THE HIGHER FUNCTIONS OF THE DRAMA.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 11189, 1 February 1902, Page 6

THE HIGHER FUNCTIONS OF THE DRAMA.

In the colonies, as in England, there has been for some time past a tendency to re-1 gard bhe function of the theatre as simply to amuse. Hence the vogue of the musical, comedy, .and 4&e three act force. .. It seems almost to have been forgotten that toe drama may also he.jnide tie means of quickening tie intellectual -faculties, of etinrimg the emotions, end even of bracing the moral tone of the people. We admit that there are times when the people want pure amusement, and 4ihait the theatre is well qualified t» give them pleasant relaxation from the cares and troujbles of everyday life. But while not undervaluinig the benefit of a hearty laugh, it would be a great pity, we think, if it should came tobe (regarded ac an axiom that it must always be associated with "a vacant mmd." There are some people who regard it as "a bore to tibink," and who* consequently, desire their recreation in a ab&pe which will for the eUgjbtest mental exertion on ttheir part. It is this class which has 'been catered far too much in the past, and we regard it as an encouraging sign of the times that an aotor of Mr. Wilson Bairett's eminence should ibave thought it worth Ibis wfhdle to come out here to give us something very much ibdtter. It is still more gratifying to find, from the enthusiastic support which he baa received from the public, that the taste for higher forms of tihe dramatic art has been only lying dormant—simply awaiting tihe touch of genius to quicken it once more into life. The 'plays given by Mr. Barrett, during his Ghriatchurch season, which ends to-nighi, here been sufficiently varied to suit many tastes, and, it may be added, to provoke many differences of opinion. There is this to be said about aft of them, however, that they make the listeners think—and, in the majority of cases, these will be the tetter for their thinking. There are some who dislike the mixture of the sacred with the melodramatic in "The Sign of the Cross." Yet there is no doubt the play Appeals to tihe Better feelings of thousands who would not be reached by the more conventional methods. The King," in the came way, acts as a stimulus to the domestic emotions. In "Man and hie Makers" Mr. Wilson Barret has dealt in a spirit of hopeful encouragement with one of the most painful and perplexing problems that confront humainly—the question as to how far man by the exercise of bis free will can break the bonds imposed upon him by heredity. "The Manxman" not only gave us an opportunity of witnessing an example of acting so refined and natural that it Memed almost

a misuse of terms to call it acting at all, but the play is one which carries with it a strong moral In "Virginias" and "Othello* Mr Barrett has taken us into the region, of. pure tragedy, and -his delicate and forceful interpretations of the leading parts in these great plays will long live in the memories of his audiences. For one great adv«nt*ge of the Signer forms of the dramatic art is that they produce a lasting benefit. .Plays which simply amuse are ephemeral. They serve • their purpose for the moment, and are forgotten—they have their little day and cease to be. A good play not only lifts our thoughts above our cares at the time, but it fills the mind with good thoughts and vivid impressions wMoh will be recalled hereafter, to that we may "enjoy them many times over with only once hearing. That this will be the case with the plays Mr Barrett has given us we have not the'least doubt. A thinker and a man of letters), as well as an actor, be is the cause, of .thought in others, and so undoubtedly fulfils a high mission. As an exponent of the modern school of acting he stands deservedly in the front rank. We can only hope that his colonial tour throughout may be such a success as to lead'either" to* a repetition on his part, or to the visit of some other English actor of repute inspired with, the same ideals.