The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-11-20
THE DRAMA.



An Ideal Husband" the most bril-
liant production for the purposes Of
stage craft from the pen Of Oscar
Wilde held the audience In close at
tention last night with It's scintillations
of cynical humor and pithy aphorlsms
backed by the intelligent and artistic
production afforded it at the hands of
the Nell company
The story, with It's subtle dealings
with the dual sides of political and So
cial life in the English capital, its keen
insight into human nature, needs the
dissection OF as clever as genius as it's
author to be summed up in brief criu-
cism..
Through the play runs the prominent
note of Wilde's work, the showing of
the seamy side In every human char
acter, the home thrust that the world
Of fashion or diplomacy loves to call
attention to the faults OF others the
more readily from their inner con-
seriousness of their own and the fact
that 1t diverts inquiry from their own
skeleton and its cupboard A little
morbid peraps, but prominently hui
man.
sun in an Ideal Husband" Wilde
presents I'm Lady Chiltern" tvpe
that leavens his pessimism, an almost
perfect woman upon whose character
the author himself makes but one criu-
Cism, that she was more prone to
/ judge and punish than TO pardon.
"Goring" too, is a delightful charac-
ter the man who sees but refuses to
study or become a part of the hollow
ness of the world and is content to play
a role that dWarfs his real stature and
possibilities Probably Lord Goring"
had few ambitions anyway. He was
merely "a good natured CyniC who pre-
ferred his own ease to exercising his
faculty and making others uneasy He
gains his reward however in what is
apparently a happy love affair. only
once does "Gorlng' appear inconsistent
in the play and that is where, i'm the
second act, he hardly seems his kindly
but shrewd self in the harsh dissection
Os his erring friends character and his
probing of the wound. Mr.. Neil play
ed Lord Goring' better than he has
anything so far, The role was fitted
him perfectly.
In "Chiltern," a title suggestive of
the smallest holding in English parlia-
mentary affairs and somewhat incon-
sistent as applied to a Secretary of
Foreign Affairs, Mr.. Mac Wears has q
complex task. The man is a powerful
factor in public life, giant among his
/ political fellows, but the plays shows
only his weaker side, dramatically con-
sidered, though it is perhaps his
strongest after all. The influence Of
many of the wives of English states
men over their husbands career and
/ politics generally, is not often under
stood fully. There are few men also
whose love for their wives so distorts
/ their political influence. Politics may
| be mingled and swayed with many
matters, with passion perhaps, but sell
dom by actual love. Mr.. Mac Wears is
/ a thoroughly consistent actor and with
a naturalness attained by art, careful
study and the wide education that is
! the essential of the modern actor,
achieved a success in his role.
Edythe Chapman as the adventures,
! the woman OF the las In a Looking
Glass" type was very excellent. The
essence of the fascination by which she
had scored her path towards what to
her meant success ives prominently
; shown in the presentment of how
charming a thoroughly bad woman
/, may be, Defeat was accepted, chagrir
smothered, with the nonchalance
worthy of a better cause and though
no doubt in the privacy of her rooms
this modern ViVien turned loose heI
passionate resentment, the stage pic
ture left behind a glamor that proved
the truth of the impersonation.
Miss Spinney as Lady Chiltern'
i essayed a difficult task and was equal
to the occasion. Miss Dean was
charming. She has manerisms but they
: are endearing. John Burton is always
good with the sterling judgment OF
long experience and natural talen. Al
so Miss Andrews. D. A. j.