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

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egotism; if True coula engrge the audience's attention so
easily, might he not up-stage other characters unscrupulously?
There was evidently a danger that he rni^ht seek plays that gi ve
him e strong aid dor.inatin/. role, and that he sight adapt
existing scripts to the same pattern. Some critics felt that
this had alre dy come to pass - the Illttstreted London JLews
review of Partners accused him of the fault:
whatever character he has to personate, it must be
torced, whatever dialogue he has to speak must
be lengthened: in v.liatev^r scenes he is engaged
they must be dredged out until they become veaoisome.
(14 January IBBB)
Scott, the author of this review, went on to contrast Tree with
Irving, whose Di^by Grant he alleged to be e, 4.000 example of
virtuously restrained character-acting: a similar notice appeared
in The Graphic (14 January).
Tree's taste for elaborate detail in acting had its corollary
in his scenic arrangements. A few weeks iter he staged
The Pompadour, a version by W.G.Wills and Sidney Grundy of
Marcisse by Erail Brachvogel. The scenery for this plgr v.as
cumbersome and complicated, and it wss divided into a series of
scenes , hich vur^ so difiicult to set and strike that ;.ll the
necesGory action had to take place in the sotting of the act,
however incongruous the circtiunstances might become: every
character had to be provided \vith an excuse for visiting the
room or gallery in question. The Illustrated Sporting and
Dramatic Mews, although sy prthetic to Tree's management, found
t.'.e resulting awkwardness of the play disturbing:
It is the price v:e pay for ponderous and pretentious
scenes th;t, x/hother they represent a
palace or a hovel, everything th.vt aous cune to
oesij must either come to pas ,hile tho ..-cone is
ii'ere, or be left out of the play altogether-
(21 April iag8)
The notice in The Illustrated Lonoo.n IJQV s connected the scenic
artifice . ith tfie technic. 1 brilliance of Tree's acting, ,;hich
5cott pronounced "as clever as acting can possibly b~ that
leans wholly on the support oi art":
Mr Beerbohm Troe has aluays convinced us that he is
a remarkably intelligent, observrnt and stucious