The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-27
EARLY THEATRICAL EVENT

From Sheridan by Walter Sichel pub
Houghton-Mifflin Co., Boston.
XV/Ho would not wish to have been
M present on that memorable May
w the Sth in 1777, when THE
School for Scandal was born. and a
house packed with every section of So
ciety welcomed an epoch-making play?
Mrs. Crewe, the Devonshires, and the
Lucans beamed from the boxes, while
Garrick, who supplied the prologue and
superintended the rehearsals, We'd in en-
thusiasm with Colman. who was respon-
sible for the after-versei Doctor Johnson,
too. can hardly have missed the premier
OF a piece written by his new protege,
already perused by his best friends and
fraught with opportunities for his pet
actress, Mrs. Abingdon.
Nothing marred the triumph. Even the
critics agreed and their unanimity was
wonderful. Here and there some carpers
varied the monotony of acclaim. Wit
Jekyll murmured, "Why don't all these
people leave off talking and let the play
chance characters disconnected with the
plot, and, a little later Cumberland,
whose Battle of Hastings was then
curdling Covent Garden, pinched his con-
vulsed children with There is nothing
to laugh at, my little angels; keep still
you little ounces" But by o'clock
when the screen fell. such were tho
thunders of applause that Reynolds, the
journalist companion of poor Becky Wells
ran for his life as he passed the theatre
in fear that the building would collapse
Sheridan remarked of Cumberland that
his envy was gross ingratitude, since he
had heard Cumberland's tragedy and
laughed at 1t heartily from beginning to
end.
The play narrowly escaped postpone
ment, and the escape was double as well
as narrow. Sheridan had to be pushed
into final revision, till he scrawled his
postscript of FINISHED, thank God!' to
which Hopkins, the prompter, added
"Amen" This was in keeping with ex-
pectation, but the other mishap could
scarcely have been foreseen. Petty poll
tics interviewed. A city election for the
and Wilkes was the anti-ministerial can
didate He was opposed by "Vulture'
Hopkins, not the prompter, but mer-
chant, who lent money to minors. The
government, apprehensive that the satire
on usury might favor Wilkes, brought
influence to bear and stopped the license
a. the last moment Sheridan, how
ever. at once saw Lord Hartford, then
lord chamberlain, who laughed at the
affair and accorded the permission.
"The School for Scandal is phial into
which Sheridan distilled the quintessence
alike of himself and his time. Over
none of his other pieces did he bestow
such discriminating pains. While he was
yet at Bath. his sister has told us, its
first phase had been thought out 1t
went through many phases ere 1t emerged
from diffuseness and blossomed into per-
| lection. Masterpieces are not
made in a day. There is no better in
stance of improvisation elaborated into
art, of the craftsmanship by which art
| is concealed, or of the terse simplicity
| into which subtle analysisk can be con-
densed The play is all champagne. del
icately and carefully made and matured
1.-The School for Scandal enjoyed ex-
| ccptional fortune in the first performers
| Nalpole called it "a marvellous resur-
rection of the stage" Sheridans last
touches had kept each performer in view
Mrs Arlington, the Lady Bah who was
ever young, though past 40, interpreted
Lady Teazle as the finished woman Of
fashion; while some years afterward Mrs.
Jordan represented her with equal per-
lection on her other side-that of the
country girl -
The century recognized its own coun-
tenance in this looking glass Of manners.
ANight after night the theatre ovtrfiowed.