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Play List: 4. Corinne 7. The Mormons 9. Lucy Brandon 10. Storm-Beaten 11. Lady Clare 13. Bachelors 14. Constance 15. Lottie 16. Agnes 17. Alone in London 18. Sophia 19. Fascination 20. The Blue Bells of Scotland 21. Partners 24. Angelina! 25. The Old Home 26. A Man’s Shadow 27. Theodora 29. Clarissa 30. Miss Tomboy 32. Sweet Nancy 33. The English Rose 36. Marmion 37. The Gifted Lady 38. The Trumpet Call 39. Squire Kate 40. The White Rose 42. The Black Domino 44. The Charlatan 45. Dick Sheridan 47. Lady Gladys 48. The Strange Adventures of Miss Brown 49. The Romance of the Shopwalker 52. Two Little Maids from School ___ |
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ROBERT WILLIAMS BUCHANAN (1841 - 1901) |
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THEATRE REVIEWS 18. Sophia (1886) - continued
Buxton Herald and Gazette of Fashion (5 May 1886 - p.2) LONDON LETTER. . . . Robert Buchanan has, at last, arrived nearer success as a dramatist than he ever did before in his play founded upon Tom Jones, and called “Sophia.” That is to say, the public regard it favourably, and are filling the house. The critics are more qualified in their praise. There may be good reasons for the undoubted prejudice entertained by these gentlemen against the versatile poet, novelist, and dramatist, but it is enough that it seems to exist, and that he is estimated much lower by London critics than in America. The chief fault found with his last play is that it is part Sheridan, part Fielding, and part Buchanan. On the first presentation of the piece wags in the stalls, when there was a shout for “Buchanan,” cried “Sheridan” and “Fielding.” The average playgoer is these days does not care a rush about a matter of this kind. It matters nothing to them if the book called “Tom Jones” has been drawn upon, for very few of the present generation have read it. Meanwhile the treasury receipts are very satisfactory criticisms indeed. Apropos of theatricals, let me give an instance of the almost fabulous money made by successful theatre running. A lady, who is a most indifferent actress, but whose name draws, has just returned from tour. In seven weeks the profits to her account, after all expenses were paid, in the provinces, amounted to over £2000. ___
St. Stephen’s Review (22 May, 1886 - p.18) Sophia, at the Vaudeville, is a tremendous success, and is the best genuine comedy that has been produced for many years. It is likely enough that had Sheridan never written the School for Scandal Mr. Buchanan would not have succeeded so completely with his characters of “Tom Jones” and “Blifil;” but then Sheridan himself is said to have drawn from Fielding’s work the inspiration which produced “Charles” and “Joseph Surface.” It is rarely indeed that a novel has been dramatized with such satisfactory results as in the case of Sophia, for the whole underlying motif of “Tom Jones” is preserved, the coarseness only being eliminated. On one point Mr. Buchanan has been unduly squeamish; there is really no occasion to make “Lady Bellaston” anxious to marry “Tom.” Miss Kate Rorke is absolutely perfect in her interpretation of the title-rôle, and her parting with “Tom” at the end of the first act, also her denunciation of him at the end of the third act, are so true to nature that even the most hardened playgoer for the moment forgets that this is merely a play. Miss Helen Forsyth as “Molly Seagrim” has created a wonderful character part, which should be as famous as that of “Belinda” in Our Boys, so long the joy of this same stage. All the other characters are admirably sustained, as has been stated before in these columns. I merely want now to reiterate the fact that Sophia is a good enough play to delight anybody. ___
The Era (12 June, 1886) “SOPHIA” AT THE VAUDEVILLE. Tom Jones .......................... Mr CHARLES GLENNEY About the attractiveness of Mr Robert Buchanan’s adaptation of Fielding’s “Tom Jones,” properly described as the greatest work of our first and greatest satirical novelist, there is no dispute, and adaptor and manager have since the first night of production found gratification, not alone in the presence of good audiences, but in the evident appreciation with which the representation of the comedy has been received. It is claimed for “Tom Jones” that, despite a certain taint, which is coarseness rather than immorality, it has gained its immortality as a work of art, because it is fundamentally right and pure in its pictures of human nature, and certainly we must admit the claim to credit put forward for the fact that care has been taken to select only for stage purposes what is perfectly stainless and void of offence. What if the hero has been morally whitewashed? He is still, as we have before remarked, a real flesh and blood hero, full of life and full of vigour, and not the less interesting because his virtues are made more prominent than his vices. Mr Buchanan very neatly in eight lines summed up the story he had to tell— You guess, from this, Love is to-day our theme? Mr Buchanan is no mere scissors and paste adaptor, and while readily admitting his claim to have furnished for the greater part the leading situations and the dialogue, which is of excellent quality, we would, with him, ask the hypocritical and those to whom the name of Bowdler is hateful to Remember, modes of speech have now grown nicer; To the excellent acting of those engaged in the representation we have already done some justice, but not full justice, and a second interview with Sophia induces us to give it further attention. Courtesy compels and inclination leads, and so we give first place to ___
The Era (10 July, 1886 - p.8) MR LESTER WALLACK, of Wallack’s Theatre, New York, has arranged for the production early in the autumn season of Mr Robert Buchanan’s comedy Sophia. The part of Tom Jones will be sustained by Mr Kyrle Bellew, and Mr Charles Groves has been specially engaged to create the part of Partridge in America. The comedy will be played for the 100th time at the Vaudeville on Saturday next. . . . The first provincial tour of Mr Robert Buchanan’s successful Vaudeville comedy Sophia will commence at the Prince of Wales’s Theatre, Birmingham, September 6th. A first-class company has been engaged, and the piece will be rehearsed under the personal superintendance of Mr Thomas Thorne. ___
The New York Times (26 July, 1886) I cannot say that I was carried away by “Sophia,” which is close upon its one hundredth performance at the Vaudeville Theatre—the theatre of long “runs,” where “Our Boys” ran I forget how many years, and pieces that are withdrawn less than six months after production are regarded as having died in their infancy. The Vaudeville, nevertheless, is filled nightly by people anxious to see “Sophia,” and as the taste of English-speaking audiences the world over is not vastly dissimilar, I presume that the piece, which is soon to be exported to America—like “Jim the Penman,” by the way—will prove as remunerative across the Atlantic as it is here. “Sophia” is founded upon Fielding’s “Tom Jones,” and Mr. Robert Buchanan, the author of the play, gives credit to the English author for the parentage of the work. I have heard some English writers declare that Mr. Buchanan was unwise in acknowledging his indebtedness to Fielding, on the ground that his achievement was sufficiently “strong” to require no assistance. I beg to differ from these gentlemen, and to express the belief that Mr. Buchanan acted with praiseworthy shrewdness as well as with honesty in placing under the protection of a great literary memory a number of characters and incidents that a modern audience would often be tempted to weary of and laugh at. There is no little of what Mr. Daly would call human interest in “Sophia,” and women will sympathize with the much-persecuted hero, and wait to see how he will escape from the sea of troubles whose waves he buffets for a pretty long evening, but the goody-goody personages, the old-fashioned garrulity, and the wildly improbable episodes are tolerably trying to an auditor that does not promptly get into the atmosphere and spirit of the piece. The name of Fielding, however, covers a multitude of sins, and he that cares to read “Tom Jones” may experience a kindred enjoyment in witnessing “Sophia.” The rôle of Tom Jones is sustained at the Vaudeville, in a simple and manly fashion, by Mr. Charles Glenny. I learn that it is to be intrusted in the United States to Mr. Kyrle Bellew. I should have mentioned that “Sophia” is intended for Wallack’s Theatre. Mr. Bellew’s craving for female sympathy, inordinate though it may be, is likely to be sated by the character’s multitudinous woes. Sophia finds a comely interpreter in Miss Sophie Larkin, and the “fine lady” of the olden time, with her airs and graces, and her brocade gowns and diminutive blackamoor, is pictured with delightful fidelity to the accepted type by Miss Rose Leclercq. The comic rôle of the piece, which has been more or less felicitously “written up” to meet the requirements of Mr. Thomas Thorne, the popular comedian and manager of the Vaudeville, is that of a barber that sticks to Tom Jones through thick and thin, and winds up his bachelor’s life by wooing and winning Honor, Sophia’s maid, and the dea ex machina, whose story rights all wrongs ere the final curtain falls. ___
The Stage (17 September, 1886 - p.15) EDINBURGH. ROYAL (Lessee, Mr. Cecil Beryl; Acting Manager, Mr. Walter Hatton).—Robert Buchanan’s successful adaptation of “Tom Jones,” entitled Sophia, as played by Mr. Thomas Thorne’s Co. compares favourably with most provincial performances. Mr. Frank K. Cooper as the modernised Tom Jones looks, acts, and speaks to the entire approbation of the audience. Mr. A. Harding as Blifil fills an ungrateful but colourless part with tact. Mr. (why not Squire?) Allworthy has an excellent exponent in Mr. William Holman; Mr. D. D. Betterton is sufficiently sententious as Tutor Square, while Mr. C. A. White, although noisy enough as Squire Western, can scarcely be said to be a complete exponent of the part. Mr. A. Wood is quite successful in imparting a delightful tinge of humour to his impersonation of Partridge, and his “next, please” never failed to draw a hearty laugh. Miss Lillian Gillmore, it is almost needless to say, with her charming manner and sweet face, is a most perfect Sophia. Miss Lilian Seccombe gives a piquant reading of the part of the little gipsy, Molly Seagrim; indeed, in its entirety, her impersonation could not have been surpassed. Miss Gladys Homfrey as Lady Bellaston is stately and reserved, as suits the lady of fashion, and Miss Carbury is charmingly neat and spirited as Honour. The scenery is excellent, and the costumes are thoroughly creditable. Miss Fannie Leslie next week. ___
The Standard (11 October, 1886 - p.3) At the Vaudeville, Mr. Robert Buchanan’s Sophia, which purports to be an adaptation of “Tom Jones,” was revived on Saturday evening, after having been for a time withdrawn to make way for The Road to Ruin. Mr. Buchanan’s perversion of the famous book cannot possibly be acceptable to those who appreciate Fielding’s work. In the adaptor’s hands the wit and power of the great novelist, the vigour and truth of his studies of human nature, entirely disappear, and there is nothing left but a commonplace and conventional play. But there are many persons to whom plays of this sort are welcome, and who, knowing nothing of the original, will not feel indignant at the playwright’s presumption in putting his own poor talk into the mouths of the personages upon whom he has laid violent hands. Had Mr. Buchanan acknowledged indebtedness to Fielding, and refrained from vulgarising the familiar names, he would not be open to the reproof which all who respect literature must feel that he deserves. The piece, however, appears to have been sufficiently successful to induce Mr. Thorne to revive it, and it was very well received. The new cast differs from the former in only one important particular. Mr. Glenny, the original representative of Tom Jones—of Mr. Buchanan’s Tom Jones, it must be understood—is now engaged at another theatre, and Mr. Charles Warner has succeeded to the part. He plays in highly effective fashion, and will doubtless ensure for the revival such success as can be gained by a popular hero. Mr. Thorne’s careful study of Tom Jones’s faithful friend remains one of the most welcome features of the work. Mr. Royce Carleton and Mr. Gilbert Farquhar give able and well considered performances of a base and treacherous hypocrite, and a kindly and benevolent old gentleman, called respectively Blifil and Mr. Alworthy. Miss Kate Rorke is a charming heroine, Miss Forsyth a bright and impulsive rustic, and Miss Lottie Venne a vivacious lady’s maid. Miss Larkin plays an old maid of severe aspect, and Miss Carlotta Leclercq exhibits the airs of a vicious woman of rank. ___
The Stage (15 October, 1886 - p.13) Robert Buchanan’s adaptation of Fielding’s “Tom Jones” was revived very successfully at the Vaudeville Theatre on Saturday evening. Although Sophia has many faults as a play, and although it is an adaptation which is most satisfactory to those least acquainted with Fielding’s novel, it interests and pleases the ordinary spectator. The chief alteration in the cast was the substitution of Mr. Charles Warner for Mr. Charles Glenney in the part of Tom Jones. Mr. Warner cannot by any means be accepted as an ideal embodiment of Fielding’s hero; he is either too melodramatic or too farcical, as the fancy moves him, but the audience seem to appreciate his rendering of the character. Miss Helen Forsyth as Molly Seagrim and Mr. Thomas Thorne as Partridge once more successfully resume their admirable impersonations. The remainder of the cast, which includes Miss Kate Rorke as the heroine, Mr. Royce Carleton as Blifil, Mr. Gilbert Farquhar as Allworthy, Mr. Fuller Mellish as Seagrim, Miss Rose Leclercq as Lady Bellaston, Miss Sophie Larkin as Miss Western, Mr. Fred Thorne as Squire Western, and Miss Lottie Venne as Honour, is substantially the same as in the original production of Mr. Buchanan’s adaptation. ___
The Athenæum (16 October, 1886 - No. 3077, p.509) DRAMA THE WEEK. VAUDEVILLE.—Revival of ‘Sophia,’ a Comedy in Four Acts, UPON its revival at the Vaudeville, whence it had been temporarily withdrawn, ‘Sophia,’ Mr. Buchanan’s adaptation from ‘Tom Jones,’ proves as amusing as before. That all that is characteristic in the novel should disappear was inevitable. It is no more easy to bring within the focus of the stage what is comic in the views of Mr. Square than what is unconventional in the adventures of Tom Jones. The slightest infusion of caricature is fatal to characters such as Squire Western and Molly Seagrim, which are drawn with all conceivable breadth, yet caricature in a stage presentation is all but inevitable. Those characters meanwhile in which excess of colour can be avoided become merely conventional. What is required of the playgoer is to accept the intention of the dramatist, and before all things not to fortify himself for the spectacle by a reperusal of ‘Tom Jones.’ Mr. Buchanan does not advance ‘Sophia’ as by Fielding, and there is no need to regard it as such. It has just as much of Fielding as adaptations of Scott and Dickens have of those writers, and is in its way better than most of these. Regarded in this light it is an entertaining piece, a little abrupt in transitions and, so to speak, jerky, but capable of furnishing much amusement. The performance is easier than when first seen, but more modern. One or two presentations, notably the Miss Western of Miss Larkin, are not to be told from other performances of the same actors in farcical comedy. On the other hand some of the personages have a distinct identity. Mr. Thorne’s Partridge is a humorous conception, the comic aspects being heightened by some quiet tenderness; Mr. Farquhar shows well the feebleness and vacillation of Mr. Allworthy; Mr. Royce Carleton is sleek and dangerous as Blifil; and Mr. Charles Warner, who appears for the first time as Tom Jones, has earnestness and animal spirits that are infectious, and is so amused at his own indiscretions it is difficult for Sophia to visit with stern condemnation what sits so lightly upon his spirits. Miss Kate Rorke is natural and sympathetic as the heroine; Miss Forsyth shows the attractive and bucolic aspects of Molly Seagrim—more she is not allowed to show; Miss Lottie Venne is fantastically loyal to her mistress as Mrs. Honour; and Miss Rose Leclercq acts in a spirit of genuine comedy as Lady Bellaston. ___
The Illustrated London News (16 October, 1886 - p.6) THE PLAYHOUSES. Few who have not experienced the difficulty that attends the manufacture of plays out of novels can appreciate the rare cleverness of Robert Buchanan’s “Sophia.” For years it has been held that Fielding’s “Tom Jones” would never make a play. Those who proposed it were laughed to scorn. The indelicacy of the language, the license awarded to writers in Fielding’s time, the riskiness of the situations—all stood in the way of any dramatist anxious to winnow the wheat from the chaff. But, behold! “Tom Jones” has been turned into a very good and highly moral play, without one word or situation in it that could offend the prudish or censorious. The revival of “Sophia” at the Vaudeville is well timed, for we want some counteracting influence in the shape of a strong manly play to the pretty effeminacy of so-called comic operas. It is refreshing to see a strong indignant man thrashing a coward, and hypocrisy falling under the lash of indignation, in these days of finnicking man-millinery, when the greater portion of the stage is occupied with crowds of vacant-looking girls in the gayest and richest of costumes. Squire Western’s tongue has been cleansed, it is true; Lady Bellaston’s eccentricities have been toned down; the escapades of Mr. Ephraim Square and Molly Seagrim have been spared us; Mr. Jones and Blifil have been Bowdlerised almost as much as the new child’s “Robinson Crusoe.” But for all that the whiff of diluted Fielding comes fresh and sweet after the stale musk and patchouli of the petticoat drama. The only strong fault I have to find with the general representation of “Sophia” is the occasional inability of the actors and actresses of the various parts to get into the spirit of the age depicted on the stage. The language may be Fielding’s, but the acting is decidedly modern. They wear old-fashioned clothes, but they talk with the twang of to-day. It is only possible to express exactly what I mean by comparison. When they played “Olivia,” both at the Court and at the Lyceum, I really do think that we were irresistibly transported to the village of Wakefield in the days of Oliver Goldsmith. There was no suggestion of the modern Strand in the picture presented to us. It was not only the language adopted, or the scenery employed, or the spinet in the corner, or the old clock on the stairs. We were conveyed by the playing into the days of our great grandmothers, and it gave to the play a great and very decided charm. Now, as a rule, this is not done at the Vaudeville: it is not so much done as it was at the outset. The actors and actresses are not so impregnated with or steeped in Henry Fielding as the others were with Goldsmith. The play goes with spirit, certainly; but it requires tone and distinction. Occasionally, but very rarely, one gets a whiff of Fielding. Certainly we do in the scene between Molly Seagrim and Blifil—characters admirably played and understood by Miss Kate Forsyth and Mr. Royce Carleton. Miss Forsyth’s performance is genuine comedy; there is no modern manner here. The actress becomes the good-hearted, trusting, romping, reckless poacher’s daughter, who admires a “fine figure of a man,” be he saint or sinner. Mr. Carleton also has made a clever and conscientious study of the time-serving Blifil. The small characters of Mr. Allworthy and of Lady Bellaston are also carefully and distinctly sketched by Mr. Gilbert Farquhar and Miss Rose Leclercq. The Sophia of Miss Kate Rorke could not fail to be a pretty performance; but I do not find any very special distinction in it. It is a pretty girl, for Miss Rorke is a pretty girl; but it is more Miss Kate Rorke than Sophia. In the same way, Miss Larkin is far more Miss Larkin than Miss Western. It must be funny, because Miss Larkin is funny. She cannot fail to make the audience laugh. But here, at least, was an opportunity for getting away from the oglings and the squirms of modern farcical comedy. Mr. Charles Warner keeps the play together with his determined spirit. He can be gay, and he can be tender also. He is manly and genuine. All he wants here is style. This would be a splendid, rattling, rollicking, impulsive, and impetuous bit of acting in a modern melodrama, where heroes have to jump off bridges in the Regent’s Park, or to apostrophize virtue on the Thames Embankment; but it is not quite “Tom Jones.” All that is wanted is a little study, for we know by his celebrated Coupeau that Mr. Charles Warner can become another man. Mr. Thomas Thorne’s Partridge continues to be what it was at the outset: a gently humorous and lovingly tender portraiture, one of the happiest features in the play. Let the actor, however, take care lest the applause given to points should interfere with the consistency and nature of the sketch. It is well to please the gallery, but not at the expense of the play. ___
The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News (16 October, 1886 - p.8) DRAMA. VAUDEVILLE THEATRE. THE run of Mr. Robert Buchanan’s Sophia, interrupted for some time by the revival of The Road to Ruin, is now resumed at the Vaudeville with more signs of complete popular success than were given by its first hundred nights. There is only one noteworthy change in the cast, but this is of no small importance, for it invests Mr. Buchanan’s Tom Jones with exactly the sympathetic interest needed by the scheme of the play. We say Mr. Buchanan’s Tom Jones advisedly, for the creation has little save the name in common with Fielding’s famous realistic hero. In his cheery recklessness, his generous faults, and his amicable weaknesses, he comes, perhaps, nearer to the novelist’s original than do the rest of the dramatis personæ. But to say this is to say very little, for as an adaptation Mr. Buchanan’s work is very wide of the mark indeed. Even by those whose recollection of Fielding’s full-blooded romance is of the vaguest, it will be felt that Sophia loses the spirit in modifying the substance. Indeed, it may well be doubted whether, without the labels attached to them by their borrowed nomenclature, such folk as the Squire Western and the partridge, the Molly Seagrim and the Lady Bellaston of the Vaudeville, would have been identified as the stage representatives of the figures in the novel. ___
Ally Sloper’s Half Holiday (23 October, 1886 - p.6) Sophia, Mr. Robert Buchanan’s clever dramatic version of Fielding’s Tom Jones, has been revived, according to promise, at the Vaudeville Theatre, and gives such evident pleasure nightly to a crowded audience that it would be safe to prophesy a fresh career of prosperity for the play. As is the case with all dramatised novels, Sophia will please those best who know their Fielding least. The hearty, energetic, full-blooded manner of Mr. Charles Warner no doubt helps the play along. If Mr. Warner is not Tom Jones, he is, at any rate, a very popular hero of a romance which shows the victory of virtue and manliness over hypocrisy and deceit. Seldom has Mr. Thorne done anything so well of recent days as partridge, the quaintly humorous and honestly affectionate old barber who follows his young master’s fortunes with such pertinacity and success. It is both tender and true. We cannot refrain from complimenting Mr. Gilbert Farquhar on his excellent acting as Mr. Allworthy. ___
The Portsmouth Evening News (2 November, 1886 - p.2) “SOPHIA.” Mr. Robert Buchanan, whose play “Sophia” was produced at the Theatre Royal last night, has the distinction of being the only dramatist who ever succeeded in making a presentable version for the stage of Fielding’s novel, “Tom Jones.” Other dramatists have tried it, but the difficulties presented by the character of the hero and the coarseness of the scenes proved insurmountable. But in “Sophia,” which is one of the most notable of recent London successes, and which is admirably played by the company now in Portsmouth, the characters and the incidents of the play have been judiciously toned down to suit the requirements of modern delicacy, and the result is a fresh and delightful comedy, no less remarkable for its exciting action than for its healthy moral tone. To secure this result, Mr. Buchanan has of course had to take great liberties with the famous work of fiction. The Tom Jones of the play is no wild, thoughtless rake, who makes us love him in spite of his abandoned character. He is transformed into a young gentleman who, though temporarily misunderstood, is of irreproachable conduct. His misfortunes have, in fact, something in them of modern melodrama, in which virtue if crushed during four acts, and comes out triumphantly in the fifth. Opinions may differ as to this being an improvement on the original, but it is certain that if Mr. Buchanan had put Fielding’s Tom Jones on the stage, the chord of dramatic sympathy between audience and players would never have been struck. The action of the comedy is as much Mr. Buchanan’s as Fielding’s. In the first act, for instance, Tom Jones’s relations with Molly Seagrim are simply those of charity. The second and third acts are taken up with comic scenes in partridge’s shop prior to Sophia’s flight from Blifil; and with Tom’s garret life in London while searching for Sophia and resisting the overtures of Lady Bellaston. Tom is made the prey of circumstances in this garret in a treble sense, for at one time he has Sophia’s maid in a cupboard, Lady Bellaston in one room, and Sophia in another, while Squire Western breaks into the apartment in search of a daughter. The consequent disclosures are very effective from a stage point of view. In the fourth act everything is put right in the Bull and Gate Inn, Holborn, where Blifil is unmasked, Lady Bellaston confounded, Tom Jones vindicated, and everything put in training for the reward of virtue. And if virtue is rewarded in the form of Tom Jones, we may smile, but we are forced to acknowledge the impossibility of any other dramatic presentment. Mr. Frank Cooper, an excellent player, long associated with Mr. Wilson Barrett, is Tom Jones, and although at the outset we don’t expect to meet with such a serious character, Mr. Cooper reconciles us to the change by his powerful acting. The changeable moods of this hero, who is transformed in a moment from rage to gentleness, from sullenness to brightness, from defiance to penitence, are depicted with great skill, and form one of the features of the comedy as played by Mr. Thorne’s company. Miss Lilian Gillmore makes a sweet and trustful Sophia, not without a fine spirit when circumstances are dead against her lover, but with all the trembling gentleness of Fielding’s exquisite creation. Along with Mr. Cooper and Miss Gillmore must be ranked Mr. A. Wood, whose powers as a comedian are shown to great advantage in his conception of Partridge, and Mr. C. A. White, who is a positively rampant Squire Western, making the stage redolent of roast beef and home-brewed ale, fox-hunting, and country dances the moment he sets foot on it. Blifil, in the hands of Mr. A. Harding, is duly execrated by the gallery; Miss Gladys Homfrey gives a finished rendering of Lady Bellaston; Miss Lilian Secombe’s Molly Seagrim is a clever bit of character acting; Miss Carbury is sufficiently pert as Honour, the maid; and the remaining characters are all efficiently represented. “Sophia” will be played each night this week, and is certainly something to be seen. ___
The New York Times (5 November, 1886) AMUSEMENTS. “SOPHIA” AT WALLACK’S When Mr. Robert Buchanan first conceived the idea of making a play out of “Tom Jones” he had undoubtedly read the book. The malicious insinuations to the contrary that found their way recently into English newspapers do not deserve consideration. The play called “Sophia” bears several marks of relationship to Fielding’s master work. Most of the characters bear names to be found in the novel, and the framework of the plot is very similar in both works. Tom Jones, in both, is a foundling befriended by Allworthy, loved by Sophia, wronged by Blifil, persecuted by Lady Bellaston, served by Partridge. But if Mr. Buchanan had seen fit to provide other names for his characters he would have given no offense, and might even have escaped a measure of critical censure. For besides the framework of the plot, which is not strikingly ingenious, and the names of the characters, there is little enough of Fielding in the play; not only is the frank indelicacy of that great genius very properly avoided, but the truth, the humor, and the humanity of “Tom Jones” are very faintly reflected in the play, so that Mr. Buchanan’s announcement of his indebtedness to Fielding might suggest, to a cynical person, that he sought to bolster up his own literary reputation by coupling it with the immortal Fielding’s. ___
The Pall Mall Gazette (30 November, 1886 - p.3) It appears that the English cemetery at Lisbon is in a state of disgraceful neglect. Here, as every one knows, Henry Fielding is buried, and here, as every one does not know, “cartloads of the bones of British soldiers,” collected from the battlefields of the Peninsular War, were deposited after 1810. The tomb of Fielding, so a recent visitor writes to the Times, is entirely overgrown, and even the inscription is in places obliterated. This is certainly not as it should be, and if the English residents in Lisbon have not sufficient patriotic piety to tend Fielding’s tomb it devolves on literary England to see that it be rescued from its present state of neglect. Might not Mr. Robert Buchanan at once advertise “Sophia” and express his gratitude toward Fielding by trimming and whitewashing his monument as he has trimmed and whitewashed “Tom Jones”? It would be a graceful act of expiation. [Note: This item was reprinted in The New York Times on 19th December, 1886.] ___
Penny Illustrated Paper (11 December, 1886) THE SHOWMAN LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,— |
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[click the picture for the complete illustration]
The Standard (28 December, 1886 - p.2) VAUDEVILLE. On literary grounds the success of Sophia at the Vaudeville is not altogether a cause for congratulation. That Mr. Robert Buchanan’s maltreatment of Fielding’s famous book should have been accepted by playgoers proves too surely that the great novelist’s work can be little known, for students of Fielding, to whom his characters must of necessity be living realities, could not patiently endure the perversions of them which the playwright has taken the liberty of labelling with names most unwarrantably seized. Yet there is a strength in Fielding’s story which the adaptor has not been able entirely to blur; something of the original is retained, a semblance of the humanity which in the historian of “Tom Jones” was so vivid and powerful, and the fact remains that the piece has been acted nearly two hundred times. The explanation can only be that a large section of playgoers are ignorant of Fielding. Tom Jones is to them merely a light-hearted young fellow in love with a charming girl, persecuted by an extravagant species of Joseph Surface, and befriended by a droll friend in humble life. Here is material for an effective drama. Doubtless the success of Sophia is mainly owing to the ability with which the parts are filled. Miss Kate Rorke makes a delightful heroine, and Miss Forsyth a very piquant rustic—called Molly Seagrim, but bearing not the faintest resemblance to the original. Mr. Thorne’s Barber is found to be extremely diverting; and skill is exhibited by the representatives of other parts, Mr. Leonard Boyne, who has lately assumed the character called Tom Jones, Messrs. Royce Carleton, Gilbert Farquhar, Miss Lottie Venne, and the rest. ___
The Morning Post (10 January, 1887 - p.2) The two hundredth representation of “Sophia” at the Vaudeville will be given on Saturday evening. ___
Programme for the 200th performance of Sophia at the Vaudeville Theatre 15th January, 1887: |
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The West Australian (15 January, 1887 - p.6) STRAY NOTES. Curious unrehearsed scenes are often enacted in our theatres, and the stage is not always the place on which they occur. Some little amusement was created amongst the audience in the pit at the Vaudeville Theatre, London, lately. During Lady Bellastone’s love scene with Tom Jones in the third act of “Sophia” a lady rose from her seat, and, being carried away by the acting, in a most excited manner screamed out, “You old cat.” The accomplished actress, Miss Leclercq, did not resent the remark, but afterwards expressed herself highly pleased at what she considered was a high compliment to her acting. |
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[Three posters for the touring production of Sophia at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, 21st March, 1887, courtesy of the National Library of Scotland.]
The Edinburgh Evening News (22 March, 1887 - p.2) “SOPHIA” AT THE LYCEUM THEATRE. In dramatising Fielding’s novel, Mr Buchanan was compelled to Bowdlerise to an extent which almost completely transforms the hero of the original. Considering the difficulties in his way, Mr Buchanan has shown no little skill in weaving his plot and sketching his characters. Dramatically its main fault consists in a certain crudity and hurriedness of action at the close. The piece last night was in competent hands. Mr Brodie was successful in the earlier scenes, but fell off slightly as the play went on, through the natural mistake of conceiving an 18th century character on the lines of a modern melodrama. As Sophia, Miss Millett was highly effective, only requiring, in order to be flawless in her part, to guard against elocutionary mannerism. Mr Edgar as Partridge imparted to the character a number of subtle touches. He was successful in distinguishing between comedy and farce in his reading of his part. A good piece of acting was also witnessed in the part of Molly Seagrim, undertaken by Miss Caldwell. The other characters were also well sustained, particularly the insignificant part of the poacher, which, as played last night, was a capital piece of acting. There was a good and enthusiastic house. ___
The Illustrated London News (16 April, 1887 - p.6) THE PLAYHOUSES. Easter so far has been dull enough in the way of actual novelty. Holiday audiences have assembled to see plays for the most part well worn, and must wait until London has settled down to work again before any excitement prevails in the theatrical world. True it is a novelty—but not wholly without precedent—to see a pantomime revived on Easter eve, and to mingle the jokes of clown and pantaloon with spring flowers, sunshine, and singing birds; but, apart from that, the theatres have kept on the even course of success, and have now little to do but to sail pleasantly along until the warm summer weather makes playing impossible. A short poetical play by Mr. Robert Buchanan at the Vaudeville, called “A Dark Night’s Bridal,” does not need any very elaborate comment. It singularly failed in attraction, not so much from want of skill in composition as from the deplorably modern manner, that, apparently, is resolved to strangle the poetical drama in its birth. Miss Kate Rorke and Mr. Fuller Mellish are both clever artists in their own line, but that line is certainly not imagination or fancy. But how can it be otherwise? The modern young man and the modern young lady have been reared on farcical comedy or realistic drama. They were never trained on Shakspeare or nursed on the elder dramatists. The modern tone, the modern manner, the modern pronunciation, the modern speech, are hopelessly inapplicable to plays of fancy, or to dramas with any flavour of poetry in them. So Mr. Buchanan’s play missed its mark, for the audience could not, from the manner in which it was acted, decided if they were seeing a serious drama or a roaring farce, whether it was an imitation of Sheridan Knowles or W. S. Gilbert. Out of half-a-dozen critics, three voted it was a satire and the other three a poem. However, the uncertainty that prevailed concerning the little play does not interfere with the success of “Sophia,” which is at once the best acted and the most interesting play to be now seen in London. The Tom Jones of Mr. Leonard Boyne is an excellent performance, thoughtful, well-considered, and picturesque. The young actor is full of fervour, his power and passion are well under control, and there is thought in all his work. When he makes love, he shows the audience that his heart is in his work, and does not seem to say, as so many of his companions do, “Never mind the love-scene, do look and see what a pretty fellow I am.” When Mr. Boyne is engaged in a love-scene, he is not posing for a photographer or for a book of beauty, but his thoughts are engaged on the object of his devotion, not on himself. The happy result of such earnestness is that the play goes better than it ever did before. Mr. Thorne’s Partridge is another capital performance; and it is a treat to see the bright eyes and natural rustic manner of Miss Forsyth as Molly Seagrim. |
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[Cover of the programme for the 350th performance of Sophia on Wednesday, June 15th, 1887,
The Morning Post (20 September, 1887) VAUDEVILLE THEATRE. A cordial welcome awaited Mr. Thomas Thorne and his company last night, when, for the four hundredth time, Mr. Robert Buchanan’s bright and thoroughly English play, “Sophia,” was performed. Never were the madcap freaks and faithful devotion of Tom Jones, the knaveries of Blifil, the humours of the Squire, and the constant love of his beauteous daughter better appreciated, for never were they portrayed with more spirit. Mr. Thomas Thorne has improved if it were possible, the admirable study of character presented by his Partridge many little touches of homely pathos, his impersonation of the worthy barber and phlebotomist remaining one of the most effective of his creations. Mr. Leonard Boyne, who succeeded Mr. Charles Warner some time since as Tom Jones, acted with a natural dignity and manly force, which contrasted well with the cunning malice, and smooth-tongued hypocrisy of Blifil, played with well-judged coolness and effrontery by Mr. Royce Carleton. Squire Western and Mr. Allworthy found efficient representatives in Mr. Fred Thorne and Mr. Gilbert Farquhar, George Seagrim and Square being safe in the hands of Mr. J. Wheatman and Mr. F. Grove. The ladies included in the cast are all excellent in their respective characters. The Sophia of Miss Kate Rorke lacks nothing of its old sweetness and grace, and it would be difficult to imagine a more delightfully piquant Honour than Miss Lottie Venne. Miss Sophie Larkin and Miss Rose Leclercq are also satisfactory as Miss Western and Lady Bellaston. Miss Maude Millett appeared for the first time as Molly Seagrim, and by her girlish innocence and rustic beauty made a charming little maid of the poacher’s daughter and achieved a distinct success. “Sophia” is one of the happiest of Mr. Buchanan’s efforts, the spirit of Fielding is impressed on every line, and within the limits of a four-act play the leading incidents of the novel are cleverly embodied. The revival was in every way a success, and “Sophia” will doubtless remain in the bill at the Vaudeville for many nights to come. ___
The Athenæum (24 September, 1887) VAUDEVILLE.—Revival of ‘Sophia,’ a Drama in Four Acts. . . . Whatever may be, from the standpoint of regard for Fielding, the shortcomings of ‘Sophia,’ the adaptation may at least claim to stir an amount of sympathy, interest, and amusement such as few pieces of recent birth have provoked. Played as it already has been four hundred times, it still, upon its revival at the Vaudeville, elicits from the audience a response that proves its appeal direct and irresistible. ‘Sophia’ has, in short, a breezy freshness and unconventionality that are no longer common. Its interest is direct, earnest, and human. Regarded as a rendering of the characters of ‘Tom Jones,’ the interpretation is open to objection. We are nevertheless glad to have a series of performances such as the Partridge of Mr. Thorne, which in ripening has greatly improved, the Tom Jones of Mr. Boyne, Mr. Farquhar’s Mr. Allworthy, Mr. Carleton’s Blifil, Miss Kate Rorke’s Sophia, Miss Venne’s Honour, Miss Rose Leclercq’s Lady Bellaston, and Miss Millett’s Molly Seagrim. ___
The Stage (30 September, 1887 - p.13) Mr. Thomas Thorne has purchased from Robert Buchanan the sole acting rights of Sophia in England, America, and the Colonies—a good bargain, for Sophia is a clever play, and will live. ___
The Theatre (New York) (24 October, 1887) NOTES FROM BOSTON. OCTOBER 21.—“Sophia” was produced for the first time in this city Monday night last at the Museum. It was originally produced at the Vaudeville Theatre, London, on April 12th, 1886, where it is still running. The play is founded on Fielding’s famous romance, “Tom Jones,” and its author, Mr. Robert Buchanan, well deserves the lavish praises of the English press if its reception here is construed into a likemindedness in matters dramatic. With singular strength does his treatment of a morally dangerous work appeal to the refined taste. That his imitators have lately obtained evanescent notoriety in the same field is established by the failure of the adaptations of “As in a Looking-Glass,” which, aside from its inherent grossness, deserves no criticism. But “Tom Jones” contains elements which, in skillful hands, are dramatically transmissible. Mr. Buchanan has retained in each character thus treated all the original and abounding pictures of human nature, tenderness, beauty and purity invested therein by Fielding, without affecting or lessening their importance or relationship. The character of Sophia Western dominates the play, as it does the novel, and points the moral that adorns each with admirable force. The wholesome appreciation of these and other features of the novel, when joined to the adaptor’s personal ability as such, have produced in “Sophia” a drama that faithfully depicts the spirit, while it avoids the coarse suggestiveness of the former, and illustrates the force of his remark that, “ Tom Jones’ is great, not because of its uncleanness, but in spite of it.” ___
The Stage (28 October, 1887 - p.13) Mr. Thomas Thorne has purchased of Mr. Robert Buchanan, for a large sum of money, the sole rights of the very successful comedy Sophia. |
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[Advert for the final performance of Sophia at the Vaudeville from The Morning Post (9 November, 1887).]
From the chapter, ’The Boston Museum’ in The Dramatic Year 1887-1888, edited by Edward Fuller (Boston: Ticknor and Company, 1889 - p. 108-111). ... Having said this much, we pass on to a brief consideration of “Sophia.” This play, as every one knows, is a dramatization of Fielding’s novel, “Tom Jones.” We should like to write Fielding’s familiar novel; but we fear that the self-constituted censorship of morals at the Boston Public Library (and other similar institutions, no doubt) has made the epithet impossible. It is much safer to say of one of the most brilliant of English novelists what was once said with truth of the greatest of English dramatists—that every one talks about him and no one reads him. With that self-sufficient class of modern writers to whom Thackeray is already a barbarian, Fielding is a hissing and a byword. How much of the well- nigh utter neglect into which he has fallen is due to the rigid propriety of the age, we will not attempt in this place to discuss; but it may be remarked in passing that it is doubtful if we are so very much the superior of our ancestors in virtue, and that our rage is not so much against vice as against vice unadorned. Fielding is tabooed, but we do not find that “Ouida” is yet altogether a literary outcast. This is, however, somewhat aside from the question of the merits of Mr. Buchanan’s play, which can never for a moment raise any ethical suspicions in the mind of the most prudent. Mr. Buchanan has left us a hint of the fact that Tom Jones is a sad dog; but his specifications (outside of the Lady Bellaston incident) are so vague that they carry little positive conviction. Besides, Tom’s conduct toward Lady Bellaston is made on the whole so irreproachable, and his treatment of Molly Seagrim (another inconvenient episode) is so blameless, that he fairly poses throughout the play in an attitude not unbecoming the virtuous hero of melodrama. It is here, perhaps, that Mr. Buchanan has erred on the side of delicacy; though leaving the literary and taking the purely dramatic point of view, it is difficult to say what other course was open to him. It was obviously impossible that he should make Tom Jones all that Fielding made him; idealization was absolutely necessary; but at the same time the purifying process may possibly have been carried too far. We do not mean by this that we would have liked to see the play made coarse or vulgar; but there is always a danger to real strength and virility in the process of Bowdlerizing, and this danger Mr. Buchanan has not altogether escaped. But it would be unfair, on the other hand, not to recognize the fact that he has preserved the healthy, hearty atmosphere of the novel to a gratifying extent, and that he has left Tom Jones himself a good share of the essential manliness and honour with which his creator endowed him. It is upon Sophia Weston, however, that the interest of the play largely depends; Mr. Buchanan is entirely right in his assertion that that gracious figure “dominates his drama as it really dominates the novel.” There are few more lovable characters in all English fiction than she; we must come to Thackeray’s Laura Pendennis before we find one who can compare with her in maidenly faithfulness and purity. The blackness of the world around her only makes more radiant her whiteness of soul. This world of rakes of both sexes Mr. Buchanan has transferred from the novel to the play with admirable fidelity and discretion. Squire Weston, Lady Bellaston, Molly Seagrim, and Blifil step down from their eighteenth-century frames into our modern atmosphere, and give even the spectator who is unacquainted with his Fielding a taste of that master-spirit. And the far more genial figures of Allworthy and Partridge become once more vivid and instinct with life to the reader who cherishes for them an affectionate remembrance. ___
The Shields Daily Gazette: Literary Supplement (28 December, 1889 - p.5) . . . But instances in which a spectator has been so carried away by the feelings aroused and the interest excited by the play, as to loudly interrupt the performances with comic effect, are far from uncommon. The story of the medical student who shouted to the actors to support poor Juliet after she had taken the apparently fatal draught, while he would run for his stomach-pump, is well known. Not long since, during the performance of Mr. Robert Buchanan’s play of “Sophia” one night at Oldham, a very unexpected interruption occurred. In the course of the dialogue Tom Jones had said to Sophia Western, “I have nothing left to offer you—not even the hope of better days to come!” It happened that the landlady of this particular Tom Jones was among the audience, and the good woman was so carried away by the apparent reality of the scene, and by the pathos of her lodger, that loudly and shrilly she cried, “Never heed, lad! Thee has gotten a real good sooper waiting at home; thee bring t’wench wi’ thee!” The effect may be imagined. ___
The Theatre (1 January, 1890) [From ‘Our Amateurs’ Play-Box’.] There were just four reasons why the Hampstead Club should have tried their hands at Mr. Buchanan’s “Sophia,” and those four just outweighed the eight or ten others there were for leaving it alone. These latter lay in the peculiar unfitness of the club’s utility men to do anything beyond getting into the clothes of the characters of Fielding’s “Tom Jones;” getting into not wearing, be it observed; and in the case of an English classic this becomes a very important point, for it is nothing short of an artistic crime to despoil us of our fancies of Allworthy and Square and Seagrim, Supple and Corpse and Partridge, and try to have us believe they were mild-mannered gentlemen all of a pattern, all a wee bit frightened of lace ruffles, knee-breeches, and frilled shirts, and all with a spirit about equal to that of the clerical heroes of the much esteemed Miss Emma Jane Worboise. The Blifil too could never have taken in even the Hampstead version of his benefactor; and as Fielding insists so very strongly on the insinuating qualities of his double-distilled Joseph Surface, in addition to the others’ clearly defined qualities, one had to drop four-fifths of the players and concentrate one’s attention on the minority who composed the four reasons pro the play. Mr. H. W. Preston is a talented actor, ingenious and finished in character parts, but a little out of his element as a hero; his Tom, however, was frank and honest, picturesque and interesting, and where he failed to move his audience it was as much their fault as his. Mr. Morton Henry was quite as highly coloured as Squire Western as was Mr. Fred Thorne, and the amateur had the advantage of knowing how to tone down some of the coarseness. Miss K. Sinclair gave us a portrait of Molly in all her simplicity and waywardness we wish never to see fade, and Mrs. Thompson in the gentler scenes of Sophia could scarcely have been excelled for charm and naturalness. These were the four by whose means the whole edifice was saved, and who won for the play a reception that would have delighted even Mr. Buchanan; but when next the Hampstead actors choose old comedy, let them keep a warier eye on the utility, or else engage Mr. Charles Harris to stage manage. ___
The Era (11 October, 1890 - p.9) THE BRITANNIA. Mr Allworthy .......................... Mr J. MUNRO If any of those who imagine that high-class comedy is very much above the heads of East-end playgoers have recently visited the vast establishment at Hoxton that recognises the rule of Mrs Sara Lane, they must have had their error corrected and their judgment convinced, for crowded audiences have by the deepest interest, interrupted only by the loudest of laughter, shown their keen and hearty appreciation of Mr Robert Buchanan’s Vaudeville piece, dramatised from Fielding’s celebrated novel “Tom Jones.” They have made quite a warm favourite of Partridge, and it is most likely that for some time to come his catch-phrase peculiar to the tonsorial calling, “Next, please,” will be often heard among the lively Hoxtonians. This Partridge has been very amusingly impersonated by Mr W. Gardiner, and the house has fairly roared itself hoarse in the garret scene, where he has been found at the washtub, this homely and familiar business of course telling splendidly with the lady patrons of the pit and gallery. Mrs Lane as Mistress Honor has given Mr Gardiner most useful and delightful support in the scene referred to, and in other passages of the play has scored successfully. The Tom Jones of Mr Algernon Syms has been manly and vigorous, and when Tom has “taken down a peg or two” the unscrupulous Blifil—capitally rendered by Mr W. Steadman—the spectators have cheered him to the echo. Mr. Steadman’s portraiture of the scoundrel is none the worse because built on the lines laid down by Mr Royce Carlton. As the irascible Squire Western—a part quite out of his line—Mr J. B. Howe has acted with much force, and a very respectable Mr Allworthy has been presented to the visitors by Mr J. Munro. Miss Oliph Webb’s Sophia, albeit a trifle hard, has commanded the good will of the audiences. Miss M. Griffith has given good treatment to the part of Lady Bellaston, and Miss M. Marshall has proved quite satisfactory as Molly Seagrim, whose soul hungers after golden bracelets and glittering “thingamies.” ___
The Morning Post (3 June, 1892 - p.5) VAUDEVILLE THEATRE. A special performance was given last night of Mr. Robert Buchanan’s “Sophia” by a number of Mr. Thomas Thorne’s friends as a mark of respect to that gentleman. It was quite an exceptional cast, some of the most popular performers of the day appearing in the play. Mr. Thomas Thorne himself played as the genial Partridge, a character in which he was very successful when the play was originally produced. He received an enthusiastic greeting from a large audience. Mr. Charles Warner, in his customary hearty style, played Tom Jones. Mr. Fred Thorne represented the boisterous Squire Western. Messrs. Blythe, Oswald Yorke, and Dodsworth also assisted in the masculine characters, and among the ladies were Miss Maude Millett, who played Sophia in her usual refined and graceful manner. The humour of Miss Sophie Larkin was an attractive feature, as was also that of Miss Kate Phillips, and the clever acting of Miss Helen Forsyth as Molly Seagrim was warmly appreciated. Mr. Thomas Thorne may be congratulated on this special performance, which greatly pleased the audience, and should he be disposed to revive the play for a time, most likely it would prove attractive, especially if it could be presented with such a cast as that of last night. ___
The Daily Telegraph (4 June, 1892 - p.3) VAUDEVILLE THEATRE. “Sophia,” Mr. Robert Buchanan’s stage version of Fielding’s immortal “Tom Jones,” is so unflaggingly entertaining a play that it was not surprising to find a delighted audience assembled at the Vaudeville Theatre on Thursday evening. The adapter certainly did his work in a rarely felicitous manner when he set himself to transfer to “the boards” the pretty, persecuted Sophia Western, the gallant scapegrace Tom Jones, the faithful barber and phlebotomist Partridge, the arch hypocrite Blifil, and all the rest of the amusing crew. As we all know, “Sophia” held the stage on the occasion of its original production for over a year. That lengthy career, however, has not dimmed its attractive qualities, to judge by the demeanour of those who answered Mr. Thomas Thorne’s call on Thursday, and renewed their acquaintance with the piece. Beyond all question, if the Vaudeville manager has set his mind on another revival, he could hardly hit upon a play more likely to take the taste of theatregoers during the remainder of the season. Thursday evening’s performance does not fall within the scope of ordinary criticism, for the representation was admittedly given at short notice by a company of actors who had one and all come forward rather as a compliment to an old and respected comrade than as a matter of everyday theatrical business. In spite of rapid rehearsal, however, the play went like clockwork from first to last. Mr. Charles Warner dropped into his original place again, and acted Tom Jones with that ease and conviction which seem never to fail him. Miss Maude Millett, who won her spurs, so to speak, in the provinces by her portrait of the distracted heroine, was at hand to take up the part once more, and to play it in a natural, consistent, and charming manner. So it was with the remainder of the cast. Mr. Thorne himself found no difficulty in returning to his old character, the amiable partridge, and in making the most of it; while the Squire Western of Mr. Fred Thorne, the Allworthy of Mr. J. S. Blythe, the Blifil of Mr. Oswald Yorke, and the Square of Mr. Dodsworth all fitted into the picture equally well. Miss Sophie Larkin, Miss Kate Phillips, and Miss Helen Vane lent excellent assistance; and Miss Helen Forsyth played Blifil’s rustic victim, Molly Seagrim, in every whit as fascinating a manner as she did formerly. In a word, “Sophia,” capitally presented as it was, gratified one and all. ___
The Times (7 June, 1892 - p.8) VAUDEVILLE THEATRE. In default of fresher attractions, Sophia has once more found its way into the Vaudeville programme. The revival comes, no doubt, a little earlier than would have been the case had fortune smiled upon Mr. Thomas Thorne’s recent experiments with new plays; but there can be no question as to the enduring qualities of this version of “Tom Jones,” in which Mr. Robert Buchanan is certainly seen at his best as an adapter. Sophia is one of the very few modern plays which can be seen again and again with pleasure, and in the present instance it is favoured with an exceptionally good cast. Mr. Charles Warner takes up the part of the brilliant scapegrace who yet with all faults, is so much more lovable than the immaculate heroes of modern melodrama. It is a part eminently suited to the actor’s robust and vigorous method, and although Mr. Warner could do with a little more verge and scope than is furnished by one of the smallest stages in London, he succeeds in winning a full measure of sympathy for his character. Miss Maude Millett brings her sympathetic manner to bear with excellent effect upon the engaging personality of Miss Sophia Western, while Mr. Fred Thorne and Miss Vane re-appear with undiminished success as the bluff Squire Western and the heartless woman of fashion, Lady Bellaston. Mr. Thomas Thorne is of course at home in his old part of Partridge. ___
The Era (1 December, 1894 - p.8) THE LYRIC, HAMMERSMITH. Mr Allworthy .......................... Mr J. P. DRYDEN There is a wide gap between the sensation and excitement of Human Nature and the subtle intriguing and fashionable corruption of Sophia. But the gap has been easily bridged by the Lyric company, who have this week given all-round performances of Mr Robert Buchanan’s successful dramatisation of Fielding’s immortal “Tom Jones.” Tuesday night’s representation being for the benefit of a local philanthropic institution, the house was packed in every part, even standing-room being at a premium; and the large audience seemed to thoroughly enjoy the working out of the interesting story. Tom Jones has an excellent representative in Mr Fred Maxwell, though his rendering is marred in places by over-accentuation. How the virtuous Hammersmithians roar with delight when Tom administers a richly-deserved thrashing to the hypocritical Blifil! That arch-humbug’s character is cleverly limned by Mr Walter McEwen, the dual-sided nature of the scamp being neatly indicated. Mr J. P. Dryden gives a sound rendition of the rôle of Mr Allworthy, Tom’s kind-hearted but deluded patron; and a good portrait of the rough-and-ready, wine-bibbing Squire Western is presented by Mr H. Ashford. Mr E. W. Royce makes a droll Partridge, with his everlasting Latin quotations, and the faithful village barber has been at one taken to the hearts of the Lyric patrons. Mr Edward Boddy invests the part of Square with the necessary oiliness of manner, and the character of poaching George Seagrim is powerfully treated by Mr H. Beaufort. A sweetly pathetic Sophia is Miss Amy McNeill, who has the house with her in her defence of Tom and defiance of Blifil. Miss E. Dowton makes a droll figure of that “giddy young thing” Miss Tabitha Western, and Mistress Honour has a pert and vivacious representative in Miss Phyllis Frayne. Miss Alice Ingram looks so well as Lady Bellaston, the woman of fashion, that one finds it difficult to account for Tom Jones’s invulnerability. Miss C. Nathalie impersonates the hoydenish Molly Seagrim with ability, and other parts are well looked after by Messrs E. A. Beamont, T. Sullivan, G. E. Edwards, E. Leslie, and Miss G. Hubbard. The comedy, which is carefully mounted, is preceded by the old farce The Area Belle, cast as follows: Pitcher, Mr H. Ashford; Tosser, Mr J. M. East; Walker Chalks, Mr E. Boddy; Mrs Croaker, Miss E. Dowton; Penelope, Miss Phyllis Frayne. ___
The Sketch (17 April, 1901 - p.35) MISS HELEN FORSYTH. The death of Miss Helen Forsyth at an early age will be regretted by those playgoers who remember the bright and beautiful young lady playing in comedy and drama up to a few years ago. Those, however, who know how deeply Miss Forsyth had suffered during the past few years from a lingering illness cannot but regard her death as a merciful release. Miss Forsyth was never what might be called a “leading” actress, but in certain ingénue and light-comedy characters she was artistic as well as charming. Her two best-known impersonations were the second heroine in Pettitt and Grundy’s strong Adelphi drama, “The Bells of Haslemere,” and Molly Seagrim, the fascinating young Gipsy in Mr. Robert Buchanan’s brilliant adaptation of “Tom Jones,” namely, “Sophia.” As Molly, poor Miss Forsyth showed a hitherto unexpected ability in what is professionally known as “character-acting.” |
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The Referee (27 January, 1907 - p.2) The Vaudeville Amateur Dramatic Club had possession of King’s Hall Theatre, Covent Garden, on Thursday, and for its 184th performance selected the late Mr. Robert Buchanan’s four-act comedy “Sophia,” adapted from Fielding’s novel “Tom Jones,” and originally produced at the Vaudeville Theatre as long ago as the early part of 1886, when Mr. Tom Thorne made a memorable hit by his impersonation of Partridge, the village barber and phlebotomist. The piece was a tall order for amateurs, but The Vaudeville Amateurs are practised hands, and have made wonderful strides since my acquaintance with them began many years since at Carter-street, Walworth, and at Such’s auction rooms off the Camberwell-road. They had boldly faced the difficulties of the Buchanan comedy and fairly well surmounted the lot. (I say Buchanan comedy because I remember the adapter, while acknowledging his indebtedness to the novelist, claimed that the greater part of his dialogue and the chief situations were his own.) And it will be remembered that towards the end with the most diverting business of the piece he has provided the “comedy of doors,” which certain superior people of the critical sort now pretend to despise. The large audience at King’s Hall on Thursday did not despise it, but laughed consumedly while Lady Bellaston and Sophia and Honour, her maid, were playing their pretty game of dodging one another in the garret where Tom Jones and the faithful partridge had found a lodging. There was plenty of laughter in the earlier scenes, and there was keen interest for the more serious passages of the play, with abundant sympathy for the hero and heroine in their distresses. The part of Tom Jones was entrusted to Mr. Herbert Walther, who bore himself bravely in the scenes with the contemptible Blifil, modestly under the advances of Lady Bellaston, and gallantly with Sophia. Mr. H. A. King was highly amusing as Partridge, the exploiter of Latin and lather. he was more expert with the former than with the latter, and I fancy would be somewhat dangerous if entrusted with a real razor. Mr. J. Alan Whitehead well brought out the benevolence of Mr. Allworthy, and Mr. T. Orton Roberts was duly bluff and blustering as Squire Western. Mr. R. Macdonald Hastings was so smug in the hypocrisy and rascality of Blifil that some present were filled with an unholy desire to kick him. Miss Florence Crundell made a sympathetic Sophia, Miss Lala Pelham a pert Honour, and Miss Sophie Parvin a duly affected Lady Bellaston. Other parts were capably handled by Messrs. C. Johnson, A. Carleton, A. O. Hytten, and J. C. Mason; Miss Violet Attwell, excellent as Molly Seagrim; and Mrs. H. Jennes, who caused much amusement as Miss Tabitha Western. The club has never given a more creditable show. The play, it should be said, was produced under the careful direction of Mr. Frank Harding. ___
The Manchester Courier (9 June, 1908 - p.6) MANCHESTER AMUSEMENTS. THEATRE ROYAL. “SOPHIA.” Mr Allworthy .......................... Mr. Charles Boult “Sophia,” Mr. Robert Buchanan’s adaptation of Henry Fielding’s novel, “Tom Jones,” is a play in four acts, in which the dramatist has allowed himself considerable latitude with the author’s work. The result, however, is not unpleasing from a dramatic point of view, and the piece was favourably received at the Theatre Royal last night. Mr. John Hart’s repertoire company give very capable interpretation to the striking scenes of which the play is composed. Mr. Ernest E. Norris appears with success as Tom Jones, and Miss Edith Coleman gives a pleasing study of the part of Sophia Western. Mr. Charles Boult is well suited with the character of Mr. Allworthy, and Mr. Fred A. Marston is a breezy, boisterous Squire Western. Mr. Edgar Stevenson as Blifil and Miss Lena Delphine as Mistress Honour are both good. ___
The Boston Globe (20 January, 1920 - p.4) “TOM JONES” ACTED Famous Old Drama Given Excellent COPLEY THEATRE—“Tom Jones,” romantic comedy in four acts by Robert Buchanan, based on the novel by Henry Fielding. The cast: Mistress Honour ....................... Ada Wingard The Jewett Players gave their first performance of “Tom Jones” last night to a large and interested audience, which showed its pleasure by frequent and hearty applause. |
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[Kate Rorke as Sophia.] _____
Next: Fascination (1887) Back to the Bibliography or the Plays
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