The San Francisco call., 1908-05-24

not take his music seriously when it
concerns the drama. and says that
S .otello. as conceived by Verdi and
Boito after Shakespeare, is no improve
ment ON the original. So he sides with
Damrosch against the music drama.
and will have none of 1t. The plays
the thing with Mantell-
But he told me story about Mrs
Drew when she was at the old Arch
Street thsater in Philadelphia many
years ago. They were arguing. he
said, about naturalism in the drama.
and about the oncoming Ibsen and his
school OF latter day playwrights.
II do not complain at nature" said
Mrs. Drew. "and do not belittle ths
efforts of those who seek to bring real
ism to the stage. provided they do not
go too far. Naturalism is good in small
doses;' but no one would say that a
natural cobbler is more interesting on
the stage than OF. and stupid people
are not diyerting because they are nat
ural The most use full and natural OBJ
jects are not always pleasant ones to
contemplate"
"Naturalism on the stage" said Man
tell. is the enemy of suggestiveness:
L took the cirSumcised dog and smote
him. thus. Then I stab myself; but
do not sursle and groan as did No
vello,' who died like a barber-realis-
tically cut with a razor. Where are you
going to call halt in this craze for
naturalism? Are you going to have
new Hamlet every night?
II think there Is the same sort OF
reaction setting in in the drama as in
music believe we are swinging
round to more artistic principles after
ouralong experience with the play
wright of naturalism. SO called. Let me
tell you an experience in point:
1T was three years ago. and the
Princess theater. New York, was open
for me. There had been a hoodoo on
the. house, and it's tiny stage precluded
anything approaching . big production
There was gap in our bookings Of
three weeks before Christmas. 1t was
the dead dull period. and 1 thought /
might as well spend in New York as
elsewhere. suggested to my wife that
we had not had Christmas dinner
with our children in many years. and
that a trip to New York would accom-
plish that much any way. Meantime.
while there we might try Richard
III and take a chance. So we did. All
my friends said was mad De Wolf
Hopper met me at the Lambs one night
and asked me If it true that I had
come to New York during the holidays
to lose money on Shakespeare. I ad-
mitted the soft impeachment and asked
him il he was jealous.
We were handicapped in every d.
rection. Our company was rather q
provincial one; the stage was small.
and to make matters worse there vas
a graft on just then about hreproof
scenery and they smeared our sets with
a substance which might have been
impervious to heat. but which assured
ly made them look like rags. Our
manager was drunk on the frst night
and my leading male support was on
the verge Of the ID. Ts.' II there had
= been anything else wrong I would tell
you. but I think that is about the ex-
tent of the calamities. Brady saw ms
play and the. possibilities of Shake
speare appealed to him tremendously.
He took hold in earnest. Said he: Man
&tell. you shall have anything in reason
that you want. This Is what the people
fwili come to see.' First I got a con-
auctor, who still Is with me. and we
added music to the production: then
all the rest was added and Richard
III in blase New York was a mighty
success. The people wanted to see IL.
You do not hear any longer the
moan from the younger generation.
oh. i don't want TO see Shakespeare: