New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-02
.
! Il a ] RE S
AMERICAN HUMOR
ForbesRobertson Says Engshmen Now Understand Uncle
Sans Wit and Enjoy 1t in the Theatre
Other Developments.

Baker-O. yes. yes: | see it now. SIR
Very neat. wasn't ii?
However. Mr. Forbes Robertson did no,
confine himself to this single stateman,
lie went back some forty years in his 70.
marks and talked Of the progress the the.
atre has made in that time. Mr.. Forbes.
Robertson is preparing to retire from
the stage lie hopes that his two Years.
tour Of America. beginning next Septem.
Der, will let him wind up his active career
behind the footliShts.
II want TO retire while | am still sure
OF my welcome" he said Il don't want
to go on until my knees get shaky, my
legs begin to tremble. my sight fails and
my hearing goes back on me. | want 10
retire while can still feel that I am
able to do my best work: and America
has always been so kind TO me- received
me so cordially and treated me so hos
pitably, that / have planned to end my
career there. Besides, my wife is an
American. you know"
The question as to schools of drama
started him in another direction. on the
Il do not think America has a school of
drama peculiarly its own as distinguished
from the English school. The two coun.
tries seem 10 be developing on the same
lines. IT can only be said that America
has a separate school in the sense that
American drama is a study Of the life
peculiar TO that country. English drama
Of
discusses the problems CT English life.
In this sense, and only in this sense. it
might be said that England and America
have separate schools of drama, but not
in the sense that the art of the two ma
tons has developed on divergent lines.
They are developing together and coming
closer together all the time.
Il go to see the new plays, study the
works of the new authors al every op-
portunity. and from my studies and play
going experiences in both England and
America this is the conclusion I draw
that the dissimilarity in the dramatic
work of the two countries lies only in the
locale Of the plays.
I'm both England and America there
atre the last forty years. II is nearly
forty years ago that | began my stage
career. There has been such wonderful
progress that it seems hardly possible II
could have been made in that time. Forty
years ago, when ] began work on the
stage. the theatre was at its lowest ebb.
With the exception of Shakespeare. all
10. he. u-aS p,eia
drama. ridiculously distorting life, and
puerile love stories Of the weakest, most
distressing kind to a man with real blood
A., in his veins.
AT that time there was just one ray
| OF hope in the English theatre-one little
candle slimmering in the darkness. That
was the Bancrofts at the little Prince OF
! Wales Theatre. From that small start
| has grown the theatre OF to-day, where
we have, TO be sure. melodrama for those
! who want il and love stories for those
who want them. but where also intelligent
men and women can find entertainment
| IN work that is worthy TO be set before
| trained and cultivated minds.
Forty years ago ! often heard intelh-
gent people say We cannot 60 10 the
theatre. You cannot expect us to waste
our time on such things as the stage has
to offer To-day one never hears that
! said. and the difference in the intellectual
tone OF the theatre audiences Of to-day
! from those Of forty years ago is remark
able. / don't mean only those who occupy
the stalls. but throughout the house one
often hears the best and most intelligent
criticism from those in the cheaper parts
OF the house, and the actor to-day knows
that he can rely on the judgment OF the
occupants OF the cheaper seats.
/ Il think this is due very largely 10 the
! higher general intellectual level OF the
actors to-day. We do not have the great
/ heights OF acting which We had years
ago we do not have. perhaps. the Mac
readys. the Keans and the Garricks Of
the old days. but the general level is far
higher average that we do not appreciate
the heights of dramatic art to which our
! Macreadys and Keans and Garricks Of
| to-day rise.
! with this. of course. has come the
vast change in dramatic writings. II IS
hard to say which came first. | am not
sure that it would be fair 10 say that
either preceded the other or was the con-
sequence OF the other. They came TO-
gether. and each required the other. Fine
dramatic writing needed high leve! OF
acting. and intelligent actors demanded
the best art in dramatic writing