The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-06-06

! dde OF the Atlantic. Bancroft tells u
hat 'shorthand experts we're places
Tor several successive nights In differ
snt parts Of the theatre 10 take down thu
! text Of Caste This was done % secretly
, and cleverly as 10 enable the play to b
!, acted throughout the United States with
out ONT cent OF payment
1t Is sometimes said that the Robertson
comedies can only be effective in a small
, theatre. To refute this assertion Ban,
for a few weeks at the enormous STANDARD
Theatre In Shoreditoh. 1t was supposed
to be a risky experiment, but as a matter
OF fact densely packed houses nightly
received the play with enthusiasm, listen
ing with rapt attention and approaching
FULLY he most tender scenes. The play
was again revived with all its old success
In 1870. George Honey being reengaged
FOR bis original part Eccles. So marked
had Q the advance in theatrical
salaries owing largely to the initiative
OF the Banorofts that Honey now drew
Coca week with a guarantee OF employ
nent for not less han six months, as
against Els when he first played the
P~ap JcdIb DcIOTc. DclOT0 tut
rights OF the Bancrofts in the Robert
son comedies expired they finally re-
vived Caste" at the Haymarket in 1888.
That great actress Mrs. Stirling. to whom
Charles Reade was so deeply attached,
appeared as the Mdrquiss. Bancroft
says that -she played the part as /.
had been acted, the tones Of her
grand voice still linger In the memory az
she said to her son, I may see you
again; am old; you are going into
battle.'-
Robertson's ext piece, PLAY" which
was produced early in 1858, is dismissed
briefly. 1t was the least successful OF
the authors six compositions. 1t ran
little more than a hundred nights and
was v revived. or School," the
following Robertson comedy, there is a
different story to tell. 1t was the most
successful play he ever wrote. Both
in the length Of the initial run and the
total number Of performances given dur
ing the revivals it eclipsed its rivals,
ours and Caste" This is not to say
Of course hat School was Robertson's
best play. Bancroft thinks that "'Caste'
is beyond comparison more dramatic.
and School contains no scene to equal
the second act Of Ours but the public
as ever were masters OF the situation, and
on It's first production the play ran from
January, 1889, to April, 1870
1t may be remembered that Robertson
acknowledged Indebtedness for the out
line Of his plot In School to a German
play by Roderiok Benedix. called .Aschen-
hrodel' (Cinderella). The derivation OF
the plot doubtless accounts for the anom-
ally Of finding a resident usher in a girls
school al well as for the parody on the
pumpkin and the glass slipper in the last
act. We have seen that School on Its
original presentation ran for about a year
and a third. When the piece was revived
In 1878 it was played for seven months.
The next revival Of School, in 1880, took
place at the Haymarket, and as the thea
tre was large the success OF the VEN
ture was deemed problemaical. AS q
matter Of fact, however, the profit on the
performances Of School from the first
Saturday In May until the first Friday
in August Of the year named exceeded
elO.00O. The whole number OF per-
formances Of this piece given by the
Bancroits was eight hundred. In all
the Robertson comedies they themselves
acted about three thousand nights. and
there Is no doubt that they might have
gone on reviving those plays until old
age arrested them. The last OF the come
dies written for them by Robertson was
M. p Before it was finished the au-
thor-who had been ailing during the
original run Of -School'-grew rapidly
worse and he was unable to attend re-
hearsals. In spite Of its delicate charm
this play bore marks OF being the effort
Of a fading man. The concluding scenes
were actually dictated by the author from
a siokbed, and the managers were appre-
hensive that the play would be less at
traotive when acted than when read.
Bancroft say that III ever a play was
snatohed from failure this one was by the
extraordinary care with which it was
rehearsed and the aIectionate work de-
voted to 1t by all concerned.
Happily our efforts were rewarded and
the play achieved a brilliant success.
again partly due to the vogue enjoyed
alike by author. theatre and company"
Bancroft adds that he has no doubt that
the success prolonged Robertson's life
for months and rekindled in him for a
while a flicker OF hope. He was quite
unfit to work. however. and could make
no more than scanty notes for a play he
had talked over with Bancroft. the story
OF which bore some resemblance to The
vicai Of Wakefield and which was to
have been called Faith Robertson
died February s. 1871. at the age OF q.
On the night Of his funeral the Bancrofts
closed their theatre. knowing no better
way to show publicly their estimate of
the loss they had sustained.
Y.
We have dwelt at much length on Ban
croft's recollections OF Robertson because
comparatively little 10 known about that
dramatist. We will not overlook alto
gcther. however, what this book has to
tell us about Wilkie Collins. Charles
Reade and Sardou. Soon after Robert
sons death Bancroft was informed that
Wilkie Collins, with whom he was ac-
quainted, had written a drama founded
on Man and Wife, He read the play
and at once agreed to produce it. Ban
croft asked the author to read his piece
to the company. This he did with great
effect and nervous force, giving all con-
oerned a clear insight into his view OF the
characters. and indeed acting the old
Scotch waiter with rare ability to roars
of laughter. He had been. 1t should be
racallei IA valued p,onhar ~ tho hupd ~