The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-01-22
Mrs. Campbell and Her Critics.

Mrs Patrick Campbell, of London, is
now in her second week at the Theater Re
public in New York, and this is the first
opportunity to examine the attitude of the
American public, as expressed in its news
papers, toward her. In matters of the
theater the opinion of New York is taken
to represent the opinion of the whole coun-
try. and this is true no matter how humili-
ating it may be TO the ''provincials" that
believe their taste is as good as the metro
politans'. At this time there could be no
more interesting theatrical event than the
visit of Mrs. Campbell to this country, for
she represents conspiculously the freshest
intellectual movements movement so i'm
portant that ii alarms many worthy,
scholarly and influential persons, who bit
terly oppose IL; enlists the sympathy of
other sincere and studious persons. who en-
Enthusiastically forward it, and puzzles still
other persons. who either half understand
and ignore it or do not understand it at all.
This classification might be much more
definite, but in the following extracts from
New York newspapers criticisms of Mrs.
Campbell and her plays il will be found to
cover the situation specifically enough.
The movement meant here is called by
tic" 1t is felt in dramatic literary and So
Geological branches of thought. In the
drama its leading advocates, as play Wri-
ters. are Ibsen, BjOrnsOn, Hauptmann, SUI
dermann, Maeterlinck, Hervieu, Pinero and
Echegaray. Each of these men has ms
own view point; they may be divided,
though somewhat nebulously. as symbol
fists, mysticists and materialists, but In re-
suit all are realists. for they consider &C
tual problems OF life and strive earnestly
and honestly TO heighten intelligence. Hap
PLY, Mrs. Campbelis audiences here on
this. her first, visit to the United States
have been large and enthusiastic, and her
commercial prosperity indicates that she
hereafter will visit this country frequently.
Maybe she is the agent that Will start the
American drama out or Its childish useless
ness. Indianapolis playgoers will have an
opportunity TO judge of Mrs. Campbell S
personality when she appears here later in
the season.
To return to the classification of New
York's critics and their readers hereinbe-
fore made: First, the large class that re-
CARDS the theater as place of amusement
and is puzzled when it takes the time and
trouble to interest itself seriously in the
realistic movement. This class is repre-
sented by FRANKLIN Fyles. Of the New
York Sun. He is a writer of exceptional
ability, and no column devoted TO the thea
ter is more interesting In itself than is the
one he controls. He is extremely optimis-
tic and tolerant generally and, as result,
is intensely annoyed by any person that
takes the drama so seriously as to seem to
Mr.. Fyles to be "faddst." He was APP
parently highly incensed when he wrote
this bitter paragraph for last Sunday S
Sun:
have characterized the reception of Mrs.
Patrick Campbell on our stage. But the
foolishness has not amounted TO much.
There has been little of silly ado. re-
q clever singular \
been welcomed and appreciated by dis
eliminating audiences. She has been rated
kindly yet candidly by the newspaper
and unduy extolled by none. The non
sense printed in connection with her has
been confined almost altogether to COM
ments on the plays which she has chosen
to present and has come from sources
habitually too ridiculous to get other than
amused attention. The most charming
parts of Magda' passed the audience.
writes one who seems to think that moth
ing less sharp than a divorce detectives
eye can see all there is in Sudermann' S
plain. simple. crude drama of woman S
debasement, as they are likely to pass
any ordinary English-speaking audience.
unObserved' The full impudence of that
insult could not be made clear without
describing cruelty the status of the chap
who hurled il at an assemblage far above
him to hit The Republic was filled last
Monday night by people exceptional in
culture. trained by familiarity with the best
art OF literature, keen TO get the utmost
meaning of anything peculiar in writing
or acting. They will possibly be surprised,
but surely not distressed, to learn of this
charge that 'Magda,' play no more subtle
than Uncle Toms Cabin was beyond
their comprehension. This silly fellow is
not alone in his affectation of superiority
over people mentally better endowed and
happily free from his painful groteSquery
of pose. Some others are like him in as
sorting abnormal sensitiveness TO stage
art. but they are, after all, very few TO
tie many who are also. sensible. He is too
comic to get angry at. Like a man who
learns that the bathtub in his fiat is not
made TO keep coal in, and Immediately ex-
poets to astonish the world with the doc
trine that cleanliness is next to goodness.
this belated discoverer of dramatic things
that the rest of us have known a long time
is a laughable LOOM"
William Winter, the venerable and high
ly-respected critic for the Tribune, is an
idealist of the most sober and poetic sort.
He is as bitter against the "faddists" as
is Mr.. Fyles, but, unlike the latter, he is
also intensely dissatisfied with the modern
drama generally. Tt is seldom, indeed,
that a dramatist or an actor OF this day
gets word of approval from the scholarly
Mr.. Winter, though he always is ready to
Shakspeare's works. He does not give Mrs
Campbell credit for depth of comprehen-
sion. and in his review of her performance
of Sudermanns ''Magda' he stated in
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