_\3IEfIcAN DRAMA. The American stage was naturally in its origin a mere upon that of England; and the sameness of language, the similarity ( I dramatic themes. and the con stant interchange of English and American actors still make it dillienit to separate the drama of the United States from that of Great Britain. At the present day American successes are reproduced in England hardly less than suc cessful English play, at this side. Independent dramatic production in this country, however, as an infant industry labored tinder one par ticular disadvantage, ow ing to the absence till 1891 of an international copyright. A manager could always adapt. translate, or reproduce out right, at no expense and litle risk. a play that had met success abroad; whereas, to purchase one from a native writer involved at the outset a definite outlay and the .nbsequent risk of fail ure. Partly in consequence of this, dramatic history in America has had to do more with player- than with playwrights. Yet the litera ture of the drama in the United States is exten -lye, though, as in England. much of it is of little value. Not a little of that belonging to the years which followed the Revolutionary War eon si,ted of trashy pieces for the exploitation of crude patriotism, setting forth the yet unsea soned glories of our military achievements. It had been only a few year- before the Revolution that the first permanent playhouse was built—the Southwark Theatre in Philadelphia ( 1760 — followed the next year by the opening of the John Street Theatre in New York. Here in 1787 was presented what is considered the first play by an American author regularly produced upon the stage—The Contrast, written by P‘oyall Tyler, afterward- Chief justice of Vermont. It has been asserted, however, that Godfrey's Prince of Par thia was acted in Philadelphia some twenty years before. The dramatic qualities of The Contrast were of the -lightest, but it served to introduce to the boards the personage known as the exag gerated 'Yankee,' who could not he banished fur three-quarter, of a century. The first prolific America a dramatist was William Dunlap. some of whose w( rk was fair for the period. lie pro duced about fifty plays. a few of them translated from the German. The opening of the Park 1)79), gave a new impulse to the drama. although the chief players wore from the old country and the opening play was .1s You Like It. Here, in 1809. 'the Roscius' made his debut as Young Norval. This lad was John Howard Payne. Ile not only ap peared with great success in this country and in England, hut he wrote and translated a number of plays, of which hi- own VII Brutus, or tin- Fall of Tarquin, still keeps the stage. It is a well-con structed tragedy, and is the first drama of im portance written by an Am•rican author.
It was not until about 1820 that literary and cultured people began to look with favor upon the drama. In that year the guest tragedian Edmund lean visited this country and played in New York and Philadelphia. Ten later hi. ,on Charles. The great and erratic Brutus Booth first appeared in the Unit cd states in 1s21; he came again in Is33. Macready made his first in 1s2ii. t'lara Fisher came in 1s27. The season of H3•-:33 brought over Charles and Fanny 1:emble, who en joyed an immense popularity. letidawhile the elder Fran was hardly gone after hi, second visit when Edwin l'orre-t :type:trod in Nett Mork in the :slitike.pearean part I if A211) Forrest
i. held 11101114)1'y by many a- the greatest of American While doubtless at his best in shakespearean tragedy. he was always in tensely .knicrican in feeling, and undertook to in fuse the native idea into hi. stork. John A. littowora .tva- v.ritten for him, as was also It. N. Bird's tragedy of Th. lamlinfor. One of the most popular of Forrest', contemporaries was the comedian James II. Hackett, who he came famous a, Falstaff and in 'Yankee' riles. John Gilbert made hi. in Bo-ton in H2S, and later ripened into one of the most accom plished actors of 'old man' on any stage. William E. Burton came to this eountry in P:34. Charles Burke, one of the finest of American comedians, began his short career in IS36. lie was a half-brother of the present Jeffer son, who about the same time made his appear ance a boy upon the stage. and has more than realized the promise of hi- theatrical ancestry. Already Charlotte Cushman. celebrated a- the greatest of American actresses. had begun to show her power. In IS3S Mary Cecilia Tay lor made her dc•bilt, and soon became a popit• tar favorite, a clever and versatile not a great actress. Still the stage was largely de pendent on English material- when John Brough am came over in 1S42. Ile was the first author to lint life into the beside- being one of the best of the day. and. though he was born an Irishman. hi- N\ firk was .1\inerienn. especially his inimitable burlesques. l'orohonfas and robinibits. In H-13 the elder John Drew appeared ill this country. :\lenirwhile .Anna Cora Alowatt was becoming the favorite in genteel econoly and light tragedy. and in H-Is she appeared in England with E. L. Davenport. who had already at home made a reputation as a versatile actor.
Daring the second half of the century just nas-ed, the annals of the -\inerican stage offer a li.t of worthy of respect as those of gifted and admirably trained In tragedy it is necessary only to recall Edwin Forrest. who played till IsTo: John McCullough. best remembered for his manly impersonation of Virgiviiiis: Edwin Booth and Lawrence Barrett. tx%0 of the most scholarly of .kinerican actor.: and at the present time. Ilieliard who is, however. not only a tragedian. hut a successful actor in other branches of the regular drama. In legitimate comedy, John Gilbert and Joseph Jef ferson led the alai Were (1,1141Mbil by Lester \Vallack. E. 1. Sothern. lVil limo .1. Florence, Janie, T.ewis. John T. Bay• mond. Sol smith Bussell..1olin Drew, and N. C. Goodwin. in lighter comedy and farce. some of the names suggesting themselves are tlmse of EiNard Harrigan. NVilliatii 11. Crane, Neil Bur to,,, Henry E. Dixey, and Francis \Vil-on. Of the talented and accomplished women who have graced the stage, Charlotte Cushman was still the foremost a halt-century ago. .kniong the imot noted have been .NIrs. Anne Gilbert, 11,1 at her eightieth Lirthday t in I 1.101 ) was still playing: Elizabeth Crocker Bowers, :\laggie Alatilda Heron, Laura '11.otta" Crabtree, Coehlan, Clara 1\lorris, 1)avenport. Mary Anderson, .kda Behan, Alinnie :\laddern l'iske. Annie litissell, Julia Alarlowe, Mr,. Leslie Carter, and :Maude Adams. A con tinually increasing number of well-known for eign actors and actresses have made _kmerican tours; some of thou, like .ladartie Jaitau,chek and the late Dion Bow:iv:lull, the playwright, hate remained in thi- country.