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Story
March 18, 1908
Vernon County Censor
Viroqua, Vernon County, Wisconsin
What is this article about?
Theatre column discusses the enduring nature of good plays, citing Shakespeare and others, then promotes 'The Hidden Hand' as a realistic drama of Virginia folk, performing at the Opera House on March 25th.
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THEATRE TALK NO. 1.
WHEN HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW ANNOUNCED THAT "ART IS LONG AND TIME IS FLEETING" he could not have been thinking of dramatic art. The only successful plays made out of his works were made by other hands than his. But his statement, if in it he included dramatic art, is susceptible of mountains of proof.
GOOD PLAYS NEVER DIE.
PLAYS NEVER DIE. They go into states of coma, and suspended animation that lasts sometimes for years and sometimes for centuries, but if they are good plays they still live and make their appearance at the most unexpected times and under the most unusual circumstances.
IT IS POSSIBLE TO SEE ON THE STAGE TODAY PLAYS THAT WERE SEEN HUNDREDS OF YEARS AGO. All Shakespeare was acted before the death of its author. The plays of Marlow and Ben Jonson, Shakespeare's contemporaries, and of Beaumont and Fletcher, his predecessors, still hold the stage.
WITHIN LIMITS MORE CIRCUMSTANTIAL THAN THOSE THAT INCLUDE THE CENTURIES, IT IS POSSIBLE TO FIND PLAYS THAT HAVE LIVED LONG AND PROSPERED. "Richelieu," "The Lady of Lyons," "The Two Orphans," "Monte Cristo," "Uncle Tom's Cabin," who shall say that they have not proved their worth by long life.
THEN THERE "IS THE HIDDEN HAND", WHICH WILL BE SEEN IN TOWN BEFORE MANY DAYS, and which is one of the best of modern dramas. It has been played so often that it is hard to realize that it is not older than it is. It will not die, it has real human blood in its veins and cannot die.
"The Hidden Hand" is one of those successful dramas of the season, which in this day of froth and folly on the stage, affords an evening's entertainment which appeals to all lovers of all that is best in dramatic art. The piece is one of those dramatic stories in which the people portray a plain country folk, always so interesting when "The Hidden Hand" as it will be seen here, is said to be so realistic that one can almost imagine oneself sniffing the ozone of the Blue Ridge mountains, and listening to the quaint manners and speech of the people, both white and black of Old Virginia.
It is one of those NATURAL PLAYS THAT HAS NO WICKED WOMEN WITH PAINTED FACES AND WHITEWASHED CAREERS, no loathsome men of objectionable sins, nor any shocking episodes.
"Your Money's Worth or Your Money Back." USUAL PRICES WILL PREVAIL OPERA HOUSE MARCH 25TH
WHEN HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW ANNOUNCED THAT "ART IS LONG AND TIME IS FLEETING" he could not have been thinking of dramatic art. The only successful plays made out of his works were made by other hands than his. But his statement, if in it he included dramatic art, is susceptible of mountains of proof.
GOOD PLAYS NEVER DIE.
PLAYS NEVER DIE. They go into states of coma, and suspended animation that lasts sometimes for years and sometimes for centuries, but if they are good plays they still live and make their appearance at the most unexpected times and under the most unusual circumstances.
IT IS POSSIBLE TO SEE ON THE STAGE TODAY PLAYS THAT WERE SEEN HUNDREDS OF YEARS AGO. All Shakespeare was acted before the death of its author. The plays of Marlow and Ben Jonson, Shakespeare's contemporaries, and of Beaumont and Fletcher, his predecessors, still hold the stage.
WITHIN LIMITS MORE CIRCUMSTANTIAL THAN THOSE THAT INCLUDE THE CENTURIES, IT IS POSSIBLE TO FIND PLAYS THAT HAVE LIVED LONG AND PROSPERED. "Richelieu," "The Lady of Lyons," "The Two Orphans," "Monte Cristo," "Uncle Tom's Cabin," who shall say that they have not proved their worth by long life.
THEN THERE "IS THE HIDDEN HAND", WHICH WILL BE SEEN IN TOWN BEFORE MANY DAYS, and which is one of the best of modern dramas. It has been played so often that it is hard to realize that it is not older than it is. It will not die, it has real human blood in its veins and cannot die.
"The Hidden Hand" is one of those successful dramas of the season, which in this day of froth and folly on the stage, affords an evening's entertainment which appeals to all lovers of all that is best in dramatic art. The piece is one of those dramatic stories in which the people portray a plain country folk, always so interesting when "The Hidden Hand" as it will be seen here, is said to be so realistic that one can almost imagine oneself sniffing the ozone of the Blue Ridge mountains, and listening to the quaint manners and speech of the people, both white and black of Old Virginia.
It is one of those NATURAL PLAYS THAT HAS NO WICKED WOMEN WITH PAINTED FACES AND WHITEWASHED CAREERS, no loathsome men of objectionable sins, nor any shocking episodes.
"Your Money's Worth or Your Money Back." USUAL PRICES WILL PREVAIL OPERA HOUSE MARCH 25TH
What sub-type of article is it?
Historical Event
Curiosity
What themes does it cover?
Triumph
What keywords are associated?
Theatre Talk
Enduring Plays
Hidden Hand
Shakespeare
Virginia Folk
Opera House
What entities or persons were involved?
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Shakespeare
Marlow
Ben Jonson
Beaumont
Fletcher
Where did it happen?
Opera House, Town; Blue Ridge Mountains, Old Virginia
Story Details
Key Persons
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Shakespeare
Marlow
Ben Jonson
Beaumont
Fletcher
Location
Opera House, Town; Blue Ridge Mountains, Old Virginia
Event Date
March 25th
Story Details
Article argues good plays endure like Shakespeare and others, promotes 'The Hidden Hand' as realistic drama of Virginia folk without vice, upcoming at Opera House.