DOI issue:
June 30, 1888
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.17659#0308
punch, oe the london charivari.
201
"DALY" NEWS.i
One visit to the'Daly Co., now performing The Taming of the
Shrew at the Gaiety, will make it evident to the student of the English
Drama that Theatrical America must have teen discovered by the
Kembles, with Mrs. Sibbons, followed by Macreaby, Phelps, Comp-
Ton, and Buckstone, whose good old traditions have not yet been
discarded as is evidenced by the occasionally deep tones and courtly
Yankee Shakspeares came to town i Such a feather in their cap!
On Petruchio1 s pony; Hope they '11 make their money.
gestures of the leading members of this company, and in the
peculiar mannerisms of-the low comedians. "What first struck me,
after the remarkable performance of Miss Aba. Rehan asKatherine,
Was Mr. John Drew's clever embodiment of Petruchio ; and pass-
ing over the cut-and-dried comic business of Mr. James Lewis as
^rumio, Mr. F. Bonb as Tranio, and Mr. Chaeles LECLEEca as
trretnio, I was delighted with Mrs. Gilbert as Curtis, whom the
Americans have changed into an old woman after Shakspeare had
made a man of him. Miss Phcebe Russell looks quite Burn-Jonesian
as Bianca. About the others, with the exception of Mr. "William
Wxbert, the exponent of Christopher Sly, there seemed to me to be
an amateurishness which was quite inexplicable. But the two, on
whom the success of this Elizabethan Farcical Extravaganza depends,
„irie worthy of the greatest praise, of which to Miss ;Kehah must be
allotted the lion's share.
ai About the spelling of Petruchio's name there is admittedly some
"light difference of opinion, but about the pronunciation of it as
spelt m the Daly Company's bill, " Petrucio," there is a good deal of
Qmerence among the Daly Company themselves, Beeing that the same
person is called at one time " Petruzzio," at another " Petrooshio,"
iru? ^?ain " Petrutch{°" according to the taste and fancy of the
uiaividual. If the correct spelling be Petruchio, the correct pro-
nunciation would be " Petrukio." The absence of uniformity in such
nut tv, *s a no*e °* indecision in stage management, and through-
n « j f e PJeee there is constant evidence of their still being bound hand
ana loot by the old theatrical red-tape of the Kemble-Macready tra-
dition, of which the English stage has well rid itself by a series of
mancipation Acts, passed by the leaders of generations of oppressed
Pl^f« nobly struggling to be free."
hoo f A+^E1T' as the mad-cap, strong-willed, gay and gallant Petruchio,
wft «, \ nature for nothing, and att for everything. He doesn't
is ever rifl at aU* but plays "* within a few inches of as weU as il
to av H .De played. To impersonate a man acting a part, and
Milf +iT aPPearing theatrical and self-conscious, is exceedingly diffi-
Fn M°g ^st within the resources of dramatic art.
InnV «Tt •Rbhan as Katherine I have unqualified praise. She
nrwo ■ snrew' she acts the shrew, she exhibits such demoniac
tmfl\lBvm. as °an only relieve itself by inarticulate cries of anger,
starv H ^i61106 of action sudden and uncontrollable. "When being
evm- ^it0 submission, Miss Rehan so enlists our sympathies,
in the most outrageously farcical situations, that the men
n tne House begin to think what a cowardly brute is Petruchio, and
". * a shame it is to use this splendid creature so cruelly, when she
MiSht have been conquered by kindness. But Petruchio is right ;
-Katherine had once got outside a good square meal, he and his
cowboy whip, his Buffalo Bill swagger and his burlesque bluster would
nave had as much effect on Shakspeabe's Katherine as it has on the
audience who are in Ihe secret. And then to note how Miss Redan
Wins the audience who remain spell-bound by her wise and gentle
vol. xcrv. b i
delivery of that excellent lecture on the duties of wives towards their
husbands, with which the play practically finishes,—the sentiments
of which lecture I noticed were greeted with rapturous applause by
the elder male portion of the audience, while better halves appeared,
to be suddenly particularly engaged in getting at their opera-cloaks
and wrappers. I wonder how Mrs. "William Shakspeare liked this
finishing speech; that is, if dear Anne was alive at the time, and
ever went to the Theatre to'see her husband's pieces. The sort of
pantomime " hurry " music played at the entrance of Katharine is a
mistake, though quite in keeping with the old-fashioned notion of
the character which Miss Rehan utterly dispels.
When the Daly Company has left us, the truth concerning this per-
formance of The Taming of the Shrew, will be summed up in two lines,
" Kehan the Shrew
And Petruchio ' Drew'."
I advise anyone who doesn't believe in the possibility of this piece
being acted nowadays, to go and see Miss Rehan as Katherine,
and I fancy they will remain of the same opinion still, as, without
her, where would this muddle-plotted whimsical farce be? But
with her it is something to be seen says Jack in the Box.
THE CLIENT'S EELEASE.
[Little Legal Operetta, in Active Rehearsal.)
Corridor in the immediate vicinity of the Sigh Court of Justice.
A crowd of exasperated Suitors who have been waiting all day,
together with their respective Witnesses, Counsel, and Solicitors, in
a feverish state of expectancy that their particular case will be
the next called on for hearing, discovered huddled together outside
the door; a blithe Official steps lightly out. They make an
irritable rush at him, and dragging him to the front, with
threatening gesticulations, sing the following Chorus:—
Chorus.
Speak ! "Why this procrastination!
Have you nothing to say cheering I
Can you give no intimation.
When our case comes on for hearing ?
Here for days have we been waiting,
None our angry protests heeding,
Seeing fees accumulating,—
Counsel with refreshers feeding!
Say, must we who justice seek,
"Wait perhaps, till this day week!
Blithe Official (andante).
I know not of anything that I can say
Which will lighten your chagrin or sorrow.
You came yesterday, you have turned up to-day :—
You had all better show here to-morrow!
And if your attendance to-morrow prove vain,
Then come the day after, and—well, try again I
exasperateb suitor (con fuoco).
He treats our prayers, our threats, with scora :
Each wasted moment means a fee 1
Can such a weight of costs be borne 1
Will no one intervene ?
[The Scene suddenly opens at the bach and discloses the Genius of the
Bar Committee and the Good iairy of the Incorporated Law
Society, surrounded by a blaze of legal light.
Genius of the Bar Committee and the Goob Faxey of the
Incobporateb Law Society {ensemble).
Yes I "We!
{They wave their wands, while there appears above them the List of
Causes, which are subdivided into Special Jury Actions,"
" Common Jury Actions, and Non-Jury Actions," and appor-
tioned in " groups " to particular Judges, each case being set down
for hearing on a specified day at a fixed hour. All cower before
the phenomenon with satisfied stupefaction.
Behold! past practice thus we set aside.
See there, your work before vou cut and dried
Delay is dead! Clears off official mist
You've but to seek your name upon that list.
No more you '11 have to hang about in town;
The day, the hour, the Court, are all set down.
And so we trust we've satisfied our friends—
For Order rules at last, and Chaos ends I
[They are about to retire gracefully, when they are surrounded by a
surging throng of Solicitors, Chief Clerks, Counsel, Clients, and
Court Officials, who indulge in a wild appreciative revel as the
Curtain descends.
More "G. 0. M.'s" !!—Another has been discovered at the
Crystal Palace,—" Goon Olb Manns." Evidently a pluralist.
201
"DALY" NEWS.i
One visit to the'Daly Co., now performing The Taming of the
Shrew at the Gaiety, will make it evident to the student of the English
Drama that Theatrical America must have teen discovered by the
Kembles, with Mrs. Sibbons, followed by Macreaby, Phelps, Comp-
Ton, and Buckstone, whose good old traditions have not yet been
discarded as is evidenced by the occasionally deep tones and courtly
Yankee Shakspeares came to town i Such a feather in their cap!
On Petruchio1 s pony; Hope they '11 make their money.
gestures of the leading members of this company, and in the
peculiar mannerisms of-the low comedians. "What first struck me,
after the remarkable performance of Miss Aba. Rehan asKatherine,
Was Mr. John Drew's clever embodiment of Petruchio ; and pass-
ing over the cut-and-dried comic business of Mr. James Lewis as
^rumio, Mr. F. Bonb as Tranio, and Mr. Chaeles LECLEEca as
trretnio, I was delighted with Mrs. Gilbert as Curtis, whom the
Americans have changed into an old woman after Shakspeare had
made a man of him. Miss Phcebe Russell looks quite Burn-Jonesian
as Bianca. About the others, with the exception of Mr. "William
Wxbert, the exponent of Christopher Sly, there seemed to me to be
an amateurishness which was quite inexplicable. But the two, on
whom the success of this Elizabethan Farcical Extravaganza depends,
„irie worthy of the greatest praise, of which to Miss ;Kehah must be
allotted the lion's share.
ai About the spelling of Petruchio's name there is admittedly some
"light difference of opinion, but about the pronunciation of it as
spelt m the Daly Company's bill, " Petrucio," there is a good deal of
Qmerence among the Daly Company themselves, Beeing that the same
person is called at one time " Petruzzio," at another " Petrooshio,"
iru? ^?ain " Petrutch{°" according to the taste and fancy of the
uiaividual. If the correct spelling be Petruchio, the correct pro-
nunciation would be " Petrukio." The absence of uniformity in such
nut tv, *s a no*e °* indecision in stage management, and through-
n « j f e PJeee there is constant evidence of their still being bound hand
ana loot by the old theatrical red-tape of the Kemble-Macready tra-
dition, of which the English stage has well rid itself by a series of
mancipation Acts, passed by the leaders of generations of oppressed
Pl^f« nobly struggling to be free."
hoo f A+^E1T' as the mad-cap, strong-willed, gay and gallant Petruchio,
wft «, \ nature for nothing, and att for everything. He doesn't
is ever rifl at aU* but plays "* within a few inches of as weU as il
to av H .De played. To impersonate a man acting a part, and
Milf +iT aPPearing theatrical and self-conscious, is exceedingly diffi-
Fn M°g ^st within the resources of dramatic art.
InnV «Tt •Rbhan as Katherine I have unqualified praise. She
nrwo ■ snrew' she acts the shrew, she exhibits such demoniac
tmfl\lBvm. as °an only relieve itself by inarticulate cries of anger,
starv H ^i61106 of action sudden and uncontrollable. "When being
evm- ^it0 submission, Miss Rehan so enlists our sympathies,
in the most outrageously farcical situations, that the men
n tne House begin to think what a cowardly brute is Petruchio, and
". * a shame it is to use this splendid creature so cruelly, when she
MiSht have been conquered by kindness. But Petruchio is right ;
-Katherine had once got outside a good square meal, he and his
cowboy whip, his Buffalo Bill swagger and his burlesque bluster would
nave had as much effect on Shakspeabe's Katherine as it has on the
audience who are in Ihe secret. And then to note how Miss Redan
Wins the audience who remain spell-bound by her wise and gentle
vol. xcrv. b i
delivery of that excellent lecture on the duties of wives towards their
husbands, with which the play practically finishes,—the sentiments
of which lecture I noticed were greeted with rapturous applause by
the elder male portion of the audience, while better halves appeared,
to be suddenly particularly engaged in getting at their opera-cloaks
and wrappers. I wonder how Mrs. "William Shakspeare liked this
finishing speech; that is, if dear Anne was alive at the time, and
ever went to the Theatre to'see her husband's pieces. The sort of
pantomime " hurry " music played at the entrance of Katharine is a
mistake, though quite in keeping with the old-fashioned notion of
the character which Miss Rehan utterly dispels.
When the Daly Company has left us, the truth concerning this per-
formance of The Taming of the Shrew, will be summed up in two lines,
" Kehan the Shrew
And Petruchio ' Drew'."
I advise anyone who doesn't believe in the possibility of this piece
being acted nowadays, to go and see Miss Rehan as Katherine,
and I fancy they will remain of the same opinion still, as, without
her, where would this muddle-plotted whimsical farce be? But
with her it is something to be seen says Jack in the Box.
THE CLIENT'S EELEASE.
[Little Legal Operetta, in Active Rehearsal.)
Corridor in the immediate vicinity of the Sigh Court of Justice.
A crowd of exasperated Suitors who have been waiting all day,
together with their respective Witnesses, Counsel, and Solicitors, in
a feverish state of expectancy that their particular case will be
the next called on for hearing, discovered huddled together outside
the door; a blithe Official steps lightly out. They make an
irritable rush at him, and dragging him to the front, with
threatening gesticulations, sing the following Chorus:—
Chorus.
Speak ! "Why this procrastination!
Have you nothing to say cheering I
Can you give no intimation.
When our case comes on for hearing ?
Here for days have we been waiting,
None our angry protests heeding,
Seeing fees accumulating,—
Counsel with refreshers feeding!
Say, must we who justice seek,
"Wait perhaps, till this day week!
Blithe Official (andante).
I know not of anything that I can say
Which will lighten your chagrin or sorrow.
You came yesterday, you have turned up to-day :—
You had all better show here to-morrow!
And if your attendance to-morrow prove vain,
Then come the day after, and—well, try again I
exasperateb suitor (con fuoco).
He treats our prayers, our threats, with scora :
Each wasted moment means a fee 1
Can such a weight of costs be borne 1
Will no one intervene ?
[The Scene suddenly opens at the bach and discloses the Genius of the
Bar Committee and the Good iairy of the Incorporated Law
Society, surrounded by a blaze of legal light.
Genius of the Bar Committee and the Goob Faxey of the
Incobporateb Law Society {ensemble).
Yes I "We!
{They wave their wands, while there appears above them the List of
Causes, which are subdivided into Special Jury Actions,"
" Common Jury Actions, and Non-Jury Actions," and appor-
tioned in " groups " to particular Judges, each case being set down
for hearing on a specified day at a fixed hour. All cower before
the phenomenon with satisfied stupefaction.
Behold! past practice thus we set aside.
See there, your work before vou cut and dried
Delay is dead! Clears off official mist
You've but to seek your name upon that list.
No more you '11 have to hang about in town;
The day, the hour, the Court, are all set down.
And so we trust we've satisfied our friends—
For Order rules at last, and Chaos ends I
[They are about to retire gracefully, when they are surrounded by a
surging throng of Solicitors, Chief Clerks, Counsel, Clients, and
Court Officials, who indulge in a wild appreciative revel as the
Curtain descends.
More "G. 0. M.'s" !!—Another has been discovered at the
Crystal Palace,—" Goon Olb Manns." Evidently a pluralist.