THE THEATRE.
BEN JONSON'S "BARTHOLOMEW FAIR "—THE PHOENIX SOCIETY.
WHEN we have said that Bartholomew Fair is not quite so dull to witness as it is to read, we have almost said all that is just in the play's commendation. It has plenty of minor merits and plenty of small faults, but, at any rate to the modern auditor, minor defects and excellences are swallowed up by the fact that the play is one that does not quite come off. It seems singularly lacking in motive, for the satire against Puritanism is often
forgotten; it is, in fact, a rather dull and boisterous hodge- podge of old and valued properties. Of many of these materials for farce I cannot help thinking that the Elizabethans exaggerated the excellence ; for example, the Gull, the idiotic young man who is constantly scored off by all the other characters, and who, in this case with Jonsonian thoroughness, has lost two purses, his sword, hat, cloak, marriage licence, and lady by the end of the play. Another is the comic Watch, a third the Madman, a fourth the Drunkard. This set of characters seems almost to have been a G.S. ration issue to all writers of comedies between the dates 1585 and 1615.
To turn to particulars, the induction of the play was extremely effective on the stage :—
" Stage-keeper. Gentlemen, have a little patience, they are e'en upon coming instantly. He that should begin the play, Master Littlewit, tho proctor, has a stitch new fallen in his black silk stocking ; 'twill be drawn up ere you can tell twenty: he plays one o' the Arches that dwells about the hospital, and he has a very pretty part."
But on the whole the Stage-keeper does not approve of the play. "It is like to be a very conceited, scurvy one in plain English" :— " No : an some writer that I know had had but the penning o' this matter, he would have made you such a jig-a-jog in the booths, you should have thought an earthquake had been in the Fair ! But these master-poets, they will have their own absurd courses ; they will be informed of nothing."
And all because the Stage-keeper had suggested the device— since made so majestic by Mr. Crummles—of a practicable pump. The Stage-keeper is soon ejected by the Prompter and Scrivener, who read out the articles of agreement "between the spectators on the one party, of the author of Bartholomew Fair on the other party, the one hundred and thirteenth day of October, 1614 " ; this,the reader will remember,is long but witty. The audience covenant to remain in the places "where their friends or their money have put them with patience for the space of two hours and a-half," what time the author promises to present them with "a new and sufficient play," and it is farther agreed that every person "have their free-will of censure to like or dislike at their own charge, the author having now departed with his own right." This shall be lawful for any man, to each his six- pennyworth, his twelvepennyworth, his eighteenpennyworth, his two shillings, his half a crown, or to the value of his place, but he must covenant "not to censure by contagion"; also, if he approves or does not approve, he must do the same to-morrow, "and not be brought about by any that site in the bench with him, although they indite and arraign plays daily." The author on his part is to provide them" with a fine oily Pig-woman with her Tapster. A wise Justice of Peace, meditant. A Cutpurse, searchant. A sweet singer of ballads, allurant and as fresh a hypocrit as was ever broached, rampant."
Mr. Roy Bvford, who was the Phoenix's admirable Sir Sampson
Legend in Love for Love, depicted Ursula the pig-woman with an admirable greasiness that could not have been surpassed. She is a horrid monstrosity, and Mr. Byford duly made her an astounding figure. Mr. Ben Field as Zeal-of-the-Land Busy, one of the two Puritans whom the play satirizes, was quite excellent, in spite of all temptations never over-acting the part :- A Hobby-Horse Dealer. "What do you lack, gentlemen? what is't you buy rattles, drums, babies.- Busy."Peace, with thy apocryphal wares, thou profane publican: thy bells, thy dragons, and thy Tobie's dogs. Thy hobby-horse is an idol, a vory idol, a fierce and rank idol ; and thou the Nebuchadnezzar, the proud Nebuchadnezzar of the Fair, that sett'st it up, for children to fall down to, and worship."
Mr. Ernest Thesiger as the Gull, Bartholomew Cokes, gave a richly ridiculous performance, of which one had not realized he was capable. Miss Margaret Yarde was excellent as the female Puritan, and so were Mr. Eric Cowley and Mr. Frank Cellier as the only two nice characters in the play. On the whole, though it was undoubtedly curious to witness a play that had been so lastingly popular, probably we all felt that with the whole of Beaumont and Fletcher unrevived the society's choice was not altogether a happy one. However, it is ungrateful to look so generous a gift bird in the beak. This was the society's eighth production.
TARN.
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