New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-10-21
MISS LAURA KEENE'S THEATER.
MIR. TOM TAYLORS NEW PLAY" OUR
AMERICAN COUSIN"

AMERICAN COUSIN"
We have regard in these days of dramatic down.
fall for Mr.. Tom Taylor for the simple reason that
while moot modern paywrights bore US, and send w
yawning to our rest, honest Thomas invariably keeps
us awake and seldom sends us weeping to our beds.
Thomas is excellent in the construction OF play.
He has good notion of plot-he knows when to be
economical and when lavish Of interest-he can draw
character when somebody has told him what charac-
ter to drsw--.he writes the English language with
propriety. aud no heroine Of his says OH" when
she should say All" We are glad to say that his
plays are popular. Ii, by an nterpostion OF Divine
Providence he had only comet us lew years sooner,
how happy should we have been II he had only
ssved us from the Rev. James Sheridan Knowles, now
subsded A. he has into minister of the Baptist per-
snason II he had only saved US from" Yes,
Emma Ihav- sat in my boat, when midway DER the
&" lake the stars went out and down the mountain
george the wind came roaring; and as gust followed
% gust more furiously-as if to sweep me DER the
hond brink we should have been stu more
Obliged to him. II he had saved us from Miss Pauline
and Mr.. Melnotte and Richeleu, that nsuherabe old
bore; ard the bare-legged Metamora, and the
bare-backed Spartacus, We should have been
thrice obliged to him. lie came little late,
after We had been bored within inch OF our
lves and we thank him He is not profound, but, on
the other hand he is not pretentious. We lonS ago
babe farewell to all hope of seeing anything like real
nature upon the stage, but If must have dramatic
nature, we prefer Tom Taylor's. His heroes and
heroines are, perhaps, vertable human beings
as We hope to upon any stage. He is not out
rageous in his plots he is not incredible in his incl
dents he is emnenty virtuously and sweey respect
able. If be will but stick to his manufacture Of plays
and viii write no biographies Ike that OF BenI'
Hayden, Painter" be shall always be kindly men
toned in these columns In the construction OF Ills
little dramas suppose that he does no mortal any
harm, and may give to many mortals innocent smuse'
u,ent. Let him 90 on, by all manner of means
This new play of Mr.. Tom Taylor produced night or
two since at Laura Keenes Theater, seems TO nave
the proper number of viuous and vicious characters:
AL is correct The good are triumphant the w'ckea
are overthrown the funny folks have broad srn ~
the end ard when the curtain falls, al Is serene
should very much Ike 10 see one EnShsn coai0ay
without baropet, and we should very particularly
ike TO see a modern English comedy without oaf'
onet in distress The number Of English gentleman
and especially Of English bsronets who are IN d're''
st this moment upon the English stage, reay get
ting to be painful. The English baronet Aforesaid a.
we have noticed s usually bese by an English lawyer
who has found title-deed Of the most distressing In
pcrtarce, which will strip the English oaronet Oh Us
ancestral acres unless the daughter OF ths I'll sI'u
barUnet will marry an extremely dsssrees',e person,
and usually the person who found the deed iue'1
i. young officer who doe. not like the A~ye.' aaa
who does like the daughter OF the unfor'una''
baronet There is also lawyers clcrk OF tns NeN'
nan Nogss .pecie-, and who Is honest on 9'ou.o~
who has . paper which he has oo:sned " -
investigation Of his masters private csoInes' 40 w
ter what may be the difficulties in the way o' Que"
happy contamination, sore virsuous person ava.
obtains possession Of the deed. just As 'n' 1870.
bar opet is about to be led to the ocsoP' 9'a@o''
whisks the deed from hi. pocket, the lawyer as1'n'
fted, the daughter gives her hand 70 toe "aa ''t