The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-07
ENGLTSHVS.AHERICGN COMEDY
As SEEN IN SERGEANT BRUE"
AND "THE ROLLICKING GIRL"

why Our plays Lack Character
and satiTe-Ade, n. y. smith, Et Al.
Il was George Eliot twas II notO who
remarked that a difference Of taste In jokes
il a severe strain on the affections. The
saving must be borne In mind In contrasting
the humor Of English and American musical
oomedies-for example, Of Sergeant Brue'
and The Rohloking Girl Many things
Rave been forgiven, and all but forgotten,
by the two kindred countries. Enlightened
Britons now proclaim the signers OF the
Declaration Of Independence a. the true
fathers Of the modern English Colonial
policy-they made II 80 abundantly clear
how mistaken had been the previous treat
ment Of dependencies. And We, in turn,
have zone In for imperialism, the white
name burden. and all that. Let US not
sever hands claspsd across the seas with
disputes about the comic spirit. musical
or otherwise
il the orchestra Of the pieces we export
loud and bra zen7 II only adds to the
international discord TO ask US 10 send
over Yankee earmuhs for Yankee music.
Are the choruses that hail from Broadway
overload Of working their smilesi Pa
thence, John BULL 1t was a witty critic,
perhaps. but far from a polite one, who
cried down those golden smirks as an at
tempt to advertise American dentistry!
Il there, on the other hand, In the shows
we receive from the Strand an overabun-
dance OF sledgehammer puns and rib
digging jocuarity1 Punch, Brother Jona-
than, punch with care, the old Punch jokes
Of the Britishaire
There is some reason, no doubt, for the
popular belief that Englishmen cannot see
a joke. But never was poor half truth
more insNorably made 20 do = full days
work in the wells Of eternal verify. Mr.
Howells. who was among the foremost, If
he was not the first, TO proclaim the great
ness Of the genius Of Mark Twain, has
nevertheless pointed out that he earned
his popular vogue by virtue Of the least
interesting and valuable side Of his humor-
the grotesque exaggeration Of frontier
popularity. Thousands have roared over
Tom Sawyer" for every one who has
recognized The Man Who Corrupted Had
leyburg' for the monument Of Satire
irony and tragic patbos which It Is. And
in like manner those Of us who are most
scOmful Of the density Of the Briton are
least likely to relish the satiric sparkle Of
Gilbert the humorous satire Of Barrie,
the intellectual farcIng Of Shaw.
The plot and the main character Of Ser
geant Brue" are built upon a comic idea
Of such genuine force that il would only
have to be treated in q slightly more re-
sponsible spirit to form the basis OF a
legitimate comedy. il II the vanity OF
mortals TO think that they can accomplish
by their testamcu Ia after they are dead
tasks to which their living wills were m
equal. A lax but amiable London bobby
is bequeathed a fortune Of $40 OOO a
year on condition that be will cultivate
tho spirit Of diligence and efficien CIV
which his character sndly lacks by re-
naming on the force until he has earned
his promotion TO the rank Of an inspector
One after another the good mans efforts
to rise in the WoIll 60 wrong and in the
end put him In danger OF being discharged
which, Of course, means the forfeit Of the
legacy. A turn Of the wheel Of fortune
however, puts the magistrate whose duty
it is to sack him in an equivocal position
and TO save himself be gives the sergeant
his promotion and his much coveted dis
=
finger in the pie Of destiny il that the SER
sant's vury ileh1ciency enables him 10
pill out the plum. Never was there a
better theme for the elaboration Of comic
incident than the s'rgearrs dial life as
millionaire and bobby and his futile efforts
70 make a record Of efficiency.
That the author has taken full advantage
Of the possibilities Of his theme, even in
the sphere Of musical comedy, / am very
far from maintaining. II he had done
30 the result would have been master
piece in its kind. The adventures of the
Sergeant ere somewhat BADLY imagined
and cnIdely worked out, and the denoue-
ment savors altogether too much Of graft
20 serve for the pointing Of a moral in
human conduct But the fact remains
that there In an idea at the base Of the play,
and that II is an idea which finds its natural
expression in a highly comic conception
Of character Amiable, droll and ludiorous
as Frank Daniels is in his own person,
much Of the fun that nightly convulses
his audiences Is the result Of the inven tion
Of his author.
Refinement and good sense are the key
note Of the whole. The music is gratefully
subdued without Icing for moment
monotonous; the costumes are at onos
splendid and in good taste, and the scenery
is rich and atmospheric. Even Miss Blanche
Ring has, 20 to speak, moved from Avenue A
TO Park Lane; and never has she been
prettier, slenderer, more t1noful and more
& &C full. Sergeant Brie" IL, in fact.
typical Of English musical comedy at its
best. II lacks something perhaps, Of the
sparkle and vitality Of The Geisha,T San
Toy "Florodora' and Three Little
Maids but il has all OF their negative
virtues and a good measure Of their fun.
In -Ths Rollicking Girl" the critical
surgeon could not disclose an idea Of satire
or Of character with the aid Of all the re-
sources Of X-ray and scalpel. Charles
Frohman has, in fact, dlsclaimed all high
intentions He has entered the field OF
the summer show, which, az all the world
knows, is 10 provide horse laughs for the
dog days. The metaphors are somewhat
mixed. but not more 80 than The Rollick-
ing Girl
The scenery and the costumes, for all
their splendid variety and brilliancy. are
crude and garish; never for a moment
was there any aim 10 delight the senses
by soothing them. The music was more
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