New-York tribune., 1902-05-12
LONDON NOTES.
SIR HENRY IRvING'S REVIVAL OF
"FAUsT"-MR TREES STAGE SUP
PER-THE NEW GALLERY. WITH
GREAT SARGENT.
London. April 30.

a
possible evidence Of affection and honor. Scores
of spectators in pit and galleries had stood in
the streets hour after hour for the privilege Of
obtaining front seats. and when the long vigil
had ended and Mephistopheles appeared on the
stage. with his sardoric diablerie. enthusiasm
found expression in long continued rounds Of p
plause. No other English actor ever receives
such 4 welcome There is sincerity in every
Bravo" and there is homage for the man in
the prolonged cheering. When the cynics assert
that Sir Henry Is British institution they rem
der a unique tribute 10 him. Englishmen love
and revere their Institutions. and desire TO have
them remain forever The play may be what f.
may al the LyceuT, but the veteran actor ]
loved for his own sake. and is honored for Ms
public services in eevatng the profession Of act
ing and dignifying everything relating 10 the
theatre rs lhe scene Of artistic effort and ration
a recreation. There was no lack Of either spon-
taneity or cordially in the welcome which Sir
Henry received on his opening night.
Nj. WiIIs's adaptation Of Faust" suffers from
popular preconceptions formed upon the opera.
I IS a closer interDre Iation Of Goethe's drama
than the book Of the opera, and converts Mephis-
topheles into q more human and less supernat-
ural devil. When Sir Henry enbodies in a serio-
comic spirit the grim enjoyment which Nephis-
tophees derived from Turing men and women
70 their doom, he is true 10 the German text
highly artistic. Underneath the u1ocking hurnor
when he is courting Martha and disposing Of
The destinies OF Faust and Margaret, there IS
& sense Of satanic consciousness Of power. This
Nephistopheles Is sure Of his prey and inperious
y command: and whether he is cuping and en-
trapping ulortals or reviewing swarns OF foul
goblins and repeIlen- fends. he thoroughly en-
Joys being The devil that he is. I had never be
fore seen Sir Henry il this part. and from curl
osfrz several veteran critics whether rHe-s
WIS any decline Of power or any change Of
method. The answer in every case was that
the Inpe-sonation vas essentially the same, and
that there had been no alterations Of style. L
Is q grtmIy humorous and terribly vivid embodi-
rrent Of satanic enjoyment Of evil for its own
sake; and power is revealed in every glance,
gesture. taunt anuc and command. The play was
splendt5Iy staged. especially for the Walpurgis
high reveI on the summit OF the Brocken. The
strongest support came from Miss N. A Victor
as Martha Miss Cecilia Lotus was winsome
and handsome Margaret overrestless perhaps
IN movement. and hardly capable Of reproducing
the unique charms with which Miss Terry for
zaerly ornamented the part.
M-. Trees stage supper in coumemoration OF
the opening Of Her Majesty's Theatre was. per
haps. the most brilliant affair OF the kind in the
annals Of the London stage. About one hun
dred and twenty-five guests sat a. IA Die on the
was z remarkable company Of public men,
painters. men Of letters, actors and influential
patrons OF the theatre. There was only one
toast-1Ir. Trees health proposed quietly. and
received with acclanatiOns OF delight; and his
speech IN reply was d good bit Of pleasantly.
with well simulated bashfuIness and innocence.
Mr.. Tree IS one Of the best stage managers in
The profession, and his acting is enriched with
ingenious byplay. the cumulative effect Of many
little touches and carefully invented details be-
ing considerable He is a most industrious
actor and stage manager and he has produced
work Of a superior class at his theatre, inter
preting Shakespeare with fine variety and re-
viving poetic drama with perfection Of scenic
form and beauty. He has earned the gratitude
OF all lovers Of good drama.
The dreaners have passed out Of the New
Gallery and wi6eawake Mr.. Sargent. with his
'swagger portraits and amazing brushwork. is
now master Of the stronghold Of BUrne-Jones.
he has three works in the west room one a
portrait Of Mrs. GoetZ. another 4 large picture
Of z holiday fisherman. with a background Of
Norwegian ford and mountain. and the third
group Of Werrheiner children. pulsating with
vlvacity and vitality. The most industrious Of
living portrait painters, Mr.. Sargent is always
working, yet never finds time TO repeat him
self These three pictures are dissinilar in style
and method, and DO not suggest anything that
he has done before Often he has painted
elderly women, he has succeeded in imparting
freshness of treatment 10 the portrait OF Mrs.
Goetz The gray haired lady sitting with prim
dignity in q plain chair in front Of an
decorated wall panel is revealed with quiet
realism. The strongly marked features, the
Etesdy, unhlnching eyes, the sensitive hands
and the Uncompronsing severity Of pose de
note decision of character. combined with lack
q fexibiity The simplicity and strength Of the
brushwoTk are adrnirab bic. IN the Norwegian
holiday picture the painter is On new ground,
experimenting with the foreshortening Of the
sportsman stretched along the bank OF noun
tain stream. and showing signs Of uncertainty
IN the management and lighting Of the back
ground Of picturesque rock and ford. There is
nothing amazing in either Of these works It is
the Wertheimer group that forces the visitor to
halt in the doorway and 70 play with the illusion
that the three children and three dogs have
come out Of the frame from sheer excess Of
vitality The boy. II Eton coat is well in front,
with his sisters behind him, one with touches of
scarlet leaning impetuousv forward with arms
around dog, and the other in trailing skirt
and more restful coIors, seated lf-possessed
and passive crimson sofa, with a poodle
sleeping n her lap. With the schoolroom
filed with atmosphere. the color scheme simple
but brilliant, with the vivid reds kept within
the picture, the dogs heads and eyes painted
with wonderful brushwork, and the characters
OF the children Differentiated in the faces and
postures, this is a marvel Of composition, and
unlike anything that Mr.. Sargent has previously
exhibited The vitality Of the three figures
Serves TO kill everything in sight Nothing else
lives IN the north room.
Another AcAdemician, whose work is pre-em-