Pictorial Shakespeare, 1880-1890 - eTheses Repository - University ...

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- tne PAaamo'lo of the company; but he felt th; t too much hac.
been left t ) the scenery, for ell tho mrm^er's brin^in^
"culture and intelligent taste" to ber.r upon ' inr ttcr:.; from
•,;hich £ dozen years ago culture and taste • ero ^ener. lly
divorced" (1, March lc£2). Shrw, v;riting sone years later,
took Irving's Romeo as tn example of ingenious st£^infc , co :bineo
with "absurdity", and of Irving's inability to ,- do >t himself to
op
r>n author's creation.
This set Mary Anderson a considerable tasi: , for she v.cs
obliged to emulate Irving's methods, not in ^enerrl terms,
but with reference to r s >ucif ic production. At the s me time
sbc h;t to make the most of the comparison . ith Ellon Terry,
ina e prrt './here the older actress *s "maturity" had been
t ck -O. lec^eci iii t-he >roso as c; disadv, nt; (-..o. ;.-,
every action, every bit of xrntomime, every ste-j
has to be cr»efully taught, it EK y be imsj:,inea
the t sk v;.:-is not e,- sy.
The supers were drilled in be tcl es of six, Mid in f;ccitioa
to t:.eir supervision in^fielc: i as obli,;_.ec( to take c; •; r^u
of carpenters, costumiers, scene-printers, canco ro..ef'rsal^,
fencing lussoris, rnd w,_.orierrl w r^i:ef:rsc Is. '.these cltir'S
su^.fst £ frr ,..r«frt'-r burcea of responsibility t. ;n ct ii be
C0iifit.e;3tly assigned to tioc.i/in, in the proc.uctions he
"supervise", ^.in^fiela also crr.n^uc. thu text, ^.. s>,(