IRVING IN AMERICA

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1030, 20 December 1883, Page 4

IRVING IN AMERICA

Henry Irving was banqueted on October 27 by the Lotus Club of New York. Five hundred pesons were present, including Mr Jefferson, Mr Barrett, Mi* tlorence, and other actors. Mr Irving made a speech of considerable length, abounding in happy hits, and creating a most favorable impression. ’ In it he said : “In coming here I really had but. one terror —the interviewer. lam glad to tell you that is passed, and also that I find the interviewer a much misrepresented person. He seemed to me a'most-courteous gentleman, who had but an amiable curiosity to know a little about myself that he did not know before, and I was very well satisfied to gratify him as much as I could. I was told he would turn me inside out, would cross-ex-amirie me, and then appear against me the following morning. I found nothing of the sort. The only thing Iwould quarrel with him for was saying I reminded him of Mr Oscar Wilde.” ISpeakthg- of his art and its status in England, he said : “In my own dear land I am glad to tell you that the love for the Shakespearian drama is greatly increasing. T remember at one of the revivals of Shakespearian plays at the gentleman leaving the treeatre ’"was heard to express the opinten that the play was not * a bad one, that he thought it might have a tolerable run, hut that it would be very much improved it it had not contained so many quotations. The play was * Macbeth.’ I have been told that gentleman is sometimes to be found in the British Museum in the old readingroom devoted, to Shakespearian manuscriptsi'and that he is very frequently found turning them over, but with what success Ido not know. I also remember once when a play was produced, a friend of mine asked me what was the subject' of s it. I said that the subject of it was Charles 1., at which he hemmed and hawed, and said : * Very good.’. Very good. Oh ! capital. Charles I. Yes, I should think that would do very well. Let me see— Charles I. Do you mean Shakespeare’s Charles I.?’ However, these things are improving, and even the old playgoer—l do not know whether such a character exists amongst you—who is amongst us a very dreadful creature, even he is beginning to tolerate the student who goes to the book instead of to traditional characters for inspi ation. We are very hypocritical now. We will go to the Crystal Palace to see the play of ‘ Hamlet,’ and go to the Crystal Palace because it is not a theatre; and when we would not go to the theatre to see the play of ‘ Hamlet ’ we will go to the Crystal Palace or some other such place to see the ‘Pink Dominoes.’ We will crowd sometimes to a French theatre without understanding a word of their language, when we will desert our own theatres where these plays are being played. But fortunately no such difference as that can exist between us; and I cherish the hope that it will be ray good fortune, and more especially the good fortune of my fel-low-workers, and especially my gifted companion and friend Ellen Terry, that we shall be able to win your favor. I -daresay you will find many of us very strange and very odd, with peculiarities of speech and with peculiarities of manner and gesture; but it would, perhaps, Dpt be so. pleasurable if we were all just alike. It is not our fault, you know, if we are Englishmen.”