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A DRAMATIC CRITIC vaguely recall his solid comic power, his humanness, and his variety, with some pleasure, but with no feeling that his art was great or distinguished. The plays which he produced in Boston were, with scarcely an exception, flimsy things, whose vogue had depended upon his success in their leading parts. I fancy that he was not happy in his American environment, and that he by no means did himself justice here. The testimony of my own mem- ory is strong only upon a single point, and that the worst point in his entire method. He persisted in repeating over and over again queer little tricks of voice or action, which were funny for perhaps once hear- ing or seeing, but would not bear reitera- tion. His British audiences encouraged him in this habit by their naif acceptance of it, I suspect; his American audiences would not tolerate it. In all my other ex- perience of the theatre, I never saw a com- pany of spectators freeze with such steady [ 78 ]
TOOLE AND MATHEWS rapidity against an actor as on one of Mr. Toole's nights at the Globe Theatre, when in Ici On Parle Francais, he used a sense- less piece of stage " business," — which caused a light laugh because of its unex- pectedness, — and thrice repeated the ab- surdity. On the fourth recurrence of the offense, it was not only not rewarded with a single snicker, but provoked many ex- pressions of annoyance. In marked contrast with my faint recol- lections of Toole are my vivid impressions of Charles James Mathews. Mr. Mathews revisited this country in 187 1, when he was sixty-eight years of age, and he seemed to me then, and seems to me now, an unequaled incarnation of the spirit of youth and jollity. The dazzling Wynd- ham, at less than half the age of the senior actor, was no fresher or gayer than he, and in speed of tongue and wit was only a good second to Mr. Mathews. The elder artist was not to be compared with [ 79 ]
- Page 45 and 46: I IV Some Early Experiences and Mis
- Page 47 and 48: EXPERIENCES AND MISTAKES quent appl
- Page 49 and 50: EXPERIENCES AND MISTAKES outspoken
- Page 51 and 52: V Selwyn's Theatre and the Robert-
- Page 53 and 54: SELWYN'S THEATRE Sargent Curtis ; a
- Page 55 and 56: SELWYN'S THEATRE Colorado and the t
- Page 57 and 58: SELWYN'S THEATRE that of the life o
- Page 59 and 60: VI The Ephemeral Drama and the Endu
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- Page 65 and 66: VII The Great Dramatic QyiNQiJENNiU
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- Page 71 and 72: VIII William Warren, Comedian BOSTO
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- Page 95: TOOLE AND MATHEWS Mrs. Rousby, who
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- Page 103 and 104: CHARLOTTE CUSHMAN figure and homely
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- Page 111 and 112: CHARLOTTE CUSHMAN mendations " and
- Page 113 and 114: THE XII E. A. SOTHERN, Sr. most not
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- Page 119 and 120: E. A. SOTHERN, SR. thrown completel
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- Page 127 and 128: THE ISOLATION OF ACTORS plish. Behi
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TOOLE AND MATHEWS<br />
rapidity against an actor as on one of Mr.<br />
Toole's nights at the Globe Theatre, when<br />
in Ici On Parle Francais, he used a sense-<br />
less piece of stage " business," — which<br />
caused a light laugh because of its unex-<br />
pectedness, — and thrice repeated the ab-<br />
surdity. On the fourth recurrence of the<br />
offense, it was not only not rewarded with<br />
a single snicker, but provoked many ex-<br />
pressions of annoyance.<br />
In marked contrast with my faint recol-<br />
lections of Toole are my vivid impressions<br />
of Charles James Mathews. Mr. Mathews<br />
revisited this country in 187 1, when he<br />
was sixty-eight years of age, and he<br />
seemed to me then, and seems to me now,<br />
an unequaled incarnation of the spirit of<br />
youth and jollity. The dazzling Wynd-<br />
ham, at less than half the age of the senior<br />
actor, was no fresher or gayer than he,<br />
and in speed of tongue and wit was only<br />
a good second to Mr. Mathews. The<br />
elder artist was not to be compared with<br />
[ 79 ]
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