New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-06-30

tell you IN one WOrO. III Is because lilis
Irish drama is the only drama Of our tine
in which you will find romance. so far
as / know there is not a single English
dramatist-with the exception. perhaps, of
John Masefeld-in whose work one gets
romance. One gets sentiment, pathos, wit
(sometimes), force, tragedy even but never
romance. The theatre in England seems to
be bound helplessly by the manacle forged
first by Oscar Wilde, and fastened more
firmly on by Bernard Shaw-the manacle Of
cleverness. Every writer for the stage is
obsessed with the notion that he must be
clever at all costs. Now cleverness, when
1t is natural and when IT Is big enough,
cleverness like Wildes or Shaw's. is all
very WELL but II is also very rare. I'm
fortunately. shrill. small cleverness is ex-
ceedingly plentiful, and so poor London is
surfeited with cleverness-and bored. bored.
In our souls we are aching for something
very different consciously or merely in
stinctively, we want romance. London is
tired of wit however clever, that is self
conscious and given with a nod and a
wink TO see how we're taking It; she is
tired of strong situations. however brilliant
ly contrived; YEARLY We ask for romance.
The Irish Theatre is the only theatre In
which 1t is TO be found.
How did 1t happen that suddenly and
apparently. without any forewarning. this
new drama sprang up In Ireland? A few
years ago it would have seemed impossible,
absurd, and then in no time writer's, comic
and tragic. discover themselves, band of
wonderful players is got together, and now
the theatre is running serenely on. with all
the assurance in the world, as II there were
centuries of tradition behind 1t! / don't
suppose any one could explain the mystery
According to Mr.. George Moore. the real
cause OF the whole movement was simply
that Mr.. Yeats, the lyric poet. had turned
dramatic poet. and wanted by any means
to see his works on the stage. He did not
in the least care whether people liked them,
or, indeed, whether they came to see them;
those were entirely irrelevant considera-
tons, and 1t was this ruthless determine
ton Of the poet that started the Irish The
atre-according to Mr. Moore.
I'm his last book OF "reminiscences that
entertaining and genially malicious writer
has told something Of the beginning OF the
campaign, and OF his own scornful refusal
TO have anything to do with the ridiculous
and utterly impossible notion OF founding a
literary theatre In Dublin There is an
amusing chapter in the book describing
some of the first rehearsals. They were
| held In London with a company OF English
| actors and actresses (snce there were then
no Irish players), who were to descend on
Dublin when sufficiently word perfect.
| Many OF these performers had been pre-
viously occupied In the presentation OF
provincial melodrama, and with these ladies
and gentlemen W. B. Yeats and Edward
Martyr. who had ingenuously enlisted their
professional services through a theatrical
agent were quite unable to cope
"One can imagine the scene! Fortunately.
however, the melodrama people soon left
I'm indignatlon-after one gentleman had
thrown a chair at I forget which OF the au-
thors. After that Mr.. Yeats was more fort
innate, and ultimately Ike a reckless gen.
cral he advanced on Dublin with an excel
lent company headed by Miss Florence
Farr-George Moore joining them at the
last moment TO snff and sneer at the whole
project as the maddest folly that ever en-
tered the head Of man.
Dublin did not. OF course. worry very
much about the invasion, though a certain
number OF people attended the perform
ances Some were enthusiastic. and others,
politically minded folk who had expected
or at least hoped for something in the nat
ure OF propaganda, and who were accord
ingly disappointed disapproved noisily.
/ But. I'm spite OF the indifference and hos
! tllltv Of the public and the kindly croaking
! Of friends, Mr. Yeats was satisfied, and
pressed on.
I'm 1901 he was Joined by Mr.. W. G. Fay
and his company Of amateurs. and the
movement took a great step forward, for
the most serious obstacle up till that time
| had been the lack of players. Then, in
1904. Miss Horniman. having rebuilt the old
| Abbey Theatre in Dublin, gave the free
use OF Il. together with a subsidy for some
years to the Irish National Theatre So
Getty and the battle was over. since the
subsidy made II possible to maintain COM
rany OF professional actors. The writer's
were there already and other younger men
soon appeared; In fact. only six years after
the first seemingly hopeless efforts lit
erary theatre had been established in Ire
! land
The sudden appearance Of genuine
| Irish drama was no doubt strange, but |
think the sudden springng up. absolutely
| from nowhere. OF n distinctive ana WONDER
full school OF citing in Ireland Is every bit
as strange. And the Abbey Theatre play
ers are wonderful Their most obvious
quality. the secret no doubt OF much OF
| their power Is simplicity but observe-t
! there be any need to point IL out-that this
SIMPLICITY in no way excludes subtlety or
profundity This simplicity OF which l
| sneak seems TO come from a certain humble
ness and devotion in the artist; II Is char
acteristic Of all great art. OF whatever sort
for without Il the art has a way or becom-
ing too self-conscious. artificial and bad
Rut TO me the most astonishing thing abou.
these PLAYERS Is their versatility. To the
regular playgoer. accustomed TO seeing his
savortte actors and actresses doing much
the same thing in quite the same way year
after wear, this versatility comes as a DEF
lightful revelation. Any one or two OF the
programmes will illustrate II. The other
night I saw one OF the new plays, Patriots
Tn the second act J. NJ. Kerrigan appeared
as a priest, a sincere man. little disillu-
stoned. with too much generosity OF mind
for his own comfort and in the last act Mr
Kerrlgan played the part OF mean cyii-
cal laxative old caretaker OF country
town hall In each case he was perfect
am certain that no one, however ooservant
in the audience could have told without ref
erence to his programme that the parts had
been doubled by the same actor.
"or. take Miss Sara Allgood. Last Week
as Kathleen nj Houlihan, she was thrilling
and charming With her beautiful. tragic
voice so that 1t rang afterwurd. hunting