The Washington times., 1905-05-28
Plaus and PLAYERS
Great Actors and Actresses
No More Rare Now Than
in Daus Past-PTesent De-
ficlencu Due to Poor Plaps
and Stage Methods.

Every now and then a wall is heard
from this quarter or that IN the effect
that acting as an art has degenerated.
They who thus mourn what they regard
as the decadence Of the stage point to
the days of Kean and Macready, and
Mrs, Siddons and Charlotte Cushman,
and sadly shake their heads and re-
fuse to be comfoTted. The gravamen Of
their lament is that romance and senti-
n1ent have been crowded to the wall by
realism, and the actors and actresses of
our day and generation lay more stress
on their wardrobe and the stage furni-
ture than on a correct INTERPRETATION of
the characters assumed by them. or the
loyalty they ought TO bear toward the
intentions of the playwright. Common
place. they declare. is the curse OF the
stage. and all who belong and cater
TO It
Distance lends enchantment to the
view" It Is not at all improbable that
Ihey who utter these lamentations in
: vest with the halo OF perfection those
apparitions that present themselves 10
their minds In the vista of the past. It
is one of the peculiarities of advancing
years that events are regarded with ex-
eggerated Importance the farther they
are removed from the present. The
things we have seen IN our youth, the
scenes IN which We then paFticipa ted,
seem TO us surprisingly beautiful and
!enJoyable: yet when it happens that
we return to them they not infrequentiy
Asaopear 'sstale, fat. and improbable. u
Thus 1t is with the stage of the pas;
and OF today: thus with those that peo-
lple II. There have been in our day
land aFe just as talented actors and ac-
erations ago. On the stage. as In every
other department OF human endeavor
the process of evolution never ceases
and there is no reason to suppose that
1T has been SUSPENDED in the especial do.
main Of the production of actors. Tht
reaily great. IL is true, are few and fal
ibetween todav as they were in tht
days gone by, for nature IS not lavish
IN dispensing those elements that make
up greatness; but they come and go
now as well as OF yore, at intervals.
Looked at from this standpoint ther4
is ne cause for despair If a plea b
made for Improvement it must rathe
be directed TO the betterment of stag
plays and stage methods. 1t will hardl,
be denied that in both these depart
ments there is a strong tendency TO
ward shalIowness and triviality. TIL
for these blemishes, for it has show
stself too indnlgent IN its acceptance o
the things that are set before 1t. It ha
allowed its artistic taste to become VI
tiated, and the result has been not onl
a generally poor class OF stage produc
tlcns. but ''pari passu'' a less desirabi
class of players. These latter are to b
excused. however, TO some extent, g
least, by reason OF the conditions
which. most likely against their In
cljnations, they have been placed.
The reaction is setting in already
The people are giving unmistakabl
signs OF constantly growing impatienc,
and many a production which a year c
two ago would have been allowed I
have more or less prolonged run ha
had TO be retired. or was continued O
the boards greatly to the disadvantae
OF the box Office returns. In due tin
the pendulum will swing the other wa,
Give us great plays and nobier stag
methods, and great actors and ac
5ssSes Will not be lacking.