New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-10-26
g r,Iyr DEAD HEART" AT WBLTS GAR
DEN.


a., ,;re ~ N;blo's Gar4sn. Tho posters inform us
that tre niece was acted Then for the fire. tine in
New~York, and although usually 'epose tne utmost
confidence in the veracty Of theatrical aonviocebs
we have distinct recoll cti OF haviog been loog ago
f. niiarszsd With the cheerful pane of this play by
means of announcement other than those prepared for
The creduous publ; Try Nixon, Mol, g. Co Tbs plsy
nay have been merely promised a never performed
IN fsc we low remember Inst i. advertised By On
egaph hment whose promises have generally been
good deal better thsn its performances. SO, on the
WHOLE we are tolerably safe in assuming that the
DEAD Heart was straoee TO New-Yofkers til last
neht IL London il has induced the atendau Of the
paying pablo the Adephi Thea,er for many weeks,
wh.Ie il as made hit.
The r.puted author is aIr. Watts Phillips, an En-
ph.bu an, who has written other dramas; but in this
ase Mr. P. is, We be 1--WE, but the fser father the
zeal old genuine origual uunistakatle parent being
gentleman of ilic anteceds its in short, French
man.
THE Dead Heart" is a m,il-dramai genus, sensa-
tiop s,eees rt bustiou for be il Bno wn, there are
I'M ee species of anna Of the genus sensation; tho
sangktgous, the ro6us,ouS, and the quitty dg0a's-
my in species No. the staughterOUS, blood gore,
;Gn)ood hearts blood aud the crimson fluid deluge
the stage at every turn, LucreCia Borgla being
far ssmple In species No. the r05HstiOus, the sen
eational effects are produced 0y conteniiog armies,
mobs, sbipwrecks, savings Of lovely woman from tho
dtyoutine element, rescuiDgs of lovely woman from
overpoweIing numbers Of fierce soldier men, OF get
,inos of low. " woman siDge-handsd Of al soIs of
dangerous al nm pleas fxes of this class, Jessie
Blown" aud TIE d al Heart are good specimens
In SPECIES No. g. the gritty GgOHi@ng, the interest
turps upon il ciderts of purely domestic character,
aud Of this variety poot to no pleasant or exam
pies than "Dot" and " The Colleea Bawn.'
Mr. Philips new play is of ,he robus:ious cor, and
is good specimen Of class 1t is IN four acts Or as
the bills stae in three ac,s and Prologue the
Prologue" being modern and Ingenious device for
acti that part OF the story OF the plot that is always
necessary 10 explain 10 the au1tor The s.cia sit N
Of tie characters With respect II each otbr at tho
time the curtain rises This explanation is impeTa
tive ssiy in al lengthy plays and toe necessity OF
invariably introducing il i'll some way, has ever been
Stumbling block 10 the author, and generally prodig-
ions bore 10 the auoience. All readers will readily
call TO mind the faithful servant, grey haired aunt,
or venerable of The old plays, who alwsys in the
course of the first act gets 40 INF 1tuna'e somebody
into corner proceeds 10 Gtict on hapess him or
her, that lively Darra,iye commencing, " IL is nov
some five and forty years, siuce, etc. Tne modeln
Prologue is me an1 as mitigation OF this SOFT oil
thing and it has TO extent the desired effect Tie
long stories of the faithful old servant are dispensed
with, aid the public are crammed with the necessary
knowledge, by process not nearly 30 di;a9rsea 'le as
the old way. The story of the Dead Heat briefly
this:
Robert Landry is in love with a beautiful girl named
Catherine Duval; they srs berothed and happy in
the pro,pects of bright futme One night, after
parting with bic sweetheart, Landry passing her h1ase
at midnight, discovers light 10 her ROOM I6e Jealous
curiosity of lover leads bm to the house through
a window. He there discovers the Count ST. Valerie
alone with Catherine in iie private room; aud Liodry
demands an explanation. a quarrel ensues, In winch
the Count lie disaImed The Able LatouT, at the head
of the guard eKteIs and arrests Landry who Is carried
off ncarcerated in the Bastile, where he Is con-
fined eighteen years
Tne second act takes up the story afer the eighteen
yeaI have passed. AID while Pars is c0nvulsed with
The terrible eve ts of the Revolution of 1852. When
the Baste destroyed by the people, Landry Is dis
covered al liberated He Is broken do Tn by his con-
frement and rendered prematurey old, but hastily
recovering be is chosen by the people one OF their
Reprt senatives. His former love, Catherine Dugan
has married aud is now the Countess st VAlrr' The
heart Of Landry becomes dead TO AL emotions bat the
fierce desire Of revenge-he slqys the Able Lato1r
and moiisous Young Arthur St. Valerie the Of his
faithlefs love, by HE ancient rival and deadly foe
This son is condemned TO the guilioDe, and events
are OF deTed ha, bis life lies at the disposal OF Ian
dry great revenge is in his 20 wer, but the Couness
St Valerie appears and mpores bim 70 spare her son
he lie overcome by her entTeaues; the memory OF HI
former love this woman Affects him. the love itsef
of former years is renewed and impels him to noble
sacrhce-the mob, hungry for lis daily allowance OF
heaGs will not be cheated by a single one aud tlere is
but one Way-Lsndry bestates 10 longer, but takes
the place OF Arthur ST. Valerie the fatal tumJrie s
borne to the relentless guiOtiDe and there gives his
life TO save the son Of the woman who had betrayed
him ia bis youth.
The tragic incident Of THE play will be recognized as
identical with tue one which gives sOcb an absorbing
interest to Mr. Dickepss last story, The Tale of Two
Cities and is one einnty calculated for the thrilling
catastrophe of an effective drama.
In our hasty sketch Of the plot we have omitted all
menti If the minor characters Of the piece.
Mr.. Phillips, in choosing subject for drama, Sc
ced one which pises him the handling of immense
mass of material most eminently calculated for
dramatic uses. In tie thrilling events of the R,i2n Of
Terror in the terrible movements of immeneo masses
Of rioous men, in the awful songs aud ghasly danes
of those boodsaned mobs in every incident of thoss
fearful days there is something terribly dfamatic
which, stripped Of the accessories that make it simply
tebe may he reproduced on the siege OF the tdeeter
with great effect. And yet with all this grand array
Of splendid drsmaic ma eial to Bis hand tae author
hes made play, which has few merits. There are
some strong situations, bat the sc'nes are too long
drawn ard The language is fer the most part ,voed
too strongly With melo-drainatic bombast To make
the piece all acceptable cuItaments required to
an extent that will leave but little more than half is
present length.
Mr. Conway sustained the leading character, Robert
Landry, the hero. After the May exceencies this
actor bas developed in his late ShakespeaIian mper
fonstions were quite unpropared for anything 90
bad as his acting last night, Devoid Of evsyt ing |
like the quiet, earnest determination which night have