New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1856-02-18

On Friday evening last, Mr.. J. Z. Murdoch now
playing an engagement at the st. Charles Theater
produced new piece-a grand, romantic, historical
tragedy-called Desoo, the hero Of the Mississippi"
intended to picture the Of that wonderful ad
venturcr. The play was repeated on Saturday even
ing. @.asa
Very wisely and thoughtfuly, the author has
omitted the Spanish preliminaries and transatlantic
chickering's which preceded the voyage and plungcdat
once in edia$ res. The first act presents an Amer
lean forest, rich and ripe with its garnture,
near the Spanish camp and gives us DeSoto, with
his band of adventurous pioneers. Close following
came The aborgines, ambushed and anxious to make
a prey of those who with more than Argonautie dar-
ing have yent,red to penetrate and explore their wild
homes
The second act introduces DeSoto amid the dscon-
tent Of his troops who, tired and weary of work
apparently as endless as that of Ison and as tanta
lzing that of sysiphus long for their sunny homes
by the banks of the Granddaughter, in the green fields
and sunny plains of Spain. Through the courage Of
the commander and the unalterng loyalty of his old,
tried and trusty comrades, the revolt is quclled and
the object Of the expedition followed up.
In the fifth act the Spanish represented estab-
fishing their claim to the great Father of Waters and
all lands watered by it-iilustating the grand nation
ington-wheren the bronzed features of those fine
old warriors whom no dangers could daunt no obsta-
ces intimdate stand out like breathing realities lit
up with some such light, affected by some such feel
ings as we imagine must have belonged to Balboa
when, with all his men, he looked down on the placid
waters of the Pacific from the heights of Darien
The second scene gives picture Of street in
the Indian capitol; presenting sort of village such
as would more appropriately have belonged to the
| subjects of Montezuma than to our own nomadic
people; although it is known that some tribes had
fixed habitations, and kind of rude habitation
constructed of logs and bark. Following comes the
preparation of the Indian warriors for batte-much
more noisy and uncouth than is generally described
by noveists, but in accordance with whatever of re-
atty has been afforded The next scene gives
the shadowy outlines of distant battle, which leads
the way to very fine picture Of the burning of an
Indian village, well painted, and, transparency,
highly credable to the artist who painted it. Out of
| it comes DeSoto, weary and wounded to death, but
still hravestil courageous and acknowledgements
ting the loss oliferegretting the end of his bright
career but with no womanish lamentations nor un-
manly regrets. The last and most effective point of
all is that which at the close and which closes
the piece-he burial of DeSoto copied to the letter
| from the painting in the rotlnda at Washington
hlIcE ltueulll,
the background, censers swinging and the priest
rayed in his robes, the body of the hero is put
boat and by his Borrowing comrades lowered into the
waves of that great stream which now bears on its
broad breast richer argosies than any of Jason, or
| those who sought the Golden Fleece. And the cur
| tain falls.
| Such is general outline of the most interesting
and novel picce-thc most striking American dra-
| matte production we have SEEM which is romantic
in its conception and execution in its whole history
and in all Of its bearings AS played at the ST. Charles
il was cast to Mr. Murdoch DeSoto Leonard az
Iuscaiuza Mark Smith as PorcaVo a Spanish veto
ran ; Mr.. Wright as Luis a soldier of fortune Mrs.
Gladstane as Utah. the supposed daughter of Tusca-
luza; and Mrs. Leonard as Chepa, the wife of dnas
co, captain in DeSoto's army, given to astrology.
| The prominent character is, of course, DeSoto, and
we are happy to be able to give the highest measure
of praise to the forchc yet subdued manner of its
| rendering. The defamation was clear though not
boisterous, and distinct without the sembance of eff
fort. Although laboring under the effects of severe
cold which, necessarily, abated something from the
effect of his delivery, Mr. Murdoch succeeded in
than meeting the expectations of the audience and in
giving that bright romantic, chivalrous tinge and col
oring to the character with which both history and
romance has invested it. His bearing was bold and
it like a burning gem.
The opposing character-that of 71Hcaiuzn-was
precisely its reverse strained stted boisterous and
unnatural like haltbreed, crazy with liquor and
possessed of devils It was q great exaggeration,
which does not so much need reform as an entire re-
modelling and gave such character to the earlier
Americans as would make them blush through their
copper skins 1t was moreover, mouthed in man
ncr which rendered it more than unintelgible. Mr..
Mark Smith, again, to bring up the tone of the per-
formancc, grand old soldier of the true Castian
blood and bearng-honest, hearty, sincere, earnest
and Truthful noble representation of noble fact.
Mr.. Wright did full justice to the unimportant char.
aeter of Luis.
The two female characters were Utah. Mrs Glad
stanc, and Chepita, Mrs. Leonard. Although the
performances of Mrs. Gladstane in other pieces had
prepared us to expect good rendering in whatever
she undertook yet we did not expect that, in char
acter like the present, which has so few models to
proceed upon, she would succeed in taking it out Of
the printed page and endowing it with so clear and
vivid a. reality--so true to life We are forced to
say that it satisfied all the requirements of the piece,
and kept in harmony, at the time, with all the
truth of nature.
Mrs. Leonards Chepita happily drawn and
correctly filled up, giving bright and pleasant tone to
those portions of the piece in which she appeared.
Some of the subordinate characters well rendered.
and confident that the rehearsal which led to SO
successful and satisfactory result, must have been
close and careful.
Whatever other things Mr.. Manager DeBar may
have to set down the credit debit side of his
account-St. Charles Theater with the city of New
Orleans and its inhabitans-ap large figure may
be put on the former page by reason of the play
of'' DeSoto the Hero of the Mississippi well writ
ten, well mounted and well played.
Useless Hope.
Much NEEDED REFORM.-A bill has been introduced into
the New York Legislature providing for registration of voters
in the city of New York The abuses of the electoral privilege
in that city for the want of such law, have for been
onerou We earnestly hope that the Legislature OF Iousana
during its session. will similar law hobile Ad
/ vertiser, 18TH
You hope in vain Mr. Advertiser, according to the
. hoct hov boan abl tn at Thp