. Players and plays of the last quarter century; an historical summary of causes and a critical review of conditions as existing in the American theatre at the close of the nineteenth century. CHAPTER XL HENRY IRVING IN MELODRAMA IJENRY IRVINGS first great successi in London, the success that placedhim in the way of attaining the emi-nence that has brought him general recognitionas the leading English actor of his time, was hisMathias in The Bells, a weird and distinctlymelodramatic conception ; and since that timesome of his most remarkable work has beendone in melodrama. Under that categoryw
. Players and plays of the last quarter century; an historical summary of causes and a critical review of conditions as existing in the American theatre at the close of the nineteenth century. CHAPTER XL HENRY IRVING IN MELODRAMA IJENRY IRVINGS first great successi in London, the success that placedhim in the way of attaining the emi-nence that has brought him general recognitionas the leading English actor of his time, was hisMathias in The Bells, a weird and distinctlymelodramatic conception ; and since that timesome of his most remarkable work has beendone in melodrama. Under that categorywould come his spectacular assumption of thedual parts in The Lyons Mail, his eccentriccharacter study in Louis XL, his interestingNapoleon in Madame Sans Gene, and hisRobespierre. In fact, from first to last, it islikely that fully two-thirds of the impersona-tions on which are buildcd Henry Irvings name and fame are thoroughly melodramatic. 272. HENRY IRVINGAs Mathias in The Bells. Henry Irving in Melodrama 273 the LYONS mail In The Lyons Mail, made by CharlesReade from the French of Moreau, Girardin,and Delacour, Mr. Irving plays Joseph Le-surques, an honourable merchant of Paris, andDubosc, a highwayman and robber. The com-plications of the play arise from the fact thatphysically the two men so closely resemble oneanother, that the innocent Lesurques is arrested,condemned, and nearly guillotined for a crimecommitted by Dubosc. Although it is of itselfa melodrama of the finer sort, the life of TheLyons Mail has been prolonged, not becauseof its especial merit, but because of the won-derfully vivid, intensely realistic, and marvel-lously differentiated acting of Mr. Irving asLesurques and Dubosc. When a skilful pianist sits down before hisinstrument and dashes off a lot of scales andarpeggios, one may be amazed at his digitaldexterity, but one does not call the resultantsounds music. At the best, the player hasproduced nothin
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