Beckys baseness more conspicu-
Gus Nery OF tho persons associated with her In
the original are excluded. and those that are re-
.sined are necessarily, much modified. Dobbn and
Amelia iu particular.-one Of the noblest OF men
and one of the sweetest Of women,-dwindle into
wooden Images Old Osborne and his daughters.
Oh sedlcy and his wife, the gallant O'Dcwd and
HIS glorious Peggy the bold McMurdo the Rev.
Butte Craw'ey. scheming Mrs. Butte Chat paragon
o. r~orrety and superserviceabe zeaD and James.
whose pipe IS put out" IN one OF Theckerays
most delicious scenes OF character and humor, are
among the many cherished acQuaintances that Go
ro- appear AT all Becky predominates,-the SYM
bo' 70 worldly wickedness; wrong because she
canr0. help T.: sometimes wshful to he right; hope
lesslv cutanged; driven from bad to worse. and.
QUITE unconsciously. living appeal 10 human pity.
WITH reference 70 bad men and women It Is, Of
course always TO he remembered that evil as well
as good is elemental IN nature. and that evil as
VEL as good exists and fourlshes according to the
operation Of heredty education and environment.
The tiger is born a tiger. the lamb IS born
lamb. and neither Of them Is in any way response
bic for the fact Of birth. There may be such
thing total dopravty hut. ~ so t is form
NJ insanity A. rule. no human being exists
whose nature docs not contain some grains Of good
ress The universal obligation. accordingly Is that
Of charity. That obligation. and that alone Is sug-
sest,a as a final result, by the stage presentment
of The character OF Becky Sharp Persons may be
s,uratheuc in books who would not be sympa-
thetic I'm actual nfe and persons who would not be
SYN. athetic r actual life never he made SYM
pathetic on the stage. Becky Sharp on paper, can
u. admired and even liked nothing could be more
delicious than Becky. when discomfting such a
nor-ous ass as Lady Bareacres. but Rocky Sharp.
actually in the flesh. visible and understood would
evoke 10 liking hut only comminCled dstrust. con
s,ernston. aversion and sorrow. Becky is spark
Ing and dangerous little Bohemian. reckless ~
consequences and possessed Of tremendous Will.
She kr 1ws the world. knows human nature knows
how good people and weak people and foolish peo-
Ie are certain 10 act under an sorts ~ circup-
'4rcee and she uses that knowledge % make her
way % worldly success She expends prodieious
fncrsy within a narrow field. overreaches herself
and riserabiy fails The dramatist. causing her 70
play with loaded dice ana converting Rawdon
Crauley into car6-sharper. has made criminals
o. them both and has involved them in imminent
peril and thereupon he has represented Becky as
wiling 20 obtain pecunlary assistance and personal
Immunity by 2 surrender in which there is not
even tho preence Of passion 10 the degrading suit
n Tho profigato Steyne Such a woman Is worse /
than q nrofessed wanton. and this woman is the /
more dospicahly guilty because she Is a traitor 10
her husband who really loves her, well as 70
everybody else And then comes the catastrophe /
when Rawion Crawley. having escaped from cap |
i',i'y SURPRISES his wife IN the glitterng. terrible
tragi,a Midnight scene with her infatuated para
nour This climax has been contrived with great
ski. and This IS the supreme moment " the drama.
All that follows seems splritoss and tame. In the /
LAST art Becky Aeeces Jos Sedley, the Fat epicure.
imroses on SIR Pitt Crawley, The foolish prig. and
'an.shos as "a demure hypocrite. intent 10 prosper |
~ preceding to be pious. So Thackeray himself |
left her, in his charming letter that came TO light /
lasi year Mrs Crawley." he said now lives in a |
small bay very pretty house IN Belerayia and Is
conspicuous FOR her numerous charities. which al
ways get into the newspapers. and her unaffected /
pie'y Many 81 the most exalted and spotless Of /
her Own sex visit her and OF opinion that she /
IS most injured woman
Mrs Fiskes impersonaion Of Becky Sharp re-
'ealed q distinct ideal and It remarkable for .
rs physical es well mental brilliancy Its clear /
and pure verbal utterance. and its splendid energy
. sustained vet thoroughly concealed. artistic