The Washington times., 1901-11-10
THE PASSING SHOW.


ances, writes Mrs. Fiske. She continues;
1T would require n psychologist to il
| lustrate and analyze the temperamental
| phenomena that a first night develops.
| "One actor is stimulated by the excite
| ment OF first performance to do his
best, and all the eonditions of such an
| event seem to insnife his most artistic
| efforts. On the other hand another actor
| is depressed by the excitement of such
| an event and fails utterly to develop in
| a character those attributes that study.
apihty, and purpose may have promised.
! The writer belongs to the latter unfor-
! tuhate class, and has passed thrOuS n
strange experiences in consequence
/ To the player unhappily affected on the
! hrst night the conditions seem to be alb
I normal, and they are destructive of con-
ndence and are weight on the spirit
/ The excitement the preliminary hurry
! the worry over things that may so wrong.
| and the general nervousuess-for even the
/ players who pass through the ordeal sue
/ cessfully are themselves nervous before
/ the play begins-all these things have a
dispiriting, benumbing and depressing ef-
fect- Are this depression and its con-
! Comltants the results of weakness OF ar
I tlstlc character, or are they due to mo-
mentary confusion of the artistic seust-
! blllties which, in favorable circumstances,
/ prove the possession of a higher type OF
artistic character? The player who on
/ first night may be rendered inefficient by
/ the peculiar Influences of the occasion,
. may subsequently snow the very btSl
I that is in him. Thus the temporary
/ weakness must be accidental rather than
a characteristic fault.
Some of us, as has been said. are
spurred to the most effective action by
the excitement of first performance,
while others are, as it were, driven into
the shell with a dominant desire tc have
the task at hand finished soon as pos
sible and dulled almost to unconcern as
to the manner in which the task shall be
accomplished; With one or two excep-
tfons |. myself, at my New York perform
ances have on first nights emerged with
personal sense of failure that has been
confirmed by critical opinion, no matter
how fortunately that first-night made
quacy may have been made up for In sub
sequent performances. And an impress
sion of failure either partial CT absolute.
has far-reaching consequences, no matter
( how quickly or how thoroughly 1t may be
dissipated by success in the same play.
at first it in some measure involves all
concerned, from the leading player to the
humblest, and from the management and
the author to the critics, even the faireSt
and the best equipped of whom cannot be
expected to hang about a theatre night
after night until favoTing circumstances
and the spirit OF chief player and the
spirits OF supporting players combine Tor
triumph and an audience acclaims it of
course, there is much that may be said
TO excuse the occasional failure of the
critic rightly to interpret the poSSlDl1-
ties Of a player on the first night. 1t sell
dom happens that those critics whose
opinions are first seen by the public can
witness the whole of q play before writ
ing It and commencing or condemning it.
And few critics. like few judges, will re-
verse their original opinions.
The prophecies of first night, in most
cases made honestly, often are shown to
be absolutely false. My most interesting
experience in proof of this was concerned
with the presentation of the play. Mag
this play in New York. but persisted in
my resolve to present its Several of the
most prominent newspapers declined to
herald 1t, and most of the newspapers,
by the way, connenlned its performance
and righteously, l may add, from the
frst-night viewpoint. As l had expected,
the audience to Witness the production
was small, and 1t protected that indefina-
BILE influence characteristic of many first
night audiences-6 chilling influence flow
ing from concrete determination that
II should not like the Performance. The
apathy and lack of sympathy in the aud
ience were quickly communicated to the
actors. The performance was dull. stupid,
and from popular viewpoint. failure.
The play was performed for two weeks.
For several nights the original dull
ness was continued. Suddenly there came
a night of electrical. and warming tri-
umph and that still! before small body
of auditors. From that night the aud
fences grew in size and waxed In enthu-
siasm TO the end of the run of the play
which closed TO an oyerHowing. ardently
demonstrative audience. 1t may be inter
know that the greatest success the writer
has ever known in her stage career was
experienced at this final performance of
.Magda. And this. although that plas
Is almost unknown in my repertoire.
THE first performance In New York of
Tess of the D'Urbervilles' was. in effect.
n failure. But success came afterward.
On the first night of Becky Sharp the
performance was unsatisfactory. and the
last act of that play was received with
no understanding Of it. with little inter
est, and with the slightest favor Later
in the season 1t became the best and most
entertaining act of the play. and yet
nothing in 1t that would explain this fact
had been changed. 1t is only that the
subtle something that vitally influences a
performance and its effect was lacking on
the first night and had since been potent.
These are odd facts and are unconsidered
by writer's on The stage. They deal with
some of the hidden springs that work for
failure or for success in the theatre. They
are but abstracts from the strange reali-
zation of many actors that the actors
themselves wonder at and cannot ex-
plain
Grace George, who in private life is
the wife of Manager William A. Brady,
has once more tried for stellar distinction,
and last week at Newburg. n. Y. Miss
George and a company that includes a
number of well-known players, presented
a new piece called Under Southern
Skies, Dy Louie l5lstlr IFtrker, who wrote
way Down East" which has already
made several fortunes for Mr. Brady. and
which promises to go on earning money
for years to come.
In her latest play, Miss George is said
to have made a very favorable impress
sion. Her part is not exactly what might
be called star one, for in the Offering
there are a number of roles Of equal i'm
portanCe, but IL is said to afford Miss
George many opportunities for the dis
IL. I
genue Of much more than ordinary abill-
ty.
Miss Georges last endeavor to be n star
was commenced last season in this city
at the Columbia heatrc. The play was
known as Her Majesty" and while il
created quite favorable local impress
sion. this was not duplicated when Broad
way was reached, and the tour was soon
abandoned.
Mr. Brady is to be commended upon his
persistent efforts to make profitable star
out of his wife. and there is chance that
be has been successful in his latest try.
Home. Sweet Home" which occupied
the stage of the Academy of Music last
week, brought to Washington an actor
whose history makes an interesting and
readable story, for in his time he has
indeed played many parts. The player is
Harry Brown, the well-known character
actor who enacted the role of Snedecker
the town politician, lawyer and all
around failure in the Edgar Smith piece.
His Characterization was one of the most
conspicuous features of the play He is