Life — March 1, 1888 — page 10: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

- LIFE: 4 PEPYS AT THE PLAY. EBRUARY 20th.—To the Star Theatre, in a hackney coach with my wife, who hath had her teeth new done by La Touche, being thereby made much prettier, though the expense did vex me greatly. We did see per- formed by that curious and quaint-legged actor, Henry Irving, a new piece called “ Olivia,” and made up mostly from Dr. Oliver Goldsmith's tale of the “The Vicar of Wakefield.” The play hath not in it elements of greatness like those in which I have before seen these same actors, though pleasing in its likeness to rural life. Through the whole piece did run a country freshness which was grateful to my eyes, so long lacking the sight of an English village. This Irving hath more commonplace things to deal with than in the greater plays, and therefore is his task all the more diffi- cult, but that he hath failed in one particular I cannot see. The costumes of the women and men were marvelous well fit to the time of the play, and even the musique was produced upon an ancient spinet, though to my ears the yowling of a brood of kittens had beenas pleasant. Henry Irving himself doth do the part of Dr. Primrose. There are some and more who do claim that the man hath a genius for acting, and so it hath seemed to me, but in this he giveth no sign thereof. It is but a simple character, presenting the woe of an old clergyman that the daughter whom he loved hath deceived by virtue of secretly going away with her lover. For this purpose he hath little call to do great things, and he doth narrow himself to easy expression, and useth little force. It is more fine art than great acting, and pleaseth me none the less. I do call to mind one John Gilbert who hath pic- tured like characters. That he could do Dr. Primrose so well as Irving I doubt not so far as looks go, and, too, in many places act as well, but of a surety he hath not the same subtle power in painting the joy and grief over the unhappy Olivia. 1 say this because I know that Joe Tigge, who liketh Irving not at all, will say to me that Gilbert could play the character better to his liking. There was a woman actor named Ellen Terry who did likewise attract my notice, and that so much that my wife did grieve over it, and when we came home I did hear her baste the maid-servant with a broom till she did yell extremely. Mistress Terry hath much vivaciousness of manner, and knoweth the wiles which charm the heart. So much is this true that one is hard-pressed to tell whether or no he doth like her acting, but is surely delighted with her. Pray God my wife do not see this! # * * EBRUARY 21st.—Met Joe Tigge, who told me that the boy Hofmann, who hath pleased the town with his playing upon a piano, hath refused to play more because the Lord Mayor had threatened to correspond with him. It is further said that in his extreme terror the boy hath threatened to flee the country. * * * EBRUARY 22d.—Fiddling on my violin for an houre. Then tothe Elephant, where I did hear that after a little there is to be no longer a company of actors at Wallack’s play-house. This gave me great regret, and I did think, too, of many others who would likewise grieve, old women as well as young, for there are few women in town who have not sometime considered that they loved an actor in Wallack’s company. It hath been said that the purse of this play- house was greatly enriched by the entrance money of those who did go there to live over their youth, but this I do not believe. ‘ Metcalfe. R. ABBEY will not 1 get much sympathy in his efforts to force Josef Hofmann to concertize. It is quite plain that the boy is played out, and Mr. Abbey having made thousands of dollars at the expense of the child's music should not be permitted to squeeze more ducats out of the prodigy’s poor little body. As for Casimir Hofmann, he de- serves to be hoist with the petard he made for himself last week when he solemnly affirmed before the Mayor that the boy was increasing ANOTHER FRIEZE OUT. in health and happiness under his labors. comicbooks.com