The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-21
ON"PUGC"WHOACT-A AN ESSAY
SERIOUS STUDY or CORBETT,
MGOTERN, SULLIVAN TT Al.
The 10 ~. R6inG Britt, TItLsimnhons and the
Hon. J. John JenTics-Vari0us DELI
cate Modes Of POrtraying Humor
Hut It's Really the Punch That Counts


II Il long since the playgoers and first
nighters Of Brooklyn had such q treat as
was rendered them last night by the 70
appearance Of that bright star In the dra-
matte constellation, james }. Coroett'
Mr.. Corbett comes back TO Us with his
new drama. Pals an admirable vehicle
for the display Of bis singular dramatic
talents.
The fact that II is the Denten season
uarred somewhat the attendance, other
wise the society folk Of Brooklyn might
have made Il a brilliant function. Yet
Mr.. Corbetts welcome lacked nothing OF
warmth or appreciation.
Stree the time when, In The Naval
Cadet Mr. Corbett took the American
Theatre by storm, his art has broadened
and deepened II Is an older. more ma
ture, dare il he said a shiftier, Corbett who
returns TO us. SO often Of late has the
assertion been made that Mr.. Corbett Is
the best actor IN the pugilist division oil
the stage that il u time for comparison
Ietween his art and that Of those other
eminent gentlemen who have left the ring
for the everlasting good Of the drema,
NIcs,rs. John Lawrence Sullivan, Terence
NcGoyern. James Edward Britt and j.
John Jeffries
Il Is true that any comparison between
the art Of these FIVE eminent artists must
be superficial, and to a certain extent banal'
owing TO the diversity Of the dramas by
which they have seen 1T to show forth
their talents. The stanch art, honest and
STRAIGHTFORWARD as q right swing OF Honest
Hearts and Willing Hands Is not to be
compared to the romantic yet often super
fetal 'Bowery After Dark which Mr.
Terence McGoyeTn has 40 ably interpreted
and neither can be compared exactly with
the jarring Tight-Cross force o. Mr.. Jel-
fries's aDayy Crockett Unfortunately,
the pugilistic stage is waiting for its one
great criterion. lts Hamlet Is yet 70 De
written. Allowing. however, for this dd-
ference in artistic media, let US try 70 M
the relative rank Of these hve artists.
As those who observed Mr. Corbett prac-
Using his now abandgned profession Of
puRiigm have remarked, he Is characters
tioally lacking in repose OF manner; In tins,
be Is distinctly inferior TO Mr.. j. Lawrence
Sullivan. John Lon the stAge-Wais al
repose. Alas for that word was! How
those lines, so simply yet 80 earnestly
spoken, ring yet in the cans Of Old play
TO hell with the man that strikes a wO-
Yet between these sudden forceful bursts,
accompanied by a quick overland gesture
Of the right, how repOseflu, how suggestive
Of rest was Sullivan's stage presence.
In the more delicate and lightsome pas
sages Corbett's admirers declare. he shines
supreme; yet after all is he funny as
Terry McGovern1 Take his delivery OF
these lines when he Ia rebuked by the sub
heroine for using too much slang
aOh, I'm onto the slang all right and
I'm going 70 cut 1t out! If, l.
Mr.. Corbetts delivery OF these lines Il
certainly humorous more humorous than
he knows; yet has II the genuine comic
force Of the acting Of james Edward Britt,
an artist little known 20 the stage OF the
Atlantic coast, when, In his drama,
! sJimrnie Britt the Frisco Boy he oonquers
! the comic Chinaman In a buTlesque boIin &
! bout by slapping him with the end Of his
| nigtaiI3 The oonscinntious critic Is obliged
! 10 answer no; 1t is inferior. Observe the
! semi-colons in this paragraph. You can
| always tell dramatic criticism and all other
! kinds OF literary journalism from the com
mon or garden variety by the Eemi-colons
! There is considerable dramatic force In
! Mr. Corbett'5 delivery Of the lines;
| There's my hand, Ned. II you can
take il honestly. here gOes-h not you are
~ Yet, after all. would II not be better II
| instead Of standing on guard when he
/ delivered them he accompanied them
| with a side step and right shift on the
| solar pIeXus, as does Terence McOovern
| when he delivers that great climax:
.UP s.T. f }Si,s Il IN knock your block
ou Or nv a oBnch followed by a short-arm
| Jolt and an uppercut, "a does Mr.. J. John
| Jefries in that most intense Of ell olima Iet
I" Carr. "a the woman awayi Not while
Davy Crockett has punch up his sleevel
ISlapi Thud!
10 summarize. therefore, Mr.. Sullivan
was a conscientious, two handed actor
with a great punch Mt. ference Meooverr
livery and a great straight lift; Mr.. Robert
Fitzsimmons artist for whose peculiar
intensity there has been no room In this
brief and necessarily superficial summary
an awkward stage presence, but a nm,
short arm lab that has been known 10 pu
the villain 10 sleep six times In one act Mr.
Jerries a left hook TO the body which Away
brings home the money. and Mr. CoTbett
a comic intensity and great foot work.
A word about the drama which Mr.. Cor
bet has chosen this season The author
OF pals has violated all conventionaltie'
by falling 70 have the hero meet the un
: known in the last act He has however
done one great service 10 the drama anC
has the atmosphere Of Harvard been caugh
for the stage. The hrst act Of Pals take
place at Harvard, and presents haunting
picture Of college life From II We learI
that the following are oharacterisuo Tea
lures Of life In the great centre Of learning
at Cambridge.
The varsity football captain and tn
champion hammer thrower, who are de
scribed as the most popular men in cole 3
and 40 rich that they can't count II, live IN
boarding house, in which the landlady'
daughter dusts Oh the champagne bottle
> which they keep on the sideboard and
sought as wife by the star boarders.
When the lady friends Of the inmate
come 20 visit the rooms they 60 into Dime
J arm In ann with thc landlady's daughter.
! After the varsity game with Yale In whic
= Harvard has scored q great victory, tn
. varsity football captain comes back TO In
] boarding house for dinner, remaTkinI
D | mildly that he Ia tired, and after dustin
E on the sleeves Of his jersey goea in 70 Dime
) With the ladies, In his football suit.
4 They have junior students IN chemistr
D there who are % expert that they can CON
| pound a poison Of which one smell kill
and shows no trace. They Also know {
subtle reagents that viii destroy N
landlady's daughter (oe-srse her, she's
me Way) 20 thoroughly that her beautifJ
g. body will be az II had never been
y Inc freshmen Sports wear slik hats an
70 sack suits 10 the annual Yale-Harvar
2 game
? The college snort wears a monOole.
Harvard plays It's annual game wit