The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-19
ACTOR PLAYS AND LITERARY.
PLAYBILLS or THE WEEK IN
.... RETROSPECT.

| Ltefafy Ufama-'Na Nancy btolf" ana
The Triuer"-"Hamlet" ~ Actor
Play and a. Literary Masterpiece.
II there is one thing better calculated
than all Others to roube the wrath Of the
| theatrical manager, II u what he calls the
| literary drama. Far DO II from any one TO
| question the Righteousness Of his wrath,
but the novelties OF the past week suggest
that another and very different kind Of
| play Il equally worthy Of his hatred and
Of that Of the playgoing public II is the
| direct antlthesis Of the literary drama ,
| namely, the aCtor-made play. That Paul
Potter, author Of the stage version Of
Nancy STAIR Il not an actor may be
granted; but Il Is becoming more and more
| evident that he Il also no dramAtist, 30
why oavn about termsi His latest product
has all the eArmArks Of the actor made
| play. That Murray Carson IL an actor,
and good one was evident In the earlier
scenes Of 'The Trifer, Of which he il part
author and II hs powers were less evident
as the evening wore on. the fact was due,
no doubt, to the portentous chill with which
the audience greeted what may be called
his effort 10 please them.
NnNhGNh III DIUd1Ndy uhNN lOuH baoAA
all but proof against the so-called literary
drama; and when as now and then happens,
a piece Of the kind sees the light there, all
possible regret for It's deSuetude ceases.
Thomas Bailey Adrich's judith Of Beth
ulia' was the latest conner. II was full
Of fine lines, no doubt; but when all was
said II was nothing more than his epic poem
on the same subject hewn into acts and
translated into speeches. OF the develop
ment Of character and story by means OF
proper dramatic action there was no
trace.
The fact Ia that the so-oalled literary
drama is an abortive offspring Of theatrical
conditions that have bean obsolete for
moro than 200 years. The Elizabethan
stage, like the Greek stage before 1t, stood
in the centre Of en- Amphitheatre and, hav-
ing no proscenium arch, was incapable
Of any proper pictorial illusion. Proper
ties and set pieces it had In abundance
though the historians and critics to a man
have been ignorant Of the fact IL was
even given 70 dumb show, which was often,
according TO Hamlet. ineXplicable-quite
in the modern mahnerl But for all that It's
primary appeal had TO be made not 40 much
to the eye as 20 the ear. II was literary
and poetic in spite Of itself.
Under the influence Of French Ideas at
the Restoration the old platform stage
withdrew behind the proscenium arch.
The decorations OF the stage became pict-
ORALLY realistic. and at the same time
the increased distance between actors and
spectators lessened the power Of the spoken
word. II waA a corollary Of the change
that the appeal OF the actor had TO be made
not 40 much to the ear as to the eye. Poetry
gave way 10 pantomime, eloquence to
action. Now art. at the last analysis, is the
practical adoption Of means TO ends. The
modern dramatist who attempts, With
whatever skill. to create his chief effects
by means Of the spoken word Is as likely
to succeed artistically az the musician
who writes dance tunes for an organ.
The Elizabethan dramatists, however,
made full use. at their beet, Of dramatic
situations and action. Even 20 Marlove,
the mighty line was far from the be-all
and the end-all Of the drama. Shakespeare
or the pre-Shakespeareans whose seen
arios he transformed with his genius for
the poetry Of language and characterize
veal full masterhoOd Of Theatre action
and situation. According to a now ancient
ancedote, when Miss Maude Adams re-
solved 20 play Juliet Charles Hohman
called upon Theodore Burt Sayre for
a scenario Of the play-in this case dem
onstrably the work not Of Shakespeare
but Of a series Of predecessors. He read
| Il attentively, and when he had finished
exclaimed: That's what ] call a playl
Why don't some Of you fellows who pose
as dramatists write me something like
| tbat?" No doubt the story IL the work Of
| that ever versatile and delightful anecdotist
Ben Trovato. But nothing could better
suggest the very quality Of the high theatric
qualities Of the Ellzabethans-qualitiee that
the so-called literary playwrights are all
too prone to ignore.
The fault OF the actor who turns play
wright IL the direct opposite Of all this.
! In spite Of the eloquent plea Of Sir Henry
Irving, histrionic art Ia essentially not crea-
tive but executive. Sad experience has
shown beyond a doubt that the greatest ef-
fects have often been achieved by actors
! who had only the faiutest conception Of
! the inner meaning Of what they were do
ing. There IL an English story OF Forbes
Robertsou-again, no doubt. the fiction
! OF the ineHhaustible Ben-that he exclaimed
! TO A friend after the hundredth perform
ance Of his HdmIst upon beauty he had
! iust discovered In the lines
Absent thee from llolty while
! Ard In this harsh world draw thy breath IN pain
| To tell my stony
sTo Hamlet Mr.. Robertson u said TO
! have exclaimed the tragedy Of death
was a spiritual JOY There Ia a similar
anecdote Of Rachel, who In her maturity
was found by a friend rea ing over the
plays in which as girl she had won her
| fame. Il have. been trying 10 fin out
what they are all about, she explained
Really. there Is a great deal In them. >
II IL little the actor cares for that within
which passeth show. His business il with
the trapplngs and the suits Of the passions
| and the ideas OF the dTamatist. And he
writes plays in very much the same way
that be acts.
When Mr.. Pau Potter returned from
England he spent no uncomfortable por-
ton Of his time in explaining 10 oomplais-
ant interviewers, somewhat magisteriRlly,
the laws Of the drama. The writing Of
| diaiogsta Ia said Was the least important