Life, 1893-11-09 · page 11 of 18
Life — November 9, 1893 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine Page 299: Theater Review This page announces a special matinee performance of "The Silver Shell," a new play by Mr. Dam, presented due to repeated demands following Mrs. Kendal's recent success in "The Second Mrs. Tanqueray." The accompanying sketches illustrate scenes from a theatrical production—likely depicting working-class or rural characters in various comedic situations (soaking, swearing, marching toward town, discussing weapons and trains). The satirical point appears to target theatrical realism and the plot complications of "The Silver Shell," which the reviewer critiques as overly complicated, with a convoluted Nihilist conspiracy subplot involving a Russian spy. The reviewer notes Mrs. Kendal's miscasting and questions whether the play deserves its popularity given these narrative weaknesses.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“WHEN YE'VE SOAKED ENOUGH, AND ARE READY TO SWEAR YE'LL NEVER DO NO MORE, WHITE Cap jogs We'LL PULL YE UP.” “SEEING YE DIDN'T HEV NO WEAPONS ABOUT YE, V'LL JEST FINE YE TEN DOLLARS FER THAT THREATNIN’ LETTER YE HUNG ON THE TREE.” wording and exten- sive publicity given to the following ANNOUNCEMENT. In answer to many demands for repeti- tions of ** The Second Mrs. Tanqueray,” Mr. Kendal desires to state that by con- tract with the author, Mr. Dam, it was agreed to present the new play ‘The Silver Shell” at least one week during the pres- ent New York en- gagement; but in deference to many re- quests ** The Second Mrs. Tanqueray” will be given at a special matinee next Wednesday at 2. Any one who has seen “ The Second Mrs. Tanqueray,” and who knows what efforts Mrs. Kendal has made, by abusing the critics, to preserve the reputation of Mrs. Tanqueray, will quite understand that a legal obligation to present Mr. Dam’s play would not be welcome in view of the peculiar money-drawing power of Mrs. Kendal’s recent excursion into the powers of making the stage teach Mrs. Kendal’s ideas of morality. If Mr. Dam had placed blooming good Billmgsgate in the mouth of his leading female char- acter, the result in America might have been different. “The Silver Shell” is not a good play. Its plot is too complicated and the interest too divided to make it succeed with the critic or with the usual theatre-going audience. The third act, which gives a realistic notion of the culmination of a Nihilistic conspiracy and the consequent overthrow of the plot by a Russian spy, is very strong, but not strong enough to save the whole play from more than a suspicion of sensational- ism and a certainty of un- reality, Throughout Mrs, Ken- dal is Mrs. Kendal, a trifle less rank than in Afrs. Tangueray and more pro- nounced than in Clare and some of her other parts. Mr. Kendal makes the same mistake that Mr. Mansfield makes in Shylock and tries to force grey hairs and grease paint to take the place of old age. A BIRTH MARK. Proprietor ; YOU SEE, IT'S EASILY ACCOUNTED FOR WHEN YOU BEAR IN MIND THE FACT THAT ITS MOTHER WAS SCARED FROM HER NEST BY A PASSING PEDDLER ! “CALL THAT DOG AWAY, Miss JONES, AND YOU NEEDN'T ASK ME WHAT'S THE MATTER. HAVE YOU GOT A TIME TABLE OF THE TRAINS TO THE CITY?” Metcalfe. comicbooks.com