New-York tribune., 1905-02-27
NOTES OF THE STAGE.
Maeterlinck and King Lear"-Description
Of the French Production.

Maurice MaeteTlinck. in THE Fortnighty Re
view" writes Of the Paris production Of King
Lear but he cbaracteristicalIy spends little space
on the performance. launching instead into a
panegyric OF the play. which, like SHinburne. he
considers the greatest dramatic poem in the world.
Shakespeare, of course. needs defence in Paris.
the Belgian's article makes clear. Mr.. Maeter-
lnck begins:
shakssgeare whczs zs. King Lear" is now being bn
wh3t s known in Pans as uue bonuv presse. TIE
most second rate maker OF meiodrdmas, the least
aIAo!tiou- writer OF vaudeyilies, would nave telt
disheartened by the reception given by our most
poet that the wcrid has borne. In the daily
press IA N2z!sTe ~ ~ the G.l di bias ana Al Bus
"dth5Io- vith The res7ec: that Is due to him As
Tor II. Emile Faguet tie wi1,iy cad mndiste OF
the .Debats." this write. declares that "KlD5
@ som in Thi5h T m hdedu3 ot 81 aodFdSa IS
mixed With work of art Is Ltte mere than hidSaHs %
for . few beauties Of lyrical e!oquence in TIE
psilsso heal rcatctions df we take the trouble
to fathom their .profurdityl in tie ia1d, scene
for these exceptions oil tho reet is no n1oe than
a heap OF stupid crimes fGoish horrors and
unjust ana undoubtedly hybrid word brute tragedy
or brut ut7-cT0u1
After further quotations OF still more astonish-
ing character Mr.. Maeterinck adds that the Antoine
production is not calculated TO dispel French mis-
understanding He says:
II is rnarveously we'll raeant extremely ingenious
as esards W ne setting ana & sIten s as3e s ID tns
effort made by the most courageous Of our Paris
to the next and without preparation 10 raise ones
self from the little valleys OF naturalIsm 10 the top
tery whites shrouds the Tnasterojcce; all these have
eva 9orated o they would evaporate in spite
Of al our care and of the most scrupulous adeHty,
Il We tried 10 reproduce by means of living pictures
the frest canvases of RubeHs. the Veronese or
DeacToix
The little valleys of naturalisun"-here is crtti-
CisT in a phrase Continuing. the critic states
the problem Of the lyric drama, the problem OF
reconciline exalted speech with E5cEkeness and
ends with this .aragEaph:
The very manner in which he Shakespeare sur
tn problem He lietes his end sniy with the aid
OF sor OF subteifLSe To which ne always resorts.
ftnan protabie and + human IS On f6e sfae c
~ Gov The 1Cn9itior, tbat @ h. ~. &c -
IN real life lfor il is understood that here fools
teati ally unsetes the reason OF his prota goniSs
s5 oller Iyritai fooe ThenceforWard he s1esks
freely by tfec mouths; and beauty inyades tae
great works IS more or less b;sb mor a9i or T' less
Thus it is Intermittent and restaned in Mac
the Thare Of Cawdor and the RACES of the Moor OF
Venice are no more than psSsonal crises it is slow
Of the Prince OF Denmark IS torpid and meditative;
bIIIIi, ~ toeetSer in 7lTs ana ana ni~ac1ioiIs
tie stars. because the magniecent Insanity Of the
the hrst scene to the last
From Walter H. Baker & Co. Boston have come
the printed versions of Pinero's latest plays,
Lefty ard THE Wife Without a Smile The
latter play bears stn this iron.c foreword: AS it
terst Of this piece commences, the audience is e
q4ested 10 be Se4tea az enf rise & o. o. tn & cqrJ1In M
cuts Wee made in the acting version shown here.
Characters more out Of the picture thar Mr. Pnero
INTENDED III The , really M imPoTtaht nj change howeye
body forget that frishtful gray derby he wore
a etraw " h,t II would have been so mu h more
pen-l~r'arIy Of Mr.. Faversham to follow the stage
dire ctons,
The Players. a company which under the direc-
ton Of Ashley Miller. has been presenting excep-
tonsIy good plays in the Settlement houses of this
cfty fo- some months. is present Romeo and
juliet at Carnegie Lyceum March under the
is tho Juiiet. The house has been entirely sold 10
the high schools of the city ard the boxes 70 pa
irons Of the movement for cheap but good drama
stantiy IN mind.
Miss Margaret Wyche-ly. who has been giving
special natinees Of tie plays OF the irish poet
" b. Yeats. at the Hudson Theaae has is. net het
- give extra matinees on Tuesday and Frlaay OF
D L. Don. principal comedian in "A Girl from
Dixie began his in the capacity OF caH
boy thirty-fve years ago at the dalety IHealte'
Lon3au. Tie manager Of the house at that time
WIS John liol Irrshtad. and hin. Nj Don =! 80 -
with being the father Of musical come dy. hol-
Ii1..f heg1 GUIDED BY the success OF DnenDaChs
'''fEe Grand Duchess" put John l. Iooie Ne4e
FaIren ana Constance i-osehy into elaborate
Dr. ducti0n OF he Princess Cf Trt biZnnGe. ihe
HOOK of his piece proving dull. the three tuumakers
,glre given license 10 introduce whatever gags
and '6usluess' they cnose, regardless o. eonsru,,
Itv This Mr. Don believes 10 have been the real
hegfnnine of what Is now known as musical COM
fhis reminds one OF darcy Thompson.s remark
tl,af when the Tower OF Babel was building q
brl. Flayer dropped trowe ful OF mortar INTO the
5sot5fh, ~ man below. who tried to spit is out
hence the German languagei