Irving, as Hamlet, "took his call" after the first act,
a man turned to his neighbour in the pit and said, "Can you tell me,
sir, does that young man appear much in this play?" His neighbour
informed him that Hamlet was rather largely concerned in the action,
whereupon the inquirer remarked, "Oh! Then I'm off!"]
[Footnote 4: If it be well done, it may remain highly effective in spite
of being discounted by previous knowledge. For instance, the clock-trick
in _Raffles_ was none the less amusing because every one was on the
look-out for it.]
[Footnote 5: The question whether it is ever politic for a playwright to
keep a secret from his audience is discussed elsewhere. What I have here
in mind is not an ordinary secret, but a more or less tricky effect of
surprise.]
[Footnote 6: The pleasure received from exceptionally good acting is, of
course, a different matter. I assume that the acting is merely competent
enough to pass muster without irritating us, and so distracting our
attention.
Pages:
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244