New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-05-20
IRISH THEATRES AND AUDIENCES.
sCNE INCIDENTS OF THE DRAMA THAT
HAVE BECOME CLASSIC
From The Sketch

From The Sketch.
The The iTiah IN, theatre is EPglish That's bull but it
2lthough the day may be at hand when, by the
their allies the English theatre win be irish
The irish theatres, however, quite different
They are essentially Irish. and everybody who
knows ANYTHING knows that the Irish are Ike eggs
good or bad except those that IRE Indifferent and
again, that IS characteristically Irish.
IRISH audiences, however, are all good An irish
IN the world YET do they differ in different paTt Of
the country even does the country itself
How closely an Irish audience viii take an actor
into is affections has been shown conspicuously
thar n me case OF the deightf2I John Lawrence
Icole Wno Wlen ne crossed the Channel used To be
dubbed O.Tooie. and converted for the nonce into
or the other towns approaching the first impor-
lance theatrcally Waterford has an interest OF its
own inasrnqch as II IS the only municipal theatre
bouse low casej the @Teg on which Mimic If
Is depicted approxnates 10 the scene where the
most acute realities OF our existence are evolved
who had been rehearsing in 4 comedy left the
.,-raS - 49, -, ~, 80. - ,.iiS - paSsIes or
~ found man being tried capital charge
certainly was a case in point.
When al is said and done. however, Dublin is
which clusters especially round the Theatre Royal
name though the present building was at one time
known as he Leinster Hall. During recent years
however. The Royal has been pressed in the race
for popularity by the Gaietv Theatre.
Ta historian will tell you that the first theatre In
James Shirley In Werburger-st. but was shut by
mother injustice 70 Ireland
n 1863 Shirley opened the smock Alley Theatre
IN ri = EsSsS-st. there among o. her
Famous actors. John Philip Kernble appeared That
9gS t as Was ever % roi,Sh@a15 ~ an s s5
encc by a tragedlan. The musicians struck. as
fer saares renamed unpaid Thev declared they
would pag no more 30 ma a eyening unless they re-
I-i play myself, d" said the manager who. I'M
-ae .eadinE pa7t in ''ofheilo XII made ap for the
,8r- ne 'ef- -fe stage lent into -l,a o-ohae+ -ooI
! MI Will
the carpenters were setting the scene after which
he resumed MS representation Of the noble Moor.
Of t. display has furnished uarehearsed sources
OF laughter and Of interest not set down in the bill
even TO tho detrinent Of the argument Of the play
-0ltns at the back OF the gallery INDUCED as Irish
youths viii. in free fight. When they were parted
an elevated plane Of upifted hands was carried TO
q man sitting in the front row and was held sus-
was hushed IN patient or impatient. expectation Of
shout from the other side Of the gallery Don't
waste him. Pat, Kill fiddler wild i'm Il was an
instinct Of that peculiarly economical characteristic
of me nation which never wastes anything except
Another night and the play ended with the dis
appearance Of the evil genius through ire stage into
slow music. Unhappily something happened to the
zap and Try as the men below would they + could i
heaven. Nike cried a youth in an ecstasy of JOY
his comrade, there Is hope for US for the pit
Nor are modern audiences less denonstratfve
than those composed Of their torefathers It was
not so lOnS ago. Wnen the Ee0son company was
playing IN Dublin that Mr. Benson received an al
together unexpected tribute his talent IN most
startling fashion. The scene was when CoTtOlanus
10 The citizens 70 ask for their vote Sud
denly huge cabbage. thrown from The gallery
hIIrtleG through the air and fell n his feet. He
picked Il and gave I 10 the hungry mob. which
tore il 70 pieces 70 discover within its heart q
green SASH with pendent 3ewel. L was the
offering Of some enthusiastic shakespearian who
had taken this novel method Of presenting II 70 the
actor When At the close Of the act, Mr. Benson
appeared IN front Of the curtain wearing the gift
the applause rsdoubfed. and for days people de-
clared me actor had become a member Of snme
secret society