New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-10-26
A." THE MAN OF MANY FRIENDS AT WAL
LACKS AND AT BURROWS.

comedy Under the above title, OF foreign inpn7a
ton, was produced On Wednesday night for the first
time OF both Mr. WsDscks snc Mr. Byron the sters
or hese races for tt earliest robbery Of the s~est OF
other mems brains which reflect disgrace on the sh.r
sc.er Of the country and drama We are an~unhg on
th occssi IN to speak with the hafshDess suca pre-
dsory practices deserve, because they are III times
bopored custom here aud not peculiar 10 soy parucu-
lar tbea,er The custom no sever, wsre far more hon.
orec in the bre sch than the observance especially
VII. The spoil for which such eager race Is run, 70
ysueIess a. that produced lsst evening.
TIE plsy of " The Man OF Many Friends" wa.
colby received at WaIacks, and fully justified the
I'm syorsble decision expressed b. the good-nst1red
sil+poe Of a large and elegant sssemblAge. We do
not know the OF the author, aud We avoided the
inquiry let nj, BIT dersct from his reputation ia our
esuem IL he should be established in fame; and
beginner then that might judge bis mex: WORK
without prejudice. The comedy wa dull, heavy aud
eruelly Ieps Occasionally sparkle OF VIII a~' ke
rs. but only to reveal more clearly the dteanness
around. As there was rot tha sigh'es; uacs
of blot il would be imp 1ssible to describe 1t
Tbee wss q faint glimmsriog Of IN object which
ia n, old a. Moliere and somewhat better deSFi-
oped in Buiwers plsy of Money" doll-m.ksr
re,ires from illness his wealth attracts around him
a besrtJess crew of fashionables who borox his
money snd try to sedscs his wife; rs artructs frIood
IN ciculse the report tat mis- bake, has failed snd
.c.-ts them off with the tale OF ruin. Hat the piece
ended here it might have escaped severe notice, but
the sus,or does It let them 60, aod why they roman
nobody can conceive exceps it bs ~ make third
dresty act At the fall of tbs curzin tae piece Was
announced for repetition amid polite sieac' Nc.
Walcot PLAYED Peoples the dSll-maker, or rather we
NAV say. wsded through it with that yigor and
artistic dishpctpees which cheracterizes hts poo
traits; his performance was continuous repto4ch
on the author for not having given him so ne
thing better to do. Mu. Peoples was not to he
rss,.p,ed by all the eretgy OF ars Hoey. Brougaam
made AT admirable -ketch his own ous of some ms
,erss srpplied to him. but be ,ert.iny owed IS much
TO his xigmai or as to his dranaiist We remember
having seen Horace verDet, the psinter in a moment
ofnti.tic fol,c produce the head of snegro mracd-
lousy vigorous drawn the plaster Of wall, with
the gray and black ashes of cigar using the Gig .r as
hi, brush ana box OF red wsters, out OF which he
compounded the red for the lips and the voe, tins Of
the aesh IL such wis- we have seen scto p>sduce
characters whes the most meagec ste-as vera sup
Piled 10 them. The comedy was put upon the st,Ss
with al the elegance and good taste nth which al
that Mr. waIach undertakes Is done. We eyret that
il deserved it not
AtBuriot's this new candidate for drsm.ti' favor
was received witt fer more ch9e.y welcome; but the
recepton VISA mo- due to Mr. Burto1s person ioa o.
Peoples thsa TO asy intrinsic merit in tie piece. This
admirable artist can almost sDgieh Sno-d insure at
least far success 70 spy play 10 which he appears
Under tho cloak # els bloy snt humor be wraps up al
faults and CARES them CALAMITY through, never per-
hitting the audience q dull cyniJ moment to snayzs
and consemn. The character Of Pop ples Is qusnt,
curious piece Of porcelain, which we should fancy to
have been moro fitted TO the dry. hard humor OIL
Blackstone than the .;cA msgnf DOT mlIthfulneSs or
Burton Mr.. Burton always lays on his coorsg with
a bold broad brush, and require. genial chsrae-
ter which viii bear q lavish painting. PoPpes
is not such Still he perSons:ed tia part with sdmra-
be skill and in many iosta1ces with drlicate per
oep.on OF he nice aha, Of character deserving OF ali
praise The part OF Mrs. Martingse seemed built for
Mrs. Hug hes; and Ar. R.ialord, as tie Lincolnshire
cold friend" was highly csedita5le. Mr.. Jordan's
handsome preeence So OF tho ns pii sistocrst.
Sill be- or rather tie character he reprssentei, was
little exaggerated 1t is an old tradition of the stage,
and yery cssgreeable to- The Top o. reel life
is sufficiently oissustDe; bat tss stage f1p is unbe.r-
able The Honor able Arliogtoo Veneer u ole o. the
bIemishes of the piece. The mise en- 'cere, as the
stage appointments ere sbsurdly called, in the 6rst
act wa faul,es5. We tavv never seen moro I'D
mirs,, dIswiDgroom, and we must not forget TO
pay e passing compiim ant 10 large white psrro.
that old bis part 10 perfection. The Nan Of Many
Friends" es played at Burton's, was Success, if
spplsu=e may be oonsidered 10 make one-