New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-08-23
UALLACK'S THRATER.

This theater wss crowded Last evening with an
audieroe the most Of whom ere so intimately &C.
qusinted with plays and playere that peE dramatic
production could not pass more trying ordeal than
TO stand the test Of their critical opinion. Beside
the journalists and others, who supposed TO be
learned in the theories Of dramatic composition aud
representation, there were present from fifty -
hundred Of the theatrical proe;sion al anxious TO see
the first performance Of that most unnecessary lite
rary work that be attempted 10 the present en-
lghtentd century, tragedy. The tragedy is the
production Of Mrs II L. Bateman lady no hiss writ
ten at least one play before this one. The
title Of the lev tragedy is Geraldine
or Loves Victory" 1t is divided into the tradition
al five acts; it aboun5s in az unusual amount
Of impossible incidents in it is presented Zee small
bsJ the following programme Of conflicting passions,
etc.: Love; Revenge; Hope Despair; jealousy
Agony and Death. and the effect of the whole is
dreary. Were it not for the upquestioned genius Of
Miss Matilda -ron and for the admirable display Of
talent by the other men Der; Of the company the fate
Of the new tragedy would be quickly decided. Under
the present favorable circumstances, the agony may
be prolonged for a few nights. Miss Heron has been
most unhappy heretofore in her selection of new
plays and ia this her latest choice, che has shown no
better judgment, and her superb acting cannot
save the play from that speedy oblivion in which its
own weight will soon entomb it.
The following is nasty sketch of the plot:
Baron De Lacey Mr. Leflingwell resident in En-
gland on the confines Of Wales, has betrothed his
daughter Geraldine Miss Heron, to Hubert lMr.
Sotberr absent in the Holy Land, fulfilling vow of
seven years kbghtly servce The Baron tortures and
kills an old Welsh bard Mr.. Couldoek), who there
upon curses the De Laceys, root and branch The
curse most effective the oil Baron dies and Gera
dine after long and weary sickness, RECEIVERS with
bunch On her back, which deformty is however most
carefully concealed from her r sr gears, by favor of
the considerable persons who surround her, A. the end
of the time Hubert returns, and, in spite of the de.
formity, mares the lady. Edith, sister of Geraldine
Miss Josephine Orton) falls in love with Hubert, and
in an unguarded moment reveals the secret to her
sister. A crafty priest Apselm CMr. Conldockl,
for reveDgeful reasons Of his own, lesds Geral-
dine to believe that the passion OF her
sister is reciprocated by Hubert, and that there
is guilty intercourse between them. Geraldine there
upon, resolves to stab Edith, but being moved by
her entreaties spares her. and takes poison herself
that the lovers may have no obstacle in the way of
their marriage. After she has taken the poison, the
priest in the belief that she has killed her sister, tells
her that he is the Son Of the Bard who was killed by
her father and that to avepge his fathers death, he
has bms poisoned the Baron and others of her kin
dred that he gave her the medicine that induced her
lingering Illness which caused her deformity, and that
he has coined the tale of the guilty passion between
her husband and her sister. Just then the sister sp
pears alive, and the lying priest is dragged Oft to
dungeon. The poison does its work, Geraldine dies
and the history is not continued
The absurdity OF the incident on which the whole
load hat n
woman should be hunchbacked for six years and not
know it herself is too extravagant suppostion Tor
ANYTHING but the broadest burlesque. In fact, the
sughabeness of this heavy draft on the creduity Of
the audience is 80 manifest to excite a un versal
smile whenever it is alluded to. 1t is folly to attempt
to write tragedy based on an incident broadly
farcical-Shakespesre himself couldn't have done it,
if any earthly inducemept could have tempted him to
siultify himself by the attempt.
Despite the failure of the tragedy as whole, it has
good scenes, and some brilliant points, which are given
most effectively by the artists who engage inthe mean-
cboy endeavor to the play Miss Heron struggles
most roby to make the heroine great character.
and seldom has she appeared to better advantage
than in fighting so bravey against the overwhelming
weight of this tedious play. Its sad thing to see
her brilliant abilities wasted in the unavsilng effort.
r..
tive scene and richly deserved the hearty applause
be got In the character Of the Priest he WAS not so
happy. This character is most detestable one, and
one most unnecessary to the play, and might be
wholly expurgated. Mr.. Waloot, as Gambo, the
Earl's Jester, delivered his few lines with much
effect, though to say the truth, they are most
dismal for jester Mr.. Sotherns part is not
worth playing. Messrs Davidge, Bland, Letting
well, and Others have small parts, of which
they make all that is within the possibilities
Miss Josephine Orion, who enacted the part OF Eiith,
lie entitled to DO small degree of praise for the care
and study she has bestowed the character In the
latter scenes of the play she acts with much earnest
ness and truth. She was deservedly spplauded. Mrs
Archibald and Mrs. Preston were the other two ladies'
of the piece, and ssid their little say acceptsbly
As soon as Miss Heron convinced OF the inevitable
fate of her new play, will she not kindly abandon
ard give Us some Of the Old pieces in which she mas
DO equal
ALLEGED MURDER AT A CIRcUs.-Mr. Robert
Decker. keeper Of q restaurant at Hudson, was 50
;,;,rad Coxsacki. n nights since, that