The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1859-12-03
THE CONTEMPORARIES or THE DRAMA..

| any time, and therefore are admissible al
the present moment. After the investment
offfty cents you pass the swinging door and
enter beneath the awful dome of ITALIA and
Melpomene, 1.-TWO mach vexed ladies.) The
first stereotyped conventianalism is the pun
gent, fruity, orangy, and nondescript flavor
which bslongs by time honored acknowl-
edgments to the Theatre. Closely allied to
tEisis the hazy, misty, paradoxical brillian-
cy which the gas lights possess; it may be
that this mental delusion is crea ton of
the brain, but be it what it may, it is no less
evident, halo of mystic brightness which
poetises the Temple Of the Muse. The first
flush of excitement attendant on getting
good place being over, land the pla y billfold
ed in the conventional and orthodox man
ner, the next unwavering, unchanging fea-
ture is the anxious, Indifferent, yet exciting
chattering which awaits the arrival of the
leader of the orchestra. Succeeding this
there is buzz,sa shifting of places, a soft
cough here and there, and then i rustic
of playbills, another set OF gentle coughs,
and amidst it all the tweeile dee, the TWAIN
TWAIN, the too too of the tuning of the instru-
ments, then pause, then stray fiddle, yet
in want Of aemi-tuning- pause-a
tap and then of they all 60 into some March
or. Aria, or Overture, or something with a
musical name, such as an andante move
ment, or fugal or a nocturne or which is
more probable, the overture to, William Tell.
But whatever may be the music which is
played, there is conyentionalisA which is
unflinching in its Characterization. Ora
matte Orchestral efforts are spasmodic;
they gasp, faint, roar, die, grunt and behave
altogether in very uncomfortable way, ac..
quiring fresh energy at sort of HALLWAY
house, only to break down, become weak,
have to be revived and wound up by des-
perate attack of chords and bugles, and sup
ported home by repeated bangs of the ket.
tie drum. just as the last bang has been
added to the previous one, and the music
brought in triumphant, there is tink lie,
tinkle, and that drapery which hides the
world of the stage from us slowly rises, and
inch by inch discloses, as did the "Open
Sesame Doors" to Mastapha, the treasured
secret of wealth, pleasure and profit.
Wehave not to dowith any one particular
story which may be therein evolved; but of
all, which for the nonce we will mass iat) one
impossible plot, but from which we shall pick
out some conventionalities which we cannot
explain, and dare not question 4 The piece
which is played (no matter wbat,) has a
villain Gall pieces haye) who is recognized
by three unalterable things, his boots, his
hair and his voice trhe first are large and
brilliant, the second long and black, and
the third, sepulchral and awful. With his
boots he stamps himself a very demon Of in
EQUITY; with his hair aud his voice he i'm
presses his amiable fsnds Of his implacable
I! Only listen to him,
why there is no merit in avoiding wicked
ness if it only wore boots like those, and
how could an amiable being have voice
like nutmeg Crater. All are, however, of
the same type, and would, if met in private
life, receive their just rewards, by boots pow
erful as their own. Modest, maidsnly merit
next claims Jour, conventional sympathies;
book muslin, a little straw hat, a small apron
and black silk mittens, are sure indices of the
virtue and deserving worth of the Drama.
The agsnies this tender child of virtue un-
dergoes; the storm which she is exposed to,
of the elements of her heartless relatives, of
the villain and her comic admirer, are heart
rending; yet she braves them, she passes
through them; aud at the end of many acts,
is rewarded with the man Of her choice, and
bows, in her white muslin, her thanks to
the good, kind audience, who have thun-
dered out the applause Of virtue, and worn
sticks and umbrellas down to the ferrules 10
praise of modest innocence. El7a5og.d.s 90 y
d That old gentleman with the cough and
the cane, how dare we approach him? is he
not bilious has he not lost his liver in Ju-
dea and his good temper elsewhere does he
not bully book muslin, brow-beat boots and
intimidate gentility with the dirty white kid
gloves. Why, Of course he does, and with
. impunity too, for of all convent ional tyrants
known or dreamed of, this cough and stick old
gentleman, is the greatest. The recipient Of
much of his splenetic humor, is the gentleman
with the dirty kid gloves, the compromise
betweena rake and dandy, a sloven and
! swell. He is the male sentimentalism of the
piece and is as full of morality as person of
such dignity of dress and appearance should
be; albeit, by conyentionalism he is guilty OF
such trifling solicisims as swearing and keep
ing his hat on in the presence of ladies.
The next who claims our. notice il heiantics
the puck, the trickey humorist, the comedy
character, whose humor breaks out in his
face which grows radiant with jest and fan
cy. Alas, our puck, our trickey fay is port
lv waiohs twa hundred ia In short large. his