The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-26
Literal ReDiual of Sheridan
Is Most Singular Stage Sight

the audience felt like joining in the
last refrain of Drink to the lass" AT
the New Theatre. quite correctly, but
less amusingly, the guests halt In the
library on their way to the dining
room, from which Charles and Careless
are called back for the vendue.
Sheridan got ahead of thousand
French playwrights in sending a way
ward wife to a bachelors apartment.
The screen scene in THE School for
Scandar Is fixed definitely in the
memory of most people who go to play
houses. At the New Theatre, stair
way Is put in and sofa taken out.
That makes a deal of difference IN the
movement of the personages. Because
Joseph tells his valet to let the visitors
come up" they make their entrances
and exits by these visible stairs from
and to the story below. You can hard
ly appreciate, without seeing 1T. the
change OF aspect thus made. And the
absent sofa Many time and oft you
have watched Joseph Surface and Lady
Teazle as they sat on the inchtng
up to her while urging that she suf-
fers fooolishly from "the consciousness
of her own innocence" and she con-
GLIDING that Coincidence had better be
left out of the argument. The wife
now sits in a chair beside table and
the seducer circles around her h the
course of his wicked plea. The new
way Is a gain for unconventionalit5 d.
Who knows whether, In the days OF
Sheridan. the hypocritical Joseph reach
ed out to grasp the hand of the weep
ing Peter, as they sat side by side, and
shook 1t in bogus sympathy? You
have never seen that left out; and in
stock company revivals 1t is repeated
as long as the audiences laugh. Per-
haps it's commences led to Its ex-
cision here. The choice had to be made
between still more handshaking and
none at all; so the lines are spoken
without the cheapening foolery.
There was laughter on the opening
night that wasn't wanted In Joseph
Surfaces apartment, although more
careful acting has avoided 1t since.
A dramatic test OF any actresses Lady
| Teazle has been a quick stop OF mer-
riment when the screen Is thrown
down and she is shown to Sir Peter as
Joseph's secret visitor. In the New
Theatre cast. Rose Goghlan Is merely
the Mrs. Sandour. In the Wallackian
times, Rose was the brilliant Lady
Teazle to John Gilbert's unctuous Sir
| Peter: and never did a litter hold over
from the previous fun to break the
pause OF dramatic silence when she
stood revealed as a culprit. She Is a
human woman. the highly gifted Rose,
and can't you fancy her listening be-
hind the scenes for the laughter that
Grace George dreaded at the crucial
situation And X came. Not from the
/ parauet, nor yet from balcony or gall
| lery, but from the two tiers of boxes.
1 won't ascribe glee to the good
humored Rose, but am sure that dis
NAV for a moment chilled the heart
| OF Grace.
Medloerity I'm Company.
However, the lack of serious thrill
when the falling screen uncovered
Grace's Lady Teazle was not charge
able to her, but to the mediocrity OF
both the Surfaces and the Sir Peter
bv Arson, Lang and Calvert, of the
English section of the company
Grace's starring tour has been stopped
a month, with her company idle under
nav. for her to get into New Theatre
vogue with Lady Teazle; and she does
1t surely; yet the laughter that rip
MED around the Boxes. showing that
some of the millionaires took her
dramatic predicament as farcical
joke, may have meant CONSERVATION
to her.
And I'm not taking a chance TO
whack the three disappointing Lon
doners. Our own favorite, E. M Hol-
land. is a hopelessly modern Sir Oliver
Surface. On the opening night. the
applause at Hollands first entrance
was prolonged remarkably; that for
Rose CoRhlan came next in length
ana favor; and Grace Georges recep-
ton stood third in heartiness. Grace