Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-11-05

THEArRICAL--Two of our city cotempora
ries are disposed to condemn The Hidden Hand
as a worthless play, and seem to be surprised
to find that it has met with much favor
from the patrons of the drama in Nashville,
while Ton TAYLoR's sparkling production"
An Unequal Match, was played to barely more
than a beggarly account of empty boxes.
They take TON TAYLoR's fine comedy" as
standard by which to judge the "BoNSER
yarn''-"the great dramatic humbug'-and
pronounce the latter far inferior to the for
mcr We do not know what they have dis
covered in TON TAYLOR's comedy" that is
calculated to excite the admiration to such
an extent. "TOM TAYLOR" may be q very
clever writer of comedies: he may be very
clever fellow too in other respects: We are
strongly inclined to think that he is: indeed
the man who has fun enough in his soul to
write any thing like decent comedy, can't
help being clever fellow: but THE cOmedyof
An Unequal Match were all that TON TAYLOR"
had to depend upon for handing his name
down to posterity he would hardly be known
to the people of any generation beyond his
own.
.Time carries a wallet at his back,
VIII, rem he puts aims Tor oblivion"
and into that wallet will soon go this "bril-
liant production" of TON TAYLOR;f and it
will he but poor offering, even for Oblivion,
who constantly falls heir to many better
thing. We do not pretend to say that The
Hidden Hand is particularly elegant, or un-
usually fine; but We can't help thinking that
ton TAYLOR" produced nothing finer when
he achieved An Unequal Match.
This last named play will do very well in
the hands Of first rate company. with a
JOEY GoUGENHEIM and others of equal tai
ent to play the principal characters: but even
| then it is not calculated to bring out the
whole city for more than one entire season.
Thrre may be some things in The Hidden
HIND to offend the taste OF the faStidious
critic; it is certainly far below many plays
that are to be found in the American drama;
but it is not wanting in interest for the great
mass of theatre-goers; it keeps them amused
| from the beginning of the first scene 80 the
| end of the last; it brightens the boxes with
smiles aud shakes the parquette with laugh
ter; and It is therefore better play than TON
| TAYLoR's." one half of " hich is bot heavy
drag, unless in the best of hands, where it is
not always possible to place it.
There was another full house last night to
| witness the third presentation of The Hidden
| Hand The Manager has prevailed upon
| Miss GouGENHEIM to remain one night lou
ger, and the play will be given again this
evening.
| Mrs. FARREN and Miss FANNY FIIZ FARREN
reached the city yesterday, and will CON-
mence an engagement at the GAiety Monday
| evening. They are well known here, and the
simple announcement Of their appearance is
all shat is needed to ensure full house. The
Louisville Journal pays them the following
high compliment:
Miss F;tz Farren exhibits wonderful self
possession and treads the stage with an APP
Tomb which it often requires years OF practice
10 acquire; her voice is clear, distinct and
mnisical; her laughter rings like the little
silver bells in il wedding chime; and her
| face possesses a nobility aud power of ex-
preston which enables her Ito suit the
! word TO the action and the action to the
| word" She combines the artistic finish ac-
! quired by careful study of the mechanism OF
| the stage and the intuitive genius, without
which the parent sculptOrs may have mould
| ed their statue but it would have been rs
| soulless as the Promethean model before 1t
| received the breath OF heavenly fire.
Years have gone by since, in these columns
it was our pleasing task to foster by careful
commentator and train by judicious criti-
| cism the opening promise oil Mrs. Farren,
aud we were prophetic in the anticipations
We then expressed OF her future excellence
and high professional triumphs. With ma
| turer judgements and with largely added
experience of the qualifications for the dram
| attic profession, we feel even more confidence
now i'll predicting for her daughter, Miss
Fanny FIlz Farren, an unrivalled pre-eml-
hence on The American stage. There Is no
| young actress ut present before our public
| who combines so many OF the essential re-
quisites 10 success, and it will be but Il few
| months before she will take rank side by side
| with the most experienced tragedlennes aud
! comedians OF the day.