To carry out this drama of inaction, as it is schemed, should occupy eight persons something under two hours; but it takes thirteen persons three hours to carry it along. Five of these _dramatis personæ_ are superfluous; and much time is wasted on dialogues in Italian and French that could be "faked up" from any conversation-book in several languages, and evidently only lugged in under the mistaken impression that thereby a touch of "local colour" is obtained.
As it is the audience wearies of the long speeches, and there is nothing in the action that can rouse them as there was in _The Second Mrs. Tanqueray_, a play that Mr. PINERO has not yet equalled, much less surpassed.
But what is a real pleasure, and what will attract all lovers of good acting, is, first of all, Mr. FORBES ROBERTSON'S admirable impersonation of the difficult, unsympathetic _rôle_ of a despicably selfish, self-conceited, cowardly prig; and, secondly, to a certain extent, the rendering of the heroine by Mrs. PATRICK CAMPBELL, who, however, does not come within measurable distance of her former self as _Mrs. Tanqueray_--her "great stove scene" being about the weakest point in her performance. But there cannot be a divided opinion as to the perfect part given to Mr. JOHN HARE, and as to the absolutely perfect manner in which it is played by this consummate artist in character. All the scenes in which he appears are admirably conceived by the author, and as admirably interpreted by the actor.
Mr. HARE'S performance of the _Duke of St. Olpherts_ is a real gem, ranking among the very best things he has ever done, and I may even add "going one better." It is on his acting, and on the acting of the scenes in which he appears, that the ultimate popularity of the piece must depend. The theatrical stove-cum-book situation may tell with some audiences better than with others, but it is not an absolute certainty; while every scene in which the _Duke of St. Olpherts_ takes part, as long as this character is played by Mr. HARE, is in itself an absolute isolated triumph. Mr. AUBREY SMITH, as the modern young English moustached parson, _en voyage_, with his pipe, and bible in his pocket (is he a _colporteur_ of some Biblical Society, with a percentage on the sale? otherwise the book is an awkward size to carry about, especially if he has also a _Murray_ with him), is very true to life, at all events in manner and appearance; and Miss JEFFREYS, as his sister, who looks just as if she had walked out of a fashion-plate in _The Gentlewoman_, or some lady's journal, plays discreetly and with considerable self-repression. Of course it will remain one of the notable pieces of the year; but what will keep it green in the memory of playgoers is not the story, nor its heroine, nor its hero, but the captivating impersonation of the _Duke of St. Olpherts_ by Mr. JOHN HARE.