Punch: Punch (89.1885)

July 18, 1885.]

PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

33

no truck wid none er dem ez'd unhitch even one er his behime legs.
E'en w'en dey had der way, en wuz top er de fence, fus' news you
knowed wuz ez dey'd tuck de ring clean out'n Brer Pig's snout, en
let him. ez loose ez a colt in de barley-patch."

''And how about Brer B'ar and Brer Alligator?" asked the
little Boy.

(("Chilluns is mighty curus," said the old man, reflectively;

but dey can't 'speck ter know all 'bout eve'thing 'fo' eve'body.
T won't do fer ter give out all de hide fer one p'ar boots. Big
possum clime little tree, en 'pears ter me ez Brer Fox, tho' he kinder
bounce it out, en say he ain't got nuthin ter 'pologize fer, en Brer
Bison en Brer 'Coon dey swar ter grashus dey ain't promised mos'
nuffin, dat ez dey's done 'long er Brer Pig, so dey's like ter do 'long
er de udder beasteses. I tell yer, honey, Miss Meadows she don't
dis'member nuflin, en she keep her eye on de whole caboodle on em."

"Who was Miss Meadows, Uncle Remusi"' inquired the little
boy.

"Miss Meadows she de mistiss er de House," replied the old
darkey. "Dem ez wuz sorter familious wid her called her Miss
Tan'yer, dey did, wot wuz her chris'n name, but I call her Miss
Meadows. She wuz allers en der tale, Miss Meadows wuz, en ef de
beasteses dey cut up too many didos, Miss Meadows she done put her
foot down she did, en say dat w'en dey come ter her place dey hatter
hang up a flag er truce at de front gate en 'bide by it. Miss
Meadows she ain't place much 'pennunce en Brer Bison, en Brer
Fox, en Brer 'Coon. But she mighty unrashful en unfluttersome,
Miss Meadows, mos'. all de time, 'cep w'en she's sorter sot up, en she
des lay low en wait fer ter se w'at atter all dey'll do erlong er Brer
B'ar, en Brer Alligator, en Brer Bull-Frog, en de udder forrin
beasteses, wut dey crack on dey'd f'arly wipe up der face er de earf
wid, w'en dey1 d de pow'r en d.e place. En I'd 'vise yer to do de
same, honey," concluded the old man. " Lay low en wait, honey, en
you '11 see how der pym'turns '11 segashuate."

NOTES BY NIBBS.

(To see the Great Pinlc Pearl at the Prince's.)

I had heard such a favourable report of the Great _ Pink Pearl
after its first exhibition at some matinee, that I anticipated a real
treat, as probably did the majority of the audience, at the Prince's

Theatre last Monday week.
It may be that the Pearl in
question was, on the first
occasion, placed before a
jury of appreciative oysters,
and that, on this second
occasion, it was thrown
before undiscriminating por-
kers,—quorum pars magna
fui,—as certainly there were
a number of grunters
present who expressed
themselves dissatisfied with
the evening performance
of Messrs. Cabton and
Raleigh's " farcical play."

Had this been its first
representation, I should
have delayed any remarks
upon it until I had seen it
again; as, take what piece
you will, whether speaking
as Hard Nibbs. Soft Mbbs,
or Medium Nibbs, I assert,
for the hundredth time, that,
after only seeing its first
representation, it is almost impossible for anyone to pronounce such
acntichm upon it as shall be of any use to the Author, Actors, or
the public. The primary end and aim of all true criticism should be
the: special benefit of the Artist, and the general improvement of the
Art, whatever it may be. To convert what should be a critical
article into a mere journalistic paragraph of the day's news, or to
turn it into a convenient vehicle for airing personal opinions, is an
abuse of criticism. Critics honestly found fault with The Private
Secretary, and when, in consequence, Author and Actors at once
went to work to re-rehearse, to excise, and to make a piece, which
tK S° 7>luoh S°od stuff in it, what it ought to have been at first,
tney showed a just appreciation of criticism, and have largely
profited by their sagacity.

If the Great Pink 'uns, Messrs. Carton, Raleigh & Co., will do
^ewise, there may yet be a good chance for what they have described
as their farcical play," which, as now played, has just so much
tarce m it as prevents it from being a serious play, and just so much
serious drama in it as prevents it from being a farce. The Actors j

Mon Sheen and Ma-chine.

appeared as if uncertain how to render it. Were they to be con-
scious of its extravagance, or ignore it ? Were Fenianism, revolvers,
detectives, Russian police-spies, and a box of dynamite to be impressed
on the audience as terrible realities, or as mere farcical absurdities ?

Such situations as are genuinely comic were thoroughly enjoyed by
the audience who came to laugh, and who, on this account, resented
the introduction of melodramatic intensity which considerably
perplexed them.

It is, therefore, a difficult matter to criticise the acting. It may be
exactly what the Authors wished it. If so, the result is unfortunate.
If it is not what the Authors intended, then the sooner the acting of
the two principal personages is reformed altogether, the better for
the chances of the piece. The key to what must puzzle any audience
is to be found in the performance of Mr. Groves as the Fenian con-
spirator, Gormani. His acting is as highly coloured as hi3 face;
and if this is contrary to the Authors' meaning, then his art is as false
as his palpable wig and whiskers. Either the entire piece ought to
be, by every one concerned, played down to Mr. Gboves's broadly
burlesque impersonation of the Gormani, or played up to the true
comedy level on which even M. Mabius, excellent as he is in this,
does not consistently remain. Sometimes it seemed to flash across
M. Mabius in the midst of a most serious situation, that, after all,
they were "only purtendm'," and that he was in a farcical sort of
Criterion piece, and bound to raise a laugh. Were the roles of
Sheen and Gormani played by Messrs. Garden and Groves as are
all the other parts, with yet some intensity added_ even to these,
the piece, I think, would achieve a distinct and peculiar success. As
it is—that is, when I saw it—it was perplexing and irritating. If
Mr. Groves has influenced the Authors and Actors, against their
better judgment, to accept his view of the play, then he must be the
Groves of Blarney personified ; but if his rendering of the character
is according to the Authors' instructions, then on their heads be it.

The party of the name of Garden—a most refreshing suggestion of
the Garden Party—works painfully hard as Anthony^ Sheen, but is en-
tirely un-funny. He does indeed merit the description applied to him
by M. Marixjs, the calm Russian Diplomat,—we've had a small family
of these characters since Baron Stein, in Dora,—when the latter says
several times, "These people have
no repose,"—and from this point
of view the Garden Party touring
in Paris—his voyage en Sheen—may
be taken as correctly interpreting
his Authors' meaning.

M. Marius has the funniest line
in the piece to say when he shouts
out to a German Count, who has
never uttered more than one syl-
lable at a time, "Silence, Chat-
terbox ! " which brought down the
house, and woke us all up. This
German Count, called Serge—
perhaps because he is dressed in
broadcloth—is capitally played by
Mr. Denison; Mr. Caeerey, too,
as the Russian Secret Police Agent,
cannot be bettered. This actor may
not have power to sustain a leading
part, but he certainly has a special
talent for" a bit of character." But
how many, who might possibly
have been great Actors, have been
captivated by an easy success in
"a bit of character."

As far as appearance goes, Miss
Common, whose acting has vastly

improved since last I saw her, is almost anidealtype of the Russian,
or, if not Russian, at all events of the Polish—or highly Polish'd—
Countess; but she drops her voice when she should raise it, and, on
this particular night, she so dropped it at the end of her best speech,
as to risk the loss of the point which could have been legitimately
made. This may have been an accident; but so it was.

The mise-en-scene is_ very good, and the attention to such details
as the French Police episode in the Second Act, points to the hand of
Monsieur Marius as Stage Manager of the show.

The piece owes nothing to any foreign source, the Authors having
got it all out of their own heads.

Mr. Sayile Clarke and the other Clauke "John S." have had
new pieces at the Strand Theatre, Sa.bah B. has appeared triumphantly
as Theodora at the Gaiety, there is The, O'Dora at Toole's, and, in
this hot weather, I am, yours truly, The Tran-Quill Nibbs.

M. Marius as the Russian Diplo-
matist in Paris. Euss in. Urbe.

From Newmabket.—July Meeting, last week. The winner
KendaVs starting price was eight to one. Taken, of course, in
Queen's Shillings. Mr. John Habe says he doesn't know what
Kendal's future engagements are, but he thinks of backing him.