fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi I L L U S TR fl TI O N S
fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi
John Drew $Photogravure) Fron tispiece
w Mrs . Mrs . John Dre as Malaprop in p age The Rivals 4 Josephine Baker as Moya in $ The Shaugh raun 8 John Drew as the Adj utant in $ The Passing Regiment With Ada Rehan as Eric Thorndyk e and K ate V erity in The Sq uire
With Ada Rehan as Mr . and Mrs . Ford in $ The Merry Wives of Windsor 2 0 As Belleville in $ The Country Girl 2 4 As Captain Plume in $ The Recruit ing O fficer 2 8 As Petruchio in $ The Taming of the Shrew With A d a Rehan as Howell Everett and V al O sprey in The Railroad of Love As O rlando in $ As Yo u Like It With Ada Rehan as Young Mirabel and O riana in The Inconstant ” fi fi e fi e m e e fi ufi fi e fi fi fi fi e e fi fi e I L L U S T R A T I O N S
w $ John Dre as Charles Surface in The Page ” School for Scandal 5 4 As the K ing of Navarre in $ Love’ s ’ Labour s Lost 6 0 As Robin Hood in $ The Foresters 6 6 With Maude Adams as O ssian and ” Miriam 1n $ Butterflies A s V iscount Cliv eb ro o k e in $ The Bauble Shop K $ As Mr . ilroy in The Sq uire of Dames With Maude Adams as Sir Jasper ” and Dolly 1n $ Rosemary As the Comte de Cand ale in $ A Marriage of Convenience ” As Sir Christopher Deering in $ The Liars ” With Blanche Burton as Sir Christo Ebe rno e pher Deering and Mrs . in The Liars ” With Id a Conq uest and Arthur By ron in $ The Tyranny of Tears With Frank Lamb and Arthur Byron ” in $ The Tyranny of Tears Miss Ethel Barrymore fl fl fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fl fi fi 7 OHN DR E W
fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi
3h P a r t F i r s t
NTIL very lately John Drew had been for years the most approved re pre se n tativ e on our dram atic stage of gay, volatile young gentlemen , and in this present hour , more because o f o f the accidents the play market ,
I believe , than for any signs of the flight o f years in his appearance or m his de eanour , he is accepted as the type of polite man of the world , the social philosopher , never too strenuously philosophical , the cour Wit tier , the , the diplomatist , just fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 0 E N D R E W at the threshold of the middle D years . Mr . rew is , perhaps , the
$ ” most essentially modern o f all
His our actors . elegance is the elegance of a chapter of Henry
James , rather than that of a scene
He by Congreve . has acted with admirable skill in the old com e
’ dies , and with rare eloquence in plays of Shak espeare ; but in the public m ind he has been m ost closely associated with plays o f the m passing hour , and the oods and m m m anners of the i ediate present .
He um is , in the popular phrase , f k theatrical . It is elt that he ta es the manners of polite society from the drawing - room directly to the fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W D stage . Yet Mr . rew is one of a com paratively few prominent actors of this day who were actually born
He to the stage . is of the third generation of a theatrical family ;
both of his parents were actors,
He and so were their parents . began his theatrical career at the d age of nineteen years , and serve an apprenticeship in the stock com pany of the A rch Street Theatre P in hiladelphia , nearly two years before he got his opening in New
York . I can recall vividly the impression
18 I received , in 7 5 , of the young actor who made his first appearance ,
I th February 5 of that year, at the fi n e fie e fi e n e e e fi e ue e e fi e e fi 7 0 H N D R E W Fifth A venue Theatre in the taking role of B o b Ruggles in Tfie B zg
B ona nz a , a comedy in which the plot and characterisation of the U ” German ltimo, by Von Moser, were adapted as closely as possible to A Ru an merican environment . g gles was a glib but well - meaning youth who met a nice girl on her way home from boarding school , helped her out of some trifling pre d ic am e nt on the railroad, and there after paid successful court to her
- an easy going , gracefully graceless,
- light hearted , inconsequential sort of chap , with a saving sense of humour to restrain the follies of passion and lend piquant effect to MR S. JOHN DREW
v As M rs M alap rop in The Ri als .
7 o H N D R E W
his harmless gallantries . In fact, Ruggles was a typical $ light com ” edy part of the era, then declin
$ ing, when lines were strictly o bserved and the parts in plays were cast by the stage managers
A s almost as a matter of course . a light comedian , in the hour which L W ’ was still ester allack s , when , too , the polished assurance and brisk patter of Mathews were vividlyre D membered , young John rew had L many deficiencies . ightness of touch in any branch of art is not D easily acquired , and rew reached fame by no royal road . In 7723 B ig B ona nz a we all liked him , because his was a personality fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
new and pleasing , because he was unaffected and gentlemanly ; and some of us saw a promise of some
in thing better his work . Yet the old stagers did not hesitate to say $they never hesitate to say anything cruel about young actors) , that he ” $ made nothing at all of his o p
$ o rtunitie s He p . scarcely played up 3 to the experienced Fanny Davenport in his love scenes with her, to be sure, yet he had indi vid ualit y, and he walked the stage with the ease of one born to it . Drew remained at the Fifth A venue T heatre more than two years , until A D its manager, the late ugustin aly, suddenly gave up the lease at the
6 fi fifi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 17 o H N D R E W very beginning o f the theatre sea
o f I 8 — 8 son 7 7 , and probably in the interval he made some sort of pro gress toward popularity , but the company was numerous, and the
D o b manager autocratic . Mr . aly ” served no $ lines in casting his plays, and although the youth from Philadelphia began in a $ light
z comedy role, half a do en more experienced actors would have been fi delighted to get , yet he did not g ure conspicuously as a light com e dian in the distributions generally . ” L o w m $ co edy character parts , walking gentlem en and utilities
- m k $chiefly the last na ed) , fell thic ly to his share , and he was accounted fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fif fl fi fi fi fl j o H N D R E W reasonably harmless in most of
His D S them . udley mooth , in
18 6 unc o m 7 , seemed to me an m o nl y clever piece of work , but I suppose the veterans of that time considered that it lacked depth and weight . I liked him very much
- as the rattle brained youngster,
T G ll Pi ue horsby y , in q , which he
. ff played with really buoyant e ect , but the performance did not set the town ablaze . D ’ $ Young rew s recognition , prop erly , was to be deferred till he grew artistically strong enough to bear
He success . had two years of varied experiences , some of them picturesque , as a travelling actor
8 JOSE PHINE B A K ER $ h h ra u As Moya in The S aug n .
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before his opportunity came . In the earliest weeks of Daly ’ s Thea tre , weeks of uphill labor, which called into exercise all its man
’ ager s strength of purpose and in D domitable courage, Mr . rew did not figure very brilliantly in the company , but along in November D Mr . aly gave him a small lecture and a good part .
$ B o b R I gave you uggles, he
$ said , and you did nothing with it ; I wrote Thorsby Gyll expressly for you , and you did nothing to
’ speak of with that Here s your last chance . Make a hit in this , and
’ I ll advance you in my company .
’ ” m Fail , and I done with you .
9 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W E mphatic words, but the great man ager had a way of using such words
and of meaning what he said, and just that kind of heroic treatment did worlds of good to m any a young actor who had the good fortune to
serve under his sway . I do not think that Drew had been neglect
o t ful of his duty that autumn . N
many good parts had gone his way,
be m to sure , but I well reme ber how clearly he denoted the few ap
re c iable o f R e v H p traits the . arry D uncan , the mild young clergy
in o f man , a few performances
’ D Div orce aly s , put on as a stop
gap , and the manliness and dramatic force of his acting of A rnold Brink
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‘ A ra oia n Ni /zz 2 g , November 9,
18 7 9 . His character was A lexander Sprin
m an s kle, a young married oppres ed
m -in- by a formidable other law , who , in the most innocent mood im agin k able, occasionally see s adventure in the m anner of that renowned Caliph of Bagdad whose glory is
S z celebrated by chehera ade . Mr . Drew has acted m any better parts in a similar vein since that night of his first notable triumph toward the close of his long and m em o
’ m D k rable engage ent at aly s , he too up the sam e role under a different ’ m S na e, in ydney Grundy s much more compact version of the sam e
12 JOHN As th e Ad j utant m The Pa s s m g Re g1m e n t
fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
m Ger an play which , like the origi
7 716 B i B ona nz a nal of g , was written by Von Moser B ut that was the ” night that made him quite, though I fancy he would not have been undone if the popular ver dict had been against his perform
His ance . inborn talent would
A n A ra oia n have told in time . Nigat had the first considerable
’ run D of that first season at aly s, and John Drew ’s was the most distinguished personal success in its performance . From that time on he was an actor to be reckoned with From that time the good qualities in his acting never lacked appreciation in as large measure as
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the best of actors can hope for . He had passed safely through his
h e n c e fo r apprenticeship , and was, m ward , until he deliberately beca e
$ a star, a leading man , though D Mr . aly discountenanced even ” the empty forms of $ lines of work among his actors .
It is necessary , before proceeding further with this record of his
’ career, to put down some of the particulars of his origin and his novitiate He was born in Phila
N 18 delphia in ovember, 5 3 , and was educated in that city at the Protes
E A He tant piscopal cademy . was t fit ed for entrance to a university, e but , inst ad, after a short trip abroad,
14 fl fi fi fi fi fl fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fl fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W went upon the stage to earn his own living in the theatre so long m managed by his other , known in her later years as the inim itable ff ' Mrs . Malaprop of Mr . Je erson s
T/ze Ri va /r condensation of . In his two seasons of service at the A S T rch treet heatre , young John Drew pretended to be divers and many persons for the entertain
P Ofli c io us ment of hiladelphians .
m B ets B a ker Cousin Crum y in y ,
‘ H T/ze L a u /zin Mr . ornblower in g g
H ena m y , and a dozen or ore similar secondary roles in old farces fell
He l to his share . was sentimenta A dolph de C o urtro y in Tlze Capta in o tile Wa te/z f , wicked but penitent
I S fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
’ Captain Crosstree in Jerrold s B la ck
E ed Sus a n D S y , olly panker in
L ondon A s s ura nce , insulted Gaspar
T/ze L a d L ons Oh in y of y , , ” Me lno tte $ , a blow bashful
T/ze Hune/zoa eé Cousin Modus in , and the County Paris in R om eo a nd
u/iet 7 , the last three roles in the support of the renowned A delaide N P eilson , then the loveliest auline D eschappelles, Julia and Juliet of the stage . D P Mr . aly went to hiladelphia to see a new play called Wom en of tile Day which was acted at the A rch Street Theatre in the winter of
1 — T 87 4 5 . here was a dearth of good new plays and this piece ,
16
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a written by member of Mrs . . D ’ H rew s company , Charles . Mor ton , who had been the original actor o f the title role in T/ze B la ck
Crook , was better than some others . Daly bought it and produced it in his beautiful New York house , with a distribution which would not have been amiss in the Tbe Sc/zool f or
Sca nd a l B ut re . the play is not membered now for that reason , or for the crisp humour of James
L - ewis , as the light hearted young
Dav husband, the mellow fun of id e - g , as a story telling physician , or the voluble deliveryby Miss Daven port o f a d escription of a new frock which was actually l ts most memo
l 7 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
rable passage , but for the fact that it served as a stepping - stone in the
D He career of John rew . acted in Philadelphia the role of Major A S lfred teele , taken in New York L by ewis, and the visiting manager from the metropolis was more favourably impressed by his display o f rudimentary ability than were the famous L ondon manager who went to Portsmouth to see Miss
H Pe to wk e r enrietta , and saw also P the Infant henomenon , and that other histori c 1m pre sario who sat in a box to observe the effect of
’ O ld B o ws s training upon Miss
o th e rin a F g y, impressed by what
D e n they saw . For Mr . rew was
18 fi fi fi § fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W gaged forthwith for a place in the splendid company of the Fifth
A venue Theatre . T/ze B ig B ona nz a filled out the re — m ain d e r of that season of 187 4 5 A T at the Fifth venue heatre , and the young recruit acted volatile
o b Th e B until nearly midsummer . m next season , as a co pensation for the monotony of his work in this, he was cast for many and all kinds
He of parts . had the small role of Freddy Carter in a revival of
’ Bronson Howard s farcical Sa ra toga e at the b ginning of the term , and f D soon a terward Mr . aly tempo rarily gave up his theatre and the services of his company to the
19 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi $ fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W reintroduction to the New York E B stage of dwin ooth , who had retired for a while after his peo u m B ’ T iary failure at ooth s heatre, and had sustained severe i njury also in a runaway accident, the report of which had helped to greatly increase the show of public T sympathy with him . his engage ment under the management of A D ugustin aly , was important in the history of the foremost A meri can tragedian of his epoch , and it was not wholly unimportant in the career of John Drew . Not very much praise fell to the youngster ’s share for his perfectly well - meant ff S k ’ e orts in ha espeare s plays , I sup JOHN DREW AND ADA REHAN $ M v f d . Mr an d Mrs . F d i n Th e o As . or erry Wi es Win sor
fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W workmanlik e m anner by John
L ea r D . rew In , the young actor appeared briefly and m odestly as the
’ K ing of France ; while in Bulwer s
Ric/ze/ieu , he was earnest young
Francois, to whom there is no such
He word as fail . also appeared as
Tlze Stra n er Ha m let Francis in g . In , which was, of course, the most con
’ spic uo us play in the great tragedian s repertory , I am not sure whether his character was R osencranz or
Guildenstern . My own record
’ D m says one, Mr . rew s emory says the other ; but he is not sure of his memory , and treats the matter in
- a reprehensibly light hearted way, intimating that he does not care . fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
This sort o f carelessness is painful
to the theatrical biographer . It is D quite clear that Mr . rew could
not have doubled the courtiers , because they are always on the
O n stage together . the other
hand , I am not sure , in the cir
c um stan c e s , of my record , and
playbills, in such minor matters , are very misleading historical
documents . A nother star engagement at the Fifth A venue Theatre that season was that of Clara Morris, who had made her fam e at the first Fifth A u T D ’ ven e heatre , under aly s
management , a few years before .
Sh e appeared , without securing
2 3 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fiflfi fl fi 7 o H N D R E W m uch public support , in a new version of Daly ’ s adaptation of Mosenthal ’ s Deborah called
Tue ew L ea / D N . z , and Mr rew was the supposedly amusing village
Pi ue barber and surgeon . q , a drama in five acts , founded partly on a story by Florence Marryat called ” He r L ord and Master, and partly on a chapter in L e s Misé ” rable s D 1 , was produced ecember 4,
18 . 7 5 , and held the stage till the roses of 187 6 were in bloom . In
’ this Drew s Thorsby Gyll was the companion and adviser in mischief of a red - headed youth named Sam m yDym ple impersonated by James L T ewis . horsby was just a New
2 4 JOHN DRE$V $ B v i As elle lle m The Country G1rl.
fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
York lad of that particular epoch , concerned not too deeply in the workings of a decidedly m e lo d ra matic plot , and involved in a mild little romance with a happy end
Pi ue ing . q was a drama of inci dent , and its interest , too , was D largely pictorial . Mr . rew was a comparatively unimportant young actor among a dozen players of large experience and established repute ; but , as I have said , I treas ure a very pleasant remembrance o f the spirit and humour of his performance . Th e part was a boon to him after his experience in some of the minor
of S v e roles hakespearean plays , to gi
2 5 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W anything like the proper tone to which he then lacked presence and the tact and command of tra d i o ns ti the older actors possessed . Nothing is more likely to take the vanity out of a youngster who has enjoyed a few little trium phs in easy, colloquial roles of modern
m - co edy , than an old fashioned , rather hap—hazard course of Shake
T o e speare . be dignifi d , personable, and interesting while trying to be a courtier of Elsinore or a baron E of ngland, after two or three per fun c to r y rehearsals, and clad in things out of the stock wardrobe,
m Th e is al ost impossible . pro d uc tio ns of poetical drama at the
2 6
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’ A mong the young actor s pro fe s sio n al ass ociates in this stage of his career were several players of great
L s distinction . James ewi had not
yet reached the zenith of his fame,
or done nearly his best work , but he had few equals in broad comedy ; while the company o f the Fifth A venue Theatre also included rare old William Davidge ; Frank Har
d e nb e r h $ g , a character actor of B wide range ; John rougham , then n earing the close of his brilliant
a O aw c reer ; Charles Fisher, wen F
- D H Har c e tt L . , ouis James, aniel
kins, who quite lately has been a D ’ conspicuous member of Mr . rew s own supporting company ; beauti
2 8 JOHN DREW $ ffi . As Captain Plume in The Recruitin g O cer
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- S ful , bird like ara Jewett , Mrs . Gil D bert , and Fanny avenport, whose power as a melodramatic actress was
b Sh e just eginning to be felt . long retained Pique in her repertory after she became a star, because of the chances for showy acting , acting of the loud , vigorous, and strongly pic
t to ial sort , that tells best in melo drama , the role of the heroine, R Mabel enfrew gave her . Miss D avenport, almost from the begin ning of her career, and she was an actress at the tender age of twelve , had been regarded as a comédienne exclusively , and she had even made a notable little hit as L ady Gay Spanker in L ondon d s s ura nce be
2 9 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
fore she was fairly out of her teens . Sh e had in her earlier years m any
Th e qualifications for comedy .
in se ar sparkling laugh , which is p able from the role of the coquette in the old plays, and the trick of which seems to have eluded m ost of the contemporary actresses, per haps because elegant coquetry has gone out of fashion in comedy, she
B ut sh e could do to perfection . as grew older , lightness was not a char ac te ristic k of her wor , and her powers of expression developed to P ward the sterner emotions . osi tiv e l y the most graphic , forcible, and m oving piece of acting she . ever did was in the third act of
3 0 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
’ L a Tos ca , the scene of Mario s torture . John Brougham was a benevolent and loquacious old family physician
i ue Th e ff in P q . part o ered few r B ’ oppo tunities , but rougham s day
He was nearly done . had a bene ” - b e fit , one of the old fashioned speak sort that spring , when he acted his old part of j ovial Murphy
T/ze Serious Fa m i Maguire in ty. John Drew appeared in that once familiar play as Frank Vincent , who ” m is but a walking gentle an , who is humbler than a landscape painter ; and he was also one of the
n O o d ild o c b e chorus of I dians, p , I lieve , but that does not matter, in
3 1 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fl fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W Brougham ’s burlesque play called
Pocononta s , which was also in the T bill . here were a number of other similar special performances that
season , all given afternoons , because Pique held the stage uninterruptedly D at night , and rew had something to do in each of them He acted the D S polite gambler , udley mooth , in
’ B Mone ulwer s y, for the first time
’ at Harkins s benefit matinée ; while at James L ewis ’s he appeared as T ootle , in a forgotten comedy by
H B Wea é Wom en . J . yron called ,
in which the popular beneficiary , as
Captain Ginger , had a character he
liked , one , in fact , he saw and felt m T hi self in . his play had never
3 2
fi fi fi fl fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi D fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W been seen in Ne wYork before; and it has never been repeated , but it had been briefly in the repertory of D ’ Mr . aly s players when they visited San Francisco the previous
m m e su r . A s Ton L ike It was given for Miss
’ ” D $ avenport s bespeak , with her E L D distinguished father, . . aven L B port , as Jaq ues , awrence arrett
O W n as rlando , illiam Castle, the probably the most popular tenor in E A D nglish opera, as miens, avidge T D as ouchstone , and Miss avenport,
R Th e ofcourse, as osalind . record I have at hand says that Drew was L ebeau , the polite courtier of the D B usurping uke . ut he distinctly
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remem bers that he came on in the d u B last scene as young Jaques ois, to deliver that trying explanatory speech which has proved a stum
bling block to so many novices, because he recalls that both Daven port and Barrett spoke kind words to him about the way he got through T with it hey would do that, of P course, he modestly adds . rob
His ably he doubled the parts . last new role that season was Cap
‘ tain Vivid in the old farce of T/ze
Sia m es e Twins , which was in the bill for the benefit of the business man S ager, tephen Fiske . Th e next season that accomplished actor , Charles Coghlan , made his
3 4 fi fi fi fi fi fi § § fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W first appearance in A merica as a
’ m D . ember of Mr . aly s company
Th e Mone play was y, and his por trayal of A lfred Evelyn was the last of any striking merit and was also one of the best the old stagers B ul of that epoch had ever seen .
’ we r s Mone y belongs to a past age,
’ as surely as A ddison s Ca to and mad
’ L i a l ueens R v . Nat ee s Q Indeed, it held the stage long after its hour of
Eve departure had struck , because lyn was always a character in comedy
$ ” tragedians, and heavy men liked to fancy they could act , and the piece had so many other long parts encrusted with theatrical traditions , and associated with famous actors .
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In my mem ory there has been no better performance of Bulwer ’ s stilted piece in New York than this in which the sentiment of Evelyn was so tastefully denoted by Gogh
Ian , and his priggishness so deli c ate lyand even agreeably expressed ; while Davidge was the m ost amus
Sir ing of Johns , and Fisher the
mellowest Mr . Graves of his day ; B S while rougham acted tout, and Drew was really a satisfying Dudley S mooth . Th e young actor was out of the ” bill a great deal this season He W had a sick spell , and there ere no a m p rts for him in so e of the plays .
B lue Gla s s In a comedy called , in
3 6 JOHN DREW AND ADA R EIlA N $ 1 o d As Howell E v erett and V a l Osp rey m The R a lr a of
fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
To be sure, he had the much coveted
Sir A A role of ndrew guecheek , in Twelftlz Nzglzt ; but as William W inter wrote ofhis performance , in
’ his notice of Miss Neilson s Viola,
- that it was well meant, but entirely ” mistaken , it is not likely that he gained much fame from that . I remember him as an equally well
Clo te n C m oeline meaning in y , and
' Clo te n what a dreadful part is, to be sure $ Drew was quite as good as the gentleman who tried to por tray the barbarity and folly of that ancient Briton in the late Margaret Mather ’s very beautiful production
. C méeline of y , though not quite as much the man pictorially as Wil
3 8 fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
O m liam F . wen , whom I re ember to have seen act Clo te n to the H But Imogen of elena Modjeska .
Clo te n Pisan io , , Iachimo $that fine B S P old owery actor , tudley) , ost humus $eloquent Eben Plympton) were of small moment , for the
Imogen was all in all . Imogen was the rarest and sweetest por
ra al T t y of A delaide Neilson . here has been no Imogen since fit to
m re re co pare with hers, which p sented the perfect flower of her genius and art . Cleopatra was to have been her next role, and she would have been the greatest Cleo patra of all theatrical history , but she died too soon .
3 9 fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W E D arly in the next season Mr . aly’s tenancy o f the Fifth A venue Thea
o f tre , which stood on the site the present house bearing that name, but was not nearly as com fortable or commodious, ended abruptly . It had been unfortunate in th e very
’ A l e r s m istak e nlv beginning , with b y
Fortune named comedy, , which ran five consecutive nights and then was heard no more ; and the only plays which had long runs in the four years were Th e B ig B ona nz a
Pi ue and q , the only two in which young John Drew was actually con s ic uo us So p . it may truly be said that he was identified with the best W fortunes of the house . hen the
40 fi fi fi fi fi fi § fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W A T first Fifth venue heatre, the dainty little h ouse of the rose pink auditorium , burned, after the
’ Da 18 matinée New Year s y, 7 3 , Daly was prosperous ; but he had big undertakings on hand, and much money was needed to tem po rarily establish his large com
Gilse s pany, while the y were building the new house at Twenty S eighth treet , and to carry on his
’ expensive side issue o f resplendent spectacle at the Grand Opera
H He ouse . once told me that he began operations at the new Fifth A venue Theatre thirty thou
in sand dollars debt, and , with all ff his e orts, and it could never be
4 1 . fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W said of him in those days that he adhered blindly to any one policy in the face of certain failure, he
His was unable to recuperate . rent was the biggest in town , and the season of 187 6—7 was bad alm ost beyond precedent . For some weeks after the terrible d e struc tion of human life in the burning o f B T D the rooklyn heatre , ecem
18 6 ber 5 , 7 , all the plays were
T o given to empty b enches .
in cap the climax, the rent was creased at the beginning of the new season . A n adaptation of the French melo
r $ L e s m d ama , Co pagnons de la
T T/ze Da rn Cit ruelle , called y,
4 2 JOHN DRE $V $ 1 As Orlando in As Yo u L k c It .
fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi @ fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
ing . In this tour , which included an engagement at B ooth ’ s Theatre in New York , and lasted until well D along in the spring, Mr . rew
T G ll Pi ue S l acted horsby y in q , y
n 4 s You L ike It Sir B vi s in , enja min Backbite in Tlze Sclzool f or ' Sca naa l S Twe /z , and ebastian in lfl kt D Ni . g . Mr aly sacrificed his extensive collection of theatri cal k and other boo s to pay his debts, and paid a hundred cents on the A dollar . fter a short rest he went abroad for the first tim e to study E uropean drama, as an adapter of E m which he had large uropean fa e ,
He in its own abiding places . was forty years old , and before him lay
44 fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W many prosperous years of royal
endeavour . D John rew, looking for an engage ” $ ment away from the Governor,
found one in . the company his
- - in . brother law and his sister, Mr
B o r an is and Mrs . arrymore, were g
ing , with Mr . and Mrs . Frederick M i W . a e ro n arde and Mr . and Mrs j ,
Dzolom a c S to perform j y, Clement cott B S ’ and . C . tephenson s adaptation
’ Sard o u s Dora of , which had been W ’ prodigiously successful at allack s, L W H with ester allack and . J . R Montague as the brothers , and ose Coghlan as the perfumed ad v e n
ture ss , and must be regarded as one of the most successful and
45 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W typical plays of the last quarter of
Th e the nineteenth century . dis tributio n which this travelling com pany was enabled to give to the play was really exceptionally strong . W H B arde was enry and arrymore, Julian Beauclerc ; Georgie Drew
B D Ma e ro n is arrymore, ora ; the j , capable Italian actors who had E learned to talk nglish , if not to O f understand it, Count rlo f and
Zic k a Countess .
’ Ma e ro ni s E Mrs . j nglish speech was very agreeable and distinct , but her lack of comprehension of the language was amusingly illustrated once when she was acting in
a m ille l C in Brook yn . In Margue
46 fi fifi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fifi fl fi fi 7 o H N D R E W rite Gautier ’ s scene with her mon
A c t eyed admirer, in II he asks her
Th e how much she owes . answer T ” is, hirty thousand francs, which is supposed to slightly shock Croa sus ; but the fair Camille replied ” $ T f instead, hirty rancs , and went on with her part industriously , quite unconscious of the amazement o f the audience .
i lom a c D D . A In p y, Mr rew was lgie
Th e Fairfax . company started
$ well with good notices, and the best wishes of all their friends ; but the vast machinery of the modern combination system had not been perfected then and the nam es of
B Ma e ro ni W arrymore , j , and arde
47 7 o H N D R E W
were not , indeed, names to conjure u with , tho gh pertaining to esti mable and comely young persons . A s the subject of this biographical B sketch blithely expresses it , usi W ness was very bad, so arde and B arrymore decided to halve it , and ” Th e split the company in two . B D arrymores, accompanied by rew ,
B e n P with orter, an old fashioned E actor of some repute, and llen Cummins for Henry B eauclerc and the Countess, went southward . In
T 18 8— exas , late that season of 7 9 , m P D Miss Cum ins, orter , rew, and Barrymore were making a poor and a hasty me l in a railroad restaurant .
James Currie , a statesman of that
48 JOHN DREW AND ADA REHAN
M1 b . As Youn g ra el and Oriana in The Inconstant
fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 O H N D R E W
fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi Q fi fi fi fi fi fi fi
80 P a r t S e c o n d
HESE years I have dwelt
upon , perhaps with too
great persistency, were not the most interesting in the career of a renowned actor, but they were of the utmost im por tance to him . In them he served his apprenticeship in the art in which he became a m aster- work T man . hey included four years
o f of stock company duty, two them in an old fashioned company of the typical sort , with a change ” of bill every week and the $ lines rigidly observed, two more in the
5 0 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
service of the most autocratic , orig inal , and artistic manager of the metropolis in his day, under the T strictest discipline . hey included tours over the whole country , from
B San m De oston to Francisco , fro tro it W to Galveston . hen they were finished, the young man could feel that he knew much o f the
’ f He seamy side of an actor s li e .
To m W could say , with poor rench ,
Trela wn in y, that he had had his full share of parts that were very seri ous and very little . Yet it must be adm itted that he had enjoyed many advantages denied to most A beginners . s the son of the man ager of the theatre , and bearing a
5 1 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi Dfi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
name long honoured in theatricals, he enjoyed a certain distinction in the Philadelphia company ; while in Ne w York he began almost at the top o f the ladder instead o f on F the traditional lower round . irst and last , however, he had his full
o f allowance apprentice work, and it was not as a favoured and over praised darling of fortune that he entered th e troupe organised by A ugustin Daly in the summer of
18 7 9 , to begin his new career at the theatre which was to become h onoured all over t h e English
’ r D speaking wo ld as aly s . R f E eturning rom his visit to ngland, m France, and Ger any in the spring
5 2 fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W D of that year, Mr . aly had made a tentative experiment in theatricals by producing his own version of
’ ’ Zola s L A s s om m oir at the old play O house called the lympic , which an earlier generation had esteemed L ’ as aura Keene s, and which had for some time been regarded as super fluo us This playhouse was cleaned
’ L A s s om m oir and painted , and was
Th e performed in it a few weeks . incident would have been forgotten but for the connection with it of
A d a R the fortunes of ehan , who m Z had a s all part in the ola play , and, in an emergency, took a more important role , and enjoyed a small m m T but me orable triu ph . his led
5 3 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
to her engagement for the com pany at the new theatre on the site of
’ ’ B anvard s W and ood s Museums , and her long association with John D rew . In the history of the A m erican stage , the names of these two dramatic artists are inseparably
linked .
Th e D dominating idea of Mr . aly when he began in the remodelled and redecorated house at Broadway and Thirtieth Street seemed to be to cater to the public liking for light musical comedy which had
m Pina ore been sti ulated by f , the success of which as popular enter tain m e nt has been equalled by
His very few stage plays . opening
5 4 JOHN DREW $ As Charles Surface m The School for Scand al .
fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
attire and assumed an Irish brogue . Despite the pleasing appearance of the house and the manager ’ s elo quent announcements of his wares , the public stayed away from Daly ’ s Theatre in the first few weeks of u its existence with great nanimity .
Div orce , which had run all through a long season at the first Fifth A T venue heatre, was put on for a
’ - D stop gap , and in this Mr . rew s acting of the meek young clergy
a man , who was nevertheless manly
- was and self reliant fellow, excel
’ B H Wiv es lent . In ronson oward s , w a sho y costume piece, manu fac ture d by squeez ing together scenes and incidents tak en from
5 6 i fi fifi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fifl fifi fi 7 o H N D R E W
’ L Ec o le two comedies of Moliere ,
’ des Maris and L Ec o le des ” Femmes, with a hint, too , of
’ L es S D Femmes avantes, rew s role, a thankless one , was Chry R salde, and Miss ehan was also dis advantageously placed . In this entertainment Miss L ewis lent her attractive comic opera manner to A H L the character of gnes, arry acy H played orace gracefully and well,
m o while those fine old veterans,
D r Fisher and avidge, we e quite at
A rn l h e S anare lle home as o p and g .
Th e fortunes of the new theatre , however, were not soundly estab lish e d Wiv es A by . series of spe c ial matinées , for the purpose of
5 7 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W testing the abilities of the younger members of the company, were D given early in the season . rew, as I have said, was admirably placed as loyal young A rnold Brinkworth in Daly ’ s dramatisation of Wilkie
’ Ma n a nd W e Collins s W, in which
’ L ewis s place as Sir Patrick L undie
L e c le rc was taken by Charles q , and P Mrs . Charles oole acted the dumb housekeeper , a picturesque role in which Mrs . Gilbert had triumphed . T m hose two esti able artists, whose names are as closely associated with the best achievements of A ugustin Daly as those of Drew and Miss R e han , were then members of a troupe A managed by Henry E. bbey .
5 8 fi fl fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
W A n fl ra kia n Ni lzt ith g , John Drew ’s hour of triumph had struck
Th e at last . lively comedy had a smart run , and there was much talk in town about the briskness , grace,
’ and humour ofthe young comedian s denotement of the shifts and per ple xitie s of the imaginative husband in his encounters with a watchful
- in - mother law, impersonated spir ite d l P y by Mrs . oole . Catharine L ewis was the fascinating circus
L e c le rc rider , and Charles q her
$ m an protector, the strong ; while Miss Rehan had another quite hope less role , as the ingénue with the
- W make believe toothache . hen A n A ra kia n Nzgkt had run its
5 9 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi $ 7 o H N D R E W
D ’ course, the stage of aly s was held for many weeks by a musical burletta or operetta from the Ger
o f Tbe R o a l man Genee, called y Midd D y, in which Mr . rew had no part ; but the last fortnight of the season was made notable by the
first appearance together, in those ” $ opposite roles which they so long and brilliantly sustained on R that stage, of Miss ehan and
r D Th e was M . rew . play another a i daptat on from the German , with the characters and plot fitted in an
A l e Wa merican scene, entitled y
e L iv e R W . Miss ehan was a lovely young matron who de voted all her time to fashionable
6 o JOHN $ ’ ’ As the n of Na v arre m L o v e s L ab our s L ost
fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
Miss R ehan had acted charm ingly
L o u Te n E D as yck , Miss aven
’ port s original character, in the
Div orce brief revival of , and had shown uncommon power and a comprehension of dramatic eff ect R in the role of the outcast, uth ” Tre d ge tt $also $ created on the A merican stage by Miss Daven
’ in Cka rit Tke port) Gilbert s y. In
Wa We L iv e y , however, her best
Th e m abilities were indicated . ost significant scene in this comedy , though , was performed, without
’ R e h an s Miss aid, by a child, a
- D Th e music box, and Mr . rew . m husband returned fro business late, just as his wife was starting for a
6 2 fi fi fi fi fl fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W charitable dinner party where the needs of unconverted savages were
to be discussed between the courses . A fter the wife had gone , the ser
o ff vants slipped surreptitiously , and the father clumsily but tenderly fed t the li tle boy , and then held him in his arms while the music - box $ H S ironically played ome , weet
Ho m T e . hese German comedies were always made a bit too m agnifi
’ D Obvi cent pictorially at aly s .
o usl y, in this case, the German playwright had treated of lower
middle class life , a humble mer
’ ’ chant s m enage with one m aid of
Th e all work . scenic picture in the adaptation was a splendid room
6 3 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W in a mansion in which a veritable retinue of servants would have been But needed . the domestic moral was still potent , and the scene was remarkably well done by Mr . D rew . Th e comedian at this stage o f his career was a slender, agile young man with mobile features and the springy motion of a well - trained
He athlete . allowed himself few
o m idle m ents, and when not study ing or rehearsing a part $and Mr . Daly always had a new play in rehearsal) , he rode, fenced, boxed, and studied music and languages . He had come to a lively understand
’ ing of the seriousness of an actor s
6 4 fi fi § § fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W f ’ li e, of the need of keeping one s physical and mental faculties in A trim . lready he was be ing
wa to be known , in a small as a man whose taste in dress was
A s worth heeding . an actor, he was ff buoyant, una ected, and entirely competent in the light roles that
.
had thus far fallen to his share, though the notes of tenderness and fervor he has since struck so surely
h is were still a trifle beyond reach . D Mr . rew was married , in the
188 0 spring of , to Miss Josephine
B - L B aker, daughter of ewis aker,
an actor of renown , who died on
the very day his future son - in - law made his first appearance on the
6 5 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
18 stage , March , 7 3 , and his wife , A lexina Fisher, an actress of skill
Th e B and repute . akers were a theatrical family as renowned as the D B rews, and Miss Josephine aker had been an actress a little while
before her marriage . Compara ” tiv e ly young $ old stagers m ay remember her as a rem arkably pretty and taking girl in the first performances of My A wf ul Dad W ’ at allack s . I n the sec ond season of the Florences in B e n
’ Woolf s com ic piece called T/ze
Mz lzt Dolla r L g y , she was ibbie , ” $ L D ibbie ear, as the vivacious
Gilflo r Mrs . y called her young companion .
66 JOHN DRE$V As Roh m Hood in $ The Foresters
fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
and Miss R ehan were playing v is
a- v is again to some good purpose, L and Mrs . Gilbert and James ewis, who had now rejoined their old manager to remain with him until di d e death them part, w re keeping T them good company . his was the first of the comedi es from the Germ an in which the renowned t quar et appeared together . Miss R ehan was a mischievous miss in D her teens, and John rew the esti mable , but merely human , young lawyer whom her fresh charms had captivated . Mrs . Gilbert was a belated heroine of romance with long yellow pigtails down her coy k L bac , and Mr . ewis was the pre
6 8 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi 7 o H N D R E W c ipitate but elderly and bald headed bachelor who wooed her . I have no remembrance of the
Needles a nd Pins plot of . It was a formless thing , with a burden some subplot and some superfluous sentimentality , and it was found to have grown very old and feeble in a very short time, after the manner
ae of an mic plays, when acted at one of the fashionable Daly sub sc rip tion performances of later years . B ut it contained some enjoyable comic scenes for the quartet , and it had a good run It had the appreciable merit of being a Daly ” play, unlike plays seen elsewhere .
18 8 1—2 In the fall and winter of ,
6 9 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl 7 o H N D R E W
. uits both Q , from the German , in D which Mr . rew had a colourless
B o b Ca se s aw role as y , and Mr . F
’ c e tt s A m erica ns A kroa d , in which W he appeared as Charlie ilks , failed D to draw , and Mr . aly fell back
—an upon a costume play , adap tatio n of L a Jeunesse de L ouis $IV ” D . by the elder umas, enti
l a out/z T t e d Roy l T . his had a mod e rate l d is y goo run , but not much remem bered ofit except that a ribald D reviewer asserted that Mr . rew, impersonating the grand mon arch in his youth , resembled $ B ff B P u alo ill in antalettes . Drew recalls this rebuke cheer
He ff fully . could always a ord to
7 0
fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W translated play ever occurred on A merican soil , but the piece was acted briskly and well , and was cor d iall A y received . fter its run , an
’ English version of Sard o u s unsavory O ” a dette, somewh t doctored and expurgated to the weakening of its
R o o r purpose , gave Miss ehan an pp tun it y in an emotional role , for which as yet she lack ed a sufficient measure of experienced skill . In D this Mr . rew played Greek Cho o k rus in the r le of amiable , tal a P T tive hilippe . his sombre piece did not seem to fit well into the D ’ repertory of aly s , yet the next
’ Tlze S uire season s first new play , q A W P by rthur . inero , which made
7 2
fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
Th e revivals occurred . play was
’ Cibb e r s Ske Would a nd Ske Would
Not , written in imitation of the
S and panish comedy of Intrigue, much shortened and expurgated for D ’ modern use . In this Mr . rew s well - composed and uncommonly
well - sustained portrayal of the fre quently baffled yet finally trium
Do n P phant lover, hilip , was always associated with the sprightly Hypo
R Sh e lita of Miss ehan . never
’ appeared as Cibb e r s masquerading heroine after Drew left the com pany to become a star Each year the piece was revived for a few per f o rm anc e s , the increased dexterity and grace of both portrayals was
7 4 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
’ n R e h an s H oted Miss ypolita, at
first , was frequently strained and
Th e hysterical . role is exception ffi ally di cult for a young actress, as ” Hypolita $ strikes twelve in the very beginning , and keeps going in the most buoyant spirits until the
Th e very end . performance gained greatly in both discretion and flu ency of utterance , in freedom of movement , and in plausibility of action . It came to rank well
’ am ong Miss R e h an s best achieve
Do n P d isc o m ments . hilip , the
fite d cavalier , is not nearly so
He grateful a role . is nearly always in the wrong ; while the madcap who has donned male
7 5 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
attire, seemingly to pay court to
fian c ée his , but really to prevent P the marriage, and get hilip for herself, triumphs in every climax save one, and that when she has all but gained her end and is T ready to capitulate . here was a nice feeling for the antique spirit of D w’ the old comedy in Mr . re s por trayal of this pseudo - Spanish cava lier, but it had also the modern touch of the humourist who views ancient manners with a purged vision . Ske Would a nd Ske Would Not gave
a th way, February 4 , to the long suc c e ssful Sev en- Twent - Ei kt y g , after ward acted in the English tours
7 6
fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W successful piece called R ed L etter
Ni kts Th e i . t g last named farce, was nothing better , did not long survive ; but a romping scene in it ,
' in which Miss R ehan sang a n d
’ ” $ O o n e s danced Jenny J , was
Dolla rs a nd Sens e transferred to , which remained some years in the
’ Th e company s repertory . old comedy revival of this season was
’ ’ Garric k s adaptation of Wycherley s W quite impossible Country ife,
l e Countr Girl called y , still further D altered by Mr . aly , with a part P ’ of the . best of Miss rue s scenes ” in Congreve ’s $ L ove for L ove T written in . his still retains its
’ R e h an s place in Miss repertory,
7 8 JOHN DREW $ As V 1s c o un t Cl1v e b ro o k m The B auble Shop
fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi N fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
’ rick s, forming their repertory .
Two years later, they went abroad L again , acting in ondon , at the S T E trand heatre, and in dinburgh ,
D P H B e r ublin , aris, amburg, and
A 18 8 a ain i n . 8 lin gain in , and g
18 0 D 9 , Mr . rew and his fellow L comedians acted in ondon , in the L T later year at the yceum heatre, when they first appeared in A s You
L ike It T . hese trips abroad con
tinue d several years longer, and cul
’ m inate d in the building of Daly s T S T L . heatre , eicester quare hey D gave Mr . rew a certain assured standing as a dramatic artist in the minds of English and foreign play goers ; they introduced him to a
8 0 fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W large circle of acquaintances in the home and club life of L ondon ; but
f é le s he acted no new abroad, as the company produced its new plays
first in its theatre in New York , and a further chronicle of the doings
’ D m of Mr . aly s co edians abroad is not within the purpose of this volume .
188 In the autumn of 4, some new
in recruits joined the company , cluding Miss Edith Kingdon and O S Mr . tis kinner , who were both
’ brilliantly successful at Daly s . D Miss Virginia reher , who acted R second parts to Miss ehan , had been enlisted a year or so before . Mr Frederick Bond was also a
8 1 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi Q fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
new member of this season Mr . D ’ rew s associates now included, e f also , his v teran riends, Charles m L Fisher, Ja es ewis, and Mrs . Gil bert and droll and nimble William
Gilbert , who for some years was a popular favourite in eccentric and
fantastical characters .
May Irwin , since widely renowned as a humourist of variety farce, and one of the regenerators of the
$
Coon song , belonged to the company then , and new recruits were added from time to time in
Th e the next few years . veteran
George Clarke, who had been so conspicuous at the Fifth A venue T heatre, his skill ripened and de
8 2
fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fl fi fi fi fl fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
him fail for many years, the com
’ an s p y repute began to wane . P aul Impulse, in a transformed
German piece called, after a time honoured custom of Yale Univer sit Tlze ooden oon W S . y, p , was Mr Drew ’ s first part this season of
18 8 — 4 5 , and his second $Novem ber a 5 th ) was Sydney A ustin in
L ov e on Crutc/zes , a little comedy , little in its subject and the manner of treating it , rather than its length , which still survives in the repertory R A of Miss ehan . ustin has written anonymously a sentimental novel , A and his wife nnis, dissatisfied
Wltl' l her domestic surroundings , and yearning for a higher, freer
8 4 JOHN DRE $V $ K 1lro i As M r . y n The Sq uire of Dam es
fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi 7 o H N D R E W
ffi m yet su ciently senti ental husband,
the dissatisfied young wife , the com m on friends with a little ro
mance of their own , and the old couple involved so comically in ‘ the proceedings, were acted by
D R s rew and Miss ehan , Mi s S Kingdon and kinner, Mrs . Gilbert L and Mr . ewis . Drew ’s old comedy role this season
’ Far uh ar s P m was q Captain lu e, W k associated with the fame of il s, E Garrick , lliston , and many other
He k renowned actors . loo ed par tic ularl y well in his Marlborough, m f soldier clothes, and bore hi sel with a keen sense of the antique humour of the Restoration com
86 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
edy ; but the spirit of Tke R ec ruit
in O cer f g fi , alas, had fled long be ore D k aly tried to revive it . Gay Jac
Mulberry , telling fortunes on the
Nisb e cards with , helping future father- in - law Babbage with his S play, hobnobbing with Mr . nap ,
the peripatetic theatrical manager, was his next part in modern light comedy from the German A
Nz kt O g f ; produced in March ,
188 5 , easily ran the season out , and bore many revivals ; but it was never better played , excepting S in the one character of nap , the actor, who was fairly recreated and made to live and breathe, late D ’ in the history of aly s , long after
8 7 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
D m Mr . rew had beco e a star, by H D enry ixey . Th e next term Drew took up the ’ L uk n character of Colonel y , the middle - aged soldier and man of
ff T/ze Ma is tra te P a airs, in g by inero, o and his portrayal of this r le , far
o f out his ordinary line, was happily conceived , polished in execution , delightfully humorous in compo sitio n His , and well sustained . acting as Ford in Tlze Merry Wiv es o Winds or 1 1886 f $January 4, ) was correct in form , graceful in bearing , though scarcely form idable in its expression of passion ; but the pro
° duction of the m irthful Na ncy 69
’ Co D . , aly s clever version of Julius
8 8
fi fi fi fi fi HQ fi fi fi fi fi fi Hfi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W gance and grace in bearing and
diction . B ran d age e,in Af ter B us ines s Hours O $ctober 5 , was not a bad
Th e sort of a part . comedy was B k by lumenthal , and it lac ed vital
ity , and only one scene played by
L D . R ewis, rew, and Miss ehan , counted for very much In L ov e in Ha rnes s f , which ollowed, though , Drew had a congenial and effective o k U r le as Frederic rquhart, the young husband of a frivolous wife . A t that stage of his career he had done nothing better than his act ing in the vivacious $ quarrel m scenes of this co edy , which was an adaptation of $ L e B onheur
90 JOHN DREW AND M A U DE ADA M S $ ” As Si r Jasp er and Dolly 1n Rosem ary
fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi 7 o H N D R E W Katharine has since been her fore
Sh e most role . is Katharine, and she fairly recreated the Shrew Shake peare found in Eli z abethan drama and illumined with the touch of
A s his own mighty genius . s ociated
with this portrayal , in her earliest
and best performances, was the
sufli c ie n tl picturesque, y forcible, P graceful , humorous etruchio of D John rew, a lover as well as a
- a wife tamer , philosopher as well
as a jester .
9 2 fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fl fi fi fi fl fi fi 7 O H N D R E W fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fifi fi
8h P a r t Th i r d
o T bilious Maj r arver, in Pinero ’s ingenious and witty comic play called
Da nd Dick y , in the autumn of D 18 8 . 7 , Mr rew exhibited again , though briefly , for the frequenters of Daly ’ s did not care much for the piece , his talent in the compo sitio n of eccentric character and his powers of broadly humorous
Th e expression . personage seems to have been suggested by current fiction and the fun of the role bor
W Da nd ders on caricature . hen y Dic k was recently revived in L o n fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
don , complaint was made that some of its characterisation was sadly old
fashioned and extravagant . Cari
c ature does not wear well , but
when the play was new , Major Tarver seemed a delightfully droll
He fellow . belonged exactly to R that hour . estricted by popular
demand , as it seems , to a narrow line of characters calling for small D display of versatility, Mr . rew has yet , in these later years of his suc c e ssful career , lent all possible m variety to his i personations . In the era in which his father won renown , he would have acted a P wider range of parts . etruchio
B Do n and enedick , Mirabel and
9 4
fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
' Tke R a ilroad L ov e qf , taken from ” Go ld fisc h e R T , by osen . his
comedy , which had but little verity as a picture of possible hap
‘ e nin s A i p g in merican soc ety , was nevertheless received with e n th u siasm and held the stage som e m D L onths . rew was ieutenant Howell Everett and Miss R ehan was Val Osprey . Many other good actors were in the cast , and the plot was complex enough to give them fairly interesting and im por tant parts, but these two , as usual , were the central figures Sh e was a widow, lovely and experienced in coquetry ; he was an irresistible ffi young army o cer , expert in the
96 JOHN DREW'
C C n o f Co n v e m n As the om te de audale m A M ar age e c e .
fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W before they fully understood each
e al other, that venomous reptile, J o us flo we r y, had crept across their strewn path , and when it had slinked . out of sight again , the wo m an had written a letter that had to be recalled before he knew of its existence and she was at her wit ’ s end to accomplish this pur
T a pose . here was scene, then , full of passion and hysterical emotion , which lifted the com edy far above m the level of frivolous entertain ent . Th e picture of Drew and Miss R ehan exchanging soft words from either side of a half- open boudoir door remains vividly in the memory o f folk s who saw l e R a ilroa d of
9 8 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
L ov e when it was a new play .
Th e D scene , too , in which rew, as L the blind slave of ove, sat obedi ently and patiently bending over an embroidery frame and bungling the stitches, one, two , three, ” four, cross , was novel and taking . Drew portrayed the young L ieu tenant in a graceful and easy man ner exactly fitting the character, and in the serious passages revealed the strength of an inherently noble nature . A s the $ spotted and inconstant Demetrius in the elaborate and costly production of A Mid s um m er
’ Ni lzt s Drea m 1 g $January 3 , D rew was as picturesque , ardent ,
99 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W and gallant as need be and seemed to get as far as possible away from T his usual manner . hen , as always , his reading of the verse was fluent and correct and governed by a per
fe c t sense of melody . In the next Fall his portrayal of A dolphus Do uble d o t in Tlte L ottery of L ov e at Daly ’s was coincident ‘ with Constant Coquelin ’s acting of the French equivalent in the original B piece by MM . isson and Mars, ” L e s S d u D urprises ivorce, at P ’ almer s across the street . Neither comedian advanced an artistic step because of this role , but both acted with excellent humour and vivacity, and there were many intelligent
fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fl 7 o H N D R E W trayal of the scapegrace of the era of Queen A nne was of quite un c o m mon pictorial and dramatic interest, and at that time , next after his P etruchio , his most successful ven ture in the field of romantic com
He edy . presented Mirabel as a blithesome and elegant fellow, full ofsentim ent which his idea ofmanly honour impels him to conceal .
L Rav e nsto k e Clive , ord , in a flat and tedious but splendidly mounted play from the German called A n
Interna tional Ma tclz , that winter, showed the growth of the come dian ’ s skill in depicting the per fe c t breeding and savoir faire of a man of the fashionable world .
10 2 JOHN
s 1 h 1 As S1r Cl1r1 to ph e r De e rm g 11 T e I . ars
fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W gentle lover largely increased his repute am ong persons of artistic discernment both here and in L o n
D 1 188 don) , ecember 7 , 9, and along in that winter he appeared as the young French advocate whose pretty mother - in - law makes much trouble for him innocently in A Priceles s Pa ra on g , which was ” taken from the $ Belle Maman S R D of ardou and aymond eslandes . In the recurrence of Von Moser ’s
Ha roun a l R as clzid , this time in a S version by ydney Grundy , the
‘ o ff same spring , he easily carried the honours again ; but in New
L a m s or Old m p f , a play by Jero e
af Jerome that was not a play all ,
10 4 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W O the next ctober, he had nothing
His to do worth doing . best new role in modern comedy this season was Harry Ruth e re ll in Tlze L a s t
Word , which was a comedy of the
Tke R a ilroa d o L ov e quality of f . ” Harry was the $ woman hater of all sentimental romance , trans f o . formed, course , into a lover His old comedy role at this time was Cha rles Surface in Tllc Sclzool
1 8 1 or Sca nda l 2 1 . f , January , 9 This portrayal was a revelation of unexpected qualities in the equip
m So ment of this fine co edian . much vivacity, so much sparkle, in his denotem ent of high spirits were T scarcely expected of him . hat
10 5 fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W his Charles Surface should lack neither the elegance of polite breeding nor personal grace was
His not surprising . delivery of Sheridan ’ s text was expected to be
$
both precise and fluent , but the freedom and dash of his acting carried all before him and made
Charles , indeed , the hero of the S L ’ play . ince ester Wallack s prime there have co m e under m y notice only two im personations of Charles
fit to compare with this ; namely,
’ Charles C o ghlan s and that of a young actor who did not live to
reach the fulness of his powers , H H arry itchcock Murdoch , who lost his life in the burning of the
10 6
fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
D ’ in Mr . aly s second revival of
’ ’ L ov e s L a kour s L os t , a play which no other A merican m anager ever W dared to touch . ith its dainty
setting and some good acting , this early satire o f euphemism was to m e much more interesting than Tlze Merry Wiv es of Winds or ever
’ is in these days, except in Verdi s
al musical setting , in which the F staff of Victor Maurel is the best ff B ut Falsta this age has seen . it would be folly to consider the King of Navarre an important role in the m A career of a famous co edian . few nights of Pinero ’s delicate
l e Ca kinet Minis ter humour in , which utterly failed of appre c ia
10 8 JOHN DRE $ AND B L AN CHE B URTON As S r Cl1r1s t0 p h e r Deer i ng and M rs llbe rn o e $ The Ma rs
fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi 7 o H N D R E W
. s L of the bee, Mr Gre ham as ittle k John , had the most ta ing parts in D ’ this . Mr . rew s success was chiefly that of tasteful elocution , correct bearing, and a fine sense of pictorial ff e ect . fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi 7 O H N D R E W fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi
80 P a r t F o ur t b
R DREW began his work as a star actor under the managem ent
’ P m of Charles Frohman , at al er s
T Ne w O heatre , York , ctober 3 ,
1 2 His Tke Ma s ked 89 . play was
B a ll , adapted from the French of
B . isson by Mr Clyde Fitch , not an i m portant piece or one whose inci
dents remain vividly in the memory , but one which served its purpose
’ well all through the co m edian s
first tour with his own company . There was a great and enthusiastic crowd in the theatre that n ote I I I fifi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W worthy first night to give the new
$ o ff star a send , and no chronic grumbler in the cause of dram atic art could rationally protest against him the encouragement given to . Th e enthusiastic admiration of the best sort of A merican playgoers D for Mr . rew and his acting has not diminished in the eight years T that have since elapsed . hat ” $ f first night , a ter the merry penultimate climax of the Bisson m farce , the co edian was, of course, summoned before the curtain . A part of his modest speech is worth a place in this permanent record of his career
” 2
fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W a nd e nco uraging m e in m o m e nts o f
r a and d o ra e m e n and in fine t i l isc u g t, , , s triving to m ak e m e wo rthy o f this
n r to - n h o o u ight .
fe e t o o a o o r and a n I l , , th t this p h lti g tribute o f the h eart is littl e to o ff e r afte r the ye ars o f care and tro ubl e h e h as e o we d o n m e is fro m the b st , but it
e ar and w to o ff e r . am ad h t, I ish it I gl , to o to o ffe r it e fo re o u fr e nd , b y , his i s
n s e e a ne e no as we ll as m i e . I th t I d t n am e him m frie nd an d re e o r , y p c pt , — D Mr A n a . . ugusti ly
In Tke Ma s ked B a ll that charming A m young actress, Miss Maude da s , began an artistic association with D Mr . rew which lasted nearly five
He r years . mock drunken scene , in
o f S z the role u anne , the young wife
114 O W C U S J HN DRE , IDA ON Q E T ARTH U R B YRON In The Tyranny of Tears
fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi Wfi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
n e w venture wasjustified, and nearly eighteen m onths elapsed before the
comedian required another play . 6 In the same theatre , February ,
18 94, he appeared as Frederick O ssian in a slight comedy by Mr . Henry Guy Carleton called B utter
ies A fl . In this the subject was mer
ican , and so , in every respect , was m the treat ent of it . Frederick
O - ssian was a heedless , well bred
young man , suddenly sobered by his realisation that the course of true love does not run smooth
He and by his tailor . was in
His love, and he was in debt
love seemed to be hopeless, and But he could not pay his debts .
116 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W k presently he went to wor , and then his love was rewarded . Inci dentally he was shown to be capable of forbearance and self sac rific e T . his fragile piece was still something much better than horseplay farce, and it served the comedian well for more than a
Th e year . triumph in it , in an exceedingly grateful part , of Miss O live May was an incident which , as contemporaneous stage history b goes , may fairly be called istori
B utte ies cal . rfl had been performed by Drew and his company in other cities before it was seen in New
York , and this was afterward the case with other plays of his reper
117 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
tory, but only the dates of the metropolitan first performances are given here . A much graver , if not positively a more serious work was Tlze B a ukle
Sko H A p by enry rthur Jones , the E d nglish playwright, which serve D Mr . rew so well the following
Th e season . argument in this was that the private im moralities of a statesman ’ s life may be used by his enem ies to defeat and humiliate him in public life , and the argu
Th e ment is unanswerable . piece seemed to hit the public fancy here L rather more surely than in ondon , as its extravagances of detail were not noticed on this side of the
118
fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
ure of dramatic power . Maude A dams as the drunkard ’ s innocent daughter acted a rather c o nv e n tio n al role so well as to mak e it k E W seem lifeli e , while lsie de olfe, E D A B H J . . odson , rthur yron , arry H L arwood, and Frank amb , who has been concerned in every play D in which Mr . rew has starred, ff T lent e icient assistance . here were no great moments in Tlze B a uble
Sko p , however , and it contained at least one positively repellent scene .
’ D h e ad uar Mr . rew s New York q ters had been transferred, by Mr .
Frohman , with the production of Jones ’s drama from Palmer ’ s to the m ore m odern and beautiful
12 0
fi fi fl g fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
- starting point , the failure of John A nnesley to post two letters his bride had entrusted to him , was a promising beginning for light c o m
Tlza t Im rud ent Youn Cou le edy . p g p ,
r howeve , soon gave place to Made
’ L R m line ucette yley s a using play , ” an $ actor ’s play if there ever was
Clzris to lzer one , called p , 7 a which was chuck full o f good situations and bright dialogue, but defied life , probability, and the laws of dra m atic construction in every scene . D A B oth Mr . rew and Miss dams
ré le s had grateful , and the other mem bers of the company were well
Ckris to ker 72 suited . p , 7 , was first
E i T O acted at the mp re heatre , cto
12 2 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
18 ber 7 , 95 , but it had been in
’ the co m edian s repertory the pre vio us season and had received many m perfor ances in other cities . For
a th t reason , another play was needed
m m 2 0 18 6 i ediately, and , January , 9 ,
D m e n Mr . rew began a idwinter
’ a e m e n t P g g at almer s, presenting
’ R m ichard C . Carton s s art adapta
’ ” L A m i tion of des Femmes, by
D fils Tlze S uire umas , called q of
a s iv a D m e . . e u Mr Kilroy , the q lent o f the French meddler with pathological ideas , could have found no better representative on our stage D than rew, and his refinement and personal humour made the adapta
tion enjoyable , though Mr . Carton
12 3 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W k ept himself safely many miles from the psycho - physiology of the m original author . In fact , s artly written talk was the best feature of
‘ Tke S uire Da m es q qf , and its marital m and social problem , in the circu stances, happily went for nothing .
R os em a r y, the following season , D introduced Mr . rew once again as a bachelor of forty odd reclaimed from cynicism and roistering by
Rosem a r the power of love y, by L P . N. arker and Murray Carson , was not a great or profound work , not exceedingly witty or very well
1 uant made , but it was sweet and p q with a touch or two of genuine feeling that caused sympathetic
12 4
fi fl fi fi fi § fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W W estwood, her young lover, and returned to his bachelor ways, to live many years after Westwood and his wife had departed this life, and to find , by a strange accident , a souvenir of his little romance with D Q ’ olly , the day of the ueen s Jubi lee, in that very inn whither he had taken her to see the Coronation A procession . Miss dams , who was then in her last year as a member D ’ m of rew s co pany, had at that time never appeared to better ad
i v antage th an in the role of Dorothy
Cruickshank . In this play , too , D ’ . E B Mr rew s niece, Miss thel arry
a more, who had borne thankless
’ part in Mr . Carleton s piece the
12 6 MISS ETHE L B ARR Y M ORE
fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
could not have been surpassed . In the costuming no detail had been m o itted , from the cut of a brocade
coat to the fashion of a snuff - box or the design of the silver e m bro i
Po w dery on the back of a glove .
der and patches , court swords and
cocked hats, elegant manners with
a hint of lamentable morals, those were the important c o n c o m i
A Ma rria e o Conv enience tants of g f . There was scarcely more than one
grave speech in this play, which k m was nearly all tal , like a co edy
of Congreve , which , by the way, it m m someti es rese bled in form , if not in substance In the French origi nal the elder Dum as seem s to have
12 8 fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
used Marivaux as his model . Mr . Drew embodied with all needful dignity and buoyancy the young
m Can d ale Co te de , who fell in love with his young wife less than three days after the wed ding, while Miss Isabel Irving , making her first appearance as Mr .
’ D im e rso rew s leading actress, p nated th e young C omtesse with T delightful char m . hey had often acted in the same plays at
’ D v is aly s, and she had played a- v is to him in l e Ca ainet
Minis ter Th e . inevitable waiting maid — the Dorine of French classical comedy was portrayed with much facility o f expression
9 12 9 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi ® fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E ' W and a nice sense of pictorial effect E W by lsie de olfe . Of less interest both pictorially and
’ One Sum m er s Da dramatically was y,
- a comedy, or rather a serio comic play, compounded not too cleverly m of the elements offarce , melodra a , E and comedy , by a young nglish
E h a H . s actor, enry V smond, who since won substantial recognition as a playwright . In this Mr . D D R rew acted Major ick udyard ,
- sac rific in a self g bachelor , who is consoled by the trium ph of L ove W ’ for many grievances , at allack s
T 18 8 heatre in February , 9 , but a livelier piece was the one - act com
T S o f edy by heyre mith , author
13 0
fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
Sir D honour , Christopher eering .
Sir k Kit , ta e him for all in all, was a
- capital fellow, cool headed, sound
hearted , practical , amiable, of ripe w and varied experience, endo ed with fine perceptions and good
He taste . had one telling speech in the last act , a speech full of subtle changes of mood, though the speaker was dominated throughout — by one earnest purpose, which must have been one of the longest h speeches in recent drama . In t is
Sir Kit, who had been devoting his time and ingenuity for four days and four acts to a seemingly futile attem pt to prevent the elopem ent of his closest friend with the silly
13 2 fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fl fi fi fi fl fi fi 7 o H N D R E W young wife of a common acquaint
ance , confronted the erring couple
Th e in his apartment . hour was
late , and Kit was getting ready to start for A frica to rejoin his regi
He ment on the morrow . was
packing his traps , and , moreover , had just asked a charming woman W to be his wife . herefore he had
little time to spare , yet he took time ,
not to harangue , not to moralise,
but merely to set before these two , the heedless man of passion and the
v . ain woman , a few facts Irony , m gri humour , and deep feeling were
all in this speech , and its delivery was
a superb example of technique .
’ Scarcely less effective was Drew s
I 3 3 fl fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fl fi 7 o H N D R E W
Tbe T ra nn o Tea rs acting in y y f , which was his play in the winter
18 — 1 0 0 T of 99 9 . his comedy by Haddon Chambers was really more noteworthy on the score of verity
’ than Jones s rather showier play ; — and the study of the easy goi ng h usband , who had allowed his wife
to control his very conscience . and then had a difficult task to readjust his domestic affairs on a com m on
sense footing , was well within the
’ Parbur D . line of rew s best parts y, D the novelist , like eering , the sol dier, was essentially a man of this very hour , this particular phase
- of A nglo Saxon civilisation . In
’ Ch am be rs s comedy a notable tri
I 3 4
fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W Thus the chronicler must leave Drew in the very prim e of his
artistic career, still a young man
in appearance and feeling , still
Th e ambitious and energetic . story of his doings on the stage
contains few exciting incidents, and his lot has been cast in pleas
$ His ant places . private life has
He been happily uneventful . is a member of many clubs , and is much sought in social life both in
L He New York and in ondon . has helped . in the beginning of their dramatic careers, his nephew, L B ionel arrymore, and his nieces, Ethel Barrymore and Georgiana
Me nd um His D . rew daughter ,
13 6 fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi fi fi fi 7 o H N D R E W
L ouisa, contemplates adopting the fam ily calling and has already made a purely tentative first appearance m D in a s all part . Mr . rew has met the chances of existence
hi s bravely , has performed duties nobly, and has fairly won a high place in the esteem and affectio n
hi m r of s conte pora ies .
I 3 7