The Washington times., 1904-02-21
Ideas of Realism.
A Few Examples From Far
Separated Sources The
Material Realism in Japan.


idiots Ioud-spoken comment. No play
was ever immune. and no playgoer ever
quite escaped. 1t is not surprising. then,
that the idiot is usually endured In ST.
lence. Like the actor with the broad
"a the heroine who hears the story of
her life on a three-legged stool. and the
society drama in which the women be-
tray every line of their bodies IN gowns
supposedly smart" this obstreperous
ass is accepted as a concomitant Of
the modern stage.
1t is different, however, when the idiot
gets into print Who. for example, could
read the following And submit to 1t in
silence:
Illusion on the stage may best be
obtained by consistent avoidance OF
realism. When a solid scene is built up
around the actors, the actors must of
necessity lose their credibHity. Where
all is false, a breath Of reality destroys
a Just impression; and the drama which
should present, not represent, Is peey-
liarly sensitive to the eneroaohments OF
such hard facts as heavy furniture and
inapposite archaeology"
Yet this has been printed by one of
Americas most prominent publishing
firms. IL bears the highly appropriate
title Of. Musings Without Method"
Worst sign OF all. 1t is printed over the
anonymous signature OF ''Annalist."
When Fools Dispute.
"Annalist" would have had a fine
chance 70 argue had he attended one OF
Richard Mansfield's performances Of
Richard III In Washington several years
ago. An Englishman who had gone to
the Lafayette as the guest of a Wash
ington critic viewed Mr.. Mansheld's fine
performance with ever-growing disdain.
He lost faith in il at the outset. When
Richard killed Henry VI he was heard
to gasp contemporary. and after that
would hardly look at the stage.
Some one wormed an explanation out
OF him at the close OF the play You
see.' he said, Il didn't enjoy that death
scene at all, don't you know. 1t was 80
frightfully unrealistic. don't you know.
Why. in London. when Gloster killed
the King the dukes sword would have
run with red blood; of course. not real
blood, but something. made up-you
know they do that sort of thing on our
stage-to look like blood. Your stage Is
very far behind ours. you know: il
really is"
What an intellectual circus might have
populace had the Englishman and An
nalist" come together 10 discuss stage
realism. Were they any further apart.
though>than actors like Wilson Barrett
and James A Rearne2 The former would
have swooned at the thought of using
sacs OF red fluid TO indicate the shedding
Of the most noble blood OF all the
world in Julius Caesar. The latter sur
=
70 have Shore Acres acted in sea-
coast towns alone.
The Right of Realism.
Realism on ogr stage has had its
broadcast sway in melodrama II dates
back to the first genuine Uncle Toms
Cabin No mild illusions Of text there.
No tragic recital OF hairbreadth escapes.
OF being taken by the insolent foe. and
sold 10 slavery The spirits which
cTaved Uncle Toms Cabin yearned
also for real water. real ice. real blood
bounds. and real slavery. They got #
and from this humble seed has sprun z
AZ American movement toward real
ism which az one time condoned the
figure OF Mazeppa doomed and tied to
the back Of a plaintive car horse and
the use Of a blood-stained handkerchief
10 denote the tuberculosis of the chief
Character in la Dame Aux Camelias -
Now the right Of the matter is that
the stage serves its highest mission best
when il indicates the beauty Of the az
tual life it's patrons lead Thus II ac-
complishes less when II presents the
joys OF Duke Amiens exile IN AS You
Like 1t" than when it emphasizes tn Z
beauty of everyday life and the no
Dility OF everyday character as in Mr.
Wizards tom Pinch"
SO il is that the illusion of real life
g. one of the strongest aides of the
stage I'm fulfilling it's most valuable pur-
pose. This illusion is. of course. much
assisted by the use OF stage acces-
sories which arc real. A genuine carpet
Is better than painted carpet; a chan
delier with burning jets is better than
"A frame OF papier-mache; a body Of
''supers'' dressed like members Of the
imperial senate OF Rome is better than
a lot OF faces painted on drop" But
Il is not wise to carry the argument
far along these same lines II we go
TOO far we shall have 20 transport a
carload Of books for every library scene
and a greenhouse for every bit Of love-
making which the modern playwright
sets IN q conservatory.
These observations are not intended 70
exhaust the subject of realism on the
stage They would certainly not salts
" either the "Annalist" or the Eng
lishman. they are designed merely 70
be a weathervane and indicate the point
Of the compass from which the wind
blows
A Hint From Japan.
Realism on other stages than ours
goes further back The japanese. for
example. have always admired the re-
alistic in the drama.
The murmuS OF the populace as the
heavy villain is led TO execution and
the hosting OF the flag as the head
drops into the sawdust do not satisfy
the average little Jap. The startling
announcement that the hero had shot
himself in his bedroom would simply
fall fat with the audiences Of Tokyo.
Scenes Of torture and cruciixion are I'm
their theaters friglres4lly realistic. be
yond all the dreams Of D'Aununzio. In
all their stage art no material detail
is left 10 the Imagination. II an actor
enters from the rain his umbrella and
clogs arc wet. II he falls into the water
nc gets genuinely soaked.
This suggests for the last example
Of realism a scene in a japanese drama
BOW presented at the Shintomiza
Theater in Tokyo. which holds the