Punch: Punch (89.1885)

232

PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

[November 14, 1885.

NICK" OR NOTHING.

[At the St. James's Theatre.)

Matfair is an adaptation, from Sabdotj's Maison Neuve, by Mr
Pinebo, who has long since got over Ms Hay-fever, and. has brought

anything but " the
scent of the hay
over the foot-lights "
this time. The play,
in five Acts, has, up
till now, escaped
wholesale condem-
nation in conse-
quence of Mr.
habe'sperformance
of Nicholas Bar-
rahle. But for him
in this part, May-
fair would have gone
to Old Nick; it is,
however, saved in
the nick of time
and Mr. and Mrs.
Kendal and Mr,
Hay- over- the-foot-
escape,

Scenes in the Life of a "Wicked Nobleman. An Aris-
tocratic Party going along on the Drag.

Onward course of "Wicked Nobleman, but
as this takes place during the entr'acte,
the Audience " don't see the pull of it."

lights Pinebo have had a Hare - breadth

The piece must have been chosen, one would suppose, for the sake
of the powerful situation in the Fourth Act, which is entirely spoilt
in the English version. I know how difficult it is to judge of a piece
on hearing it read, yet so careful and experienced a Management
as that of the St. James's must surely have had some misgivings as
to its ultimate success, even when, after due study, they chose it, and
these misgivings must have
been seriouswhentheyBow-
dlerised it; they must have
grown into strong doubts
when they heard the adap-
tation ; and, after they had
carefully rehearsed it, what
could have decided them to
risk its production ? Was
it the chance for Mr. Hake,
whose acting goes far to-
wards redeeming the piece ?
or was it that they foresaw
a triumph for Mr. Cabt-
wbight as the Aristocratic
Lover ? When the time
comes for the Managers and
Manageress of the St.

James's to write their re-
miniscences, we shall learn _
the Secret History of a Failure, but not till then; and till then
playgoers will be content to wait.

I cannot see that Mr. Pinebo is much to blame, as I imagine he was
commissioned to write this piece in this particular, very particular,
way ; and anyone, who may be interested in the matter, has but to
purchase the original play, for which he will go to Hachette, in

order to see.how the
adapter has gone to
"hash it" himself.
How much better to
have left it alone
altogether, or to
have transferred it
bodily from Paris to
London, a compara-
tively easy matter,
or to have kept it as
it was—a thorough-
ly Parisian story.

Perhaps the Ma-
nagement are of
opinion,

" 'Tis better to adapt
and fail, than never
to adapt at all."

and herein their
playwright will probably agree with them. It is a matter of business,
and I think, personally, I should be of his opinion. But in this
per-version,—to borrow Mr. W. S. Gjxbebt's description of his own
flirtation with Tennyson's Princess,—there is not a trace of the skill
with which the original French play was built up, although, even
there, the finish of the First Act was weak. As ts the writing, the

From " My Lady's Chamber." " Take him by the
right leg, take him by the left leg," &c.

Mrs. Kendal (agonised, and striking her
forehead violently). 0 Heaven, give me
strength to drag on through another Act!

part of the "Wicked Nobleman shows many a touch of Mr. Pinebo's
sly humour, and in the hands of Mr. Cabtwbisht, who represents
the gay Lothario of our Hereditary Legislating caste, not a point of
the fun is lost, and his great scene where he .opens the window,

suffers 4 from a strong
draught, and then goes just
so-fa and no farther, be-
cause ' he tumbles down
behind that piece of furni-
ture, is replete with the
spirit of true Comedy, and,
on Thursday night last, his
performance, had the play
ended here, was calculated
to have sent the audience
away in the very merriest
humour. The part of
Agnes, or Ag'nies, played
by Mrs. Kendal, who wastes
her strength on a thankless
task, is consistently unin-
telligible from first to last.
By the way, I wouldn't give
much for the stock-broking
business of the wealthy old
Barrable, when he makes a
difficulty of finding eight
thousand pounds, and has to send to his Solicitor to get him four
thousand more. Apparently, one hundred and ninety-two pounds
overdraws Geoffery's account, and
when the absconding Clerk does go
oil, it is only with fifteen hundred
pounds-worth of Egyptian Unified,
which, however, is enough to utterly
ruin the unhappy Geoffery. I don't
understand it: but then I am not a
business man. Only if this is a true
picture, it makes me nervous, and I
shall have an interview with my
Broker,—Stock-Broker, I mean,—as
soon as possible. I do, however,
quite understand M. Sabdotj's
Maison Neuve, where the plot is
worked out in a natural and sensible
manner.

There can be but one opinion as to
the excellence of Mr. B a re's Nicholas
Barrable, or " Uncle Nick," as they
call him. Bat most of the other
parts are quite un-barrable. What-
ever kudos is to be got out of the piece is simply—Nick's. Mr.
Bbooxiteld's make-up is overdone; if he be intended for a sporting

Pantaloon, I have
no more to say;
but if not, then
I haven't the
slightest idea
what sort of
creature he is
meant to imper-
sonate. The ori-
ginal of this part,
Pontarme, is a
genuine type of
the rou$ who has
" lived," and who
is old before
forty.

The Critios seem
to have been
pretty well right
this time in their
first-night's ver-
dict ; but then it
was not exactly
a new piece, and
they knew what
they ought to have
seen beforehand.
What they did
see must have
been quite a little
surprise for most
of them, as I

Colley Cibber Brookfield as the
Sporting Pantaloon.

End

of Piece. Final Tableau. " Saved ! saved !
Three cheers for the Long Lost Hare ! "

admit it was, when seen, four nights afterwards, by

Tours truly,

Cocoa Nibds.