New-York tribune., 1910-09-18
THE PLAYGOER
Time and the CriticS-Old Casts
ana NeW-TheatTiCaI Topics
Here and There.

The London Globe commenting on SlI
T9erao-- Trees corsiderate action in raising
She curtain on TIE first night Of Henry
VII al oclock ''fo~ tie beneflt o. the
cri.lcs''-au example which some enlight-
ene6 managers IL New York will do Wen
= fciloV-says-
--Ar-;t7:r- Is batter than that the gentle
me- vic write should ne compelled 70
srrarrale 20 Fleet street and dash Of 2 hot
anG hasty notice before midnight and Moth
ing coui6 he worse frcm the standpoint of
autacr. actor @nI critic than those colo
ar us.ins15rsae -dress' rehearsals. &c which
oT.z = admitted o.l s,lnerance and which
ore-7f-sIl leaveS s-i1h feeling Of irritation.
NIX ait- depression. IL the old days the
sf~srlarie critic Of Il moTning newspaper
had al least TWO nours in which TO pen his
criticism when ore reads OF a Clement
Scott or q joe F(n5cht sitting down quietly
10 O snaea after the theatre, preliminary TO
rackliIie 1eu- F,las-. one realizes the differ
erce between -ifen and now The incursion
of thc London ,lailfes into the provinces
aIG on to- tae country breakfast table has
CHANGE all that. Newspapers which for
naerly went 10 press IL or a n now
close down ~ midnight, ana, indeed, there
Is one morning jouIgai which has gone 70
press very often before the curtain has
risen cn new piece
--I3iuiemacv'' JIp-Eo-daIe illustrates anew
che Of tha tedious and depressing condi-
1ions affecting the American stage Al the
cIose % tIle first decade OF the twentieth
oe,ltu-z-- one condItiun2 Several The lack
Of knowledge. the lack Of appreciation OF
details. the-blt why 30 over again the
catalogue Of faults2 The public that knows
viii he as powerless as ever; the public
that 1oesr- know won't care. and the
gentlemen who rule the theatrical world
Wont change their course They are doing
as well as they know how. That. By Chs
vay Is the root Of the matter
The attempt 70 bring Diplomacy I'D 10
date shows how far behind the times the
effort really IS The clothes are UP to date
There was not time enough 70 dress the
piece N the fashion OF 1871 That may have
been Z reason for undermining rhe play
And z motor is mentioned Why not al
seroplane as weiiT Baron Stein wears tan
shoes with his black coat a modern touch
indeed. But think OF a Continental ''di-
plonaattsr' running around Paris II black
coat. black hat. gray trousers and tan
shoes. L might be done IN New York by
the diplomatists OF Tammany Hall but not
IN Paris by Baron Stein who considered
--good form a thing Of some Importance in
his trade.
The best Doras? Mrs. Kendall, Kate
Rorke and Chrystal Herne- The best
Ziclzas : remember were Mrs. Bancroft and
Olga Nethersole. They Were different, in
ueed. but each Zicka was Z woman OF the
H-sInar-'' world. clever, affable, entertain
ing Miss NetheTsOie was not melodrarnauc
in those DAYS. Forbes-Robertson was the
Julian BeaucIerc OF that time, and the lasI
Une rhaI has been seen. think. for Charles
Coshlan 10 longer played the part kendall
and Coghldn and ForDes-Robertson were
the best JuHans. But Harry Montague
viii not be forgotten by those who saw the
Tyauack production
Diplomacy" at wailack's was RESPONSE
bic for the stage tradition n this country
regarding the Countess Zicka- Rose Cogh-
Ian Of course, was the Zlcka, but Zlcka
was nor one OF her best parts. although she
won favor enough by her performance She
xiwsys over5i6 tie conspirator-woman- the
suffering-woulan business Of this part;
made Zicka e melodramaIic creature who
never could have been Of Use II the secret
service OF any country and who would
have excited suspicion n salons because Of
Maud Gra1gers Dora was OF small ac-
count, and Frederic Robinson s Orlof was
touch below Maurice Barrymore There
Zzs & capital production once in which
Barrymore was OrloT and Charles Brook
aslo the Baron Stein.
Lester waIlack. Jonn Hare and Bancroft
were the best Henry Beauciercs- Bur Of
en the actresses who have spoken the lines
u the Marquise De RIO Zares Miss lie There
was Sc far beyond the others that there has
beer no second There was no low comedy
81 her r7Jryrasal She was stout and pom
pous. but her manners and speech were
mock aristecratic TO the last degree and
her narrative Of the revolution and the rifles
was so deIicioUsiy coadescendIng that the
house laughed for quite other reasons than
those usually associated with this character
once I saw Mrs Bancroft play-not Zicl1a.
bun Lady Fairfax! The part was written
Up for her. She was q sunny. sparkling
sittle roly-poly, matchmaking mamma VINO
never forgot her position or her obligations
70 the seciety in which she aspired to
Etllue.
Now. y the productions which some OF
as remember with pleasure there were
speed limits. and they were observed. The
three days short Of a week: the bachelor
apartment dc not shrek IN the glare OF
sew giIt furniture; the portrait Of a per
scnAge of the seventeenth century WAS not
sxnihited as the likeness OF a Spanish ad-
Veuturer Of the nineteenth century; the
e,.auo vas not obviously dummy, and
there was no chance thai swell could
be mistaken for q bell5oy- The play was
appropriately cast, and The players vel
rrzlneo n their parts: all the preparations
were supervised by men tand women who
lad 3 cultivated appreciation OF the nU-
rae-ous details q which theatrical per
soruznce Is or should be. composed-cloth-
ing colorlag, furnishing. gesture, deporJ-
,ns2L- voice. pronunciation. infection
ssbuszness.' ard truth 70 the life OF the type
and &c the surroundings amid which the
various types I've t1eir lives. IN the New
YORK o. to-day how seldona is there eyi-
dence o. such trained and capable super
viSio1 L L1e lines are spoken and the
situation goes the immediate demand
seems 70 De filed Tie application Is gen
exal Tie exceptions are few.
Al ar2la2csle Of plays is about 70 de-
scen6 upon New York from the lesser cities