New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-02-15
WALLACK'S THEATER,

La, =. INT ~ THIS house was for the first time mo
a,ooa -. w In i've acts, which should have besa
= g. n,;,,., Central Park; or The House .. ia
IT, ~. - -, should have been called " Tia
K"no.,; ~ 49, U,.. on Maids" written bv Mr..
Jobr Ia.tar walIooL ,.t., 1t should have been
compiled by some iluarious .,no~n' win no
prete,,sions to dramatic knO,yleuSe Or ability.
Mr. Lester has done, and can DO, 'ninss 80
much, 50 very much better than this that no
will be ono of the first to regret so weak
an attempt. Tie first two acts Of "The veteran
proved 10 the public that Mr. Lester can w,~e higs
comedy OF hight most exalted when he cho0, ee 10
take pans and other efforts of bis go Ear transcend as
present production that it seems If Central Park
may have been written by Mr. Lester on bet 10 msu-
ufacture five act comedy in five consecutive hours,
with one hand tied behind him, 56-pound duubbeIl
in each cOatail pocket, foot tied to tho bs Of
his neck, and he to jump twentyseven fourfoos bur
dice between every two The play eonsisss Of
plot 80 utterly inextrcable and bewilderiDg that ,bc
Cretan Labyrinth was a schooboys " Fox and Geess"
TO ia plot which surprises the audience in the fsa
act; bewilders them in the secoDd makes them oom-
placenty nod their beads and think they've got it in the
third mys;iGes them in the fourth, and sends them
forth into the streets at the end Of the
fifth, either droolng idiots frantic maniacs-a plot
utterly incoInprehensible by mortal plot which
begins in the middle, works both ways and never gsts
to either ends plot that you can't get into without
Immediately wishing you were out Of, and that you
can't get out Of any terms whatey plot that
will ever pursue you in dreams, making your future
sleep wIetched nightmare, and causing you to rise
wildly in bed at ridiculous and unwonted hours with
hair standing in directions than there were
points 10 all the compasses that ever were, and de-
mand furiousy Of the wife OF your bosom why !. 10
that Mr.. Z" Kerr Flambeuy," meets q distracted lady
on the ice who pretends to be Ish and why he
furious Irishwonan who preends to be lady and why
neither OF them is either Irish lady, and whyhsl
ha h la! here you fall back and pretend TO sleep.
having an unmis,akaLe premonition that straight
Jacket Of your exact measure is coming round the
under charge of keeper and that the whole
you'd better stange your curiosity, dismiss the HOUSE
with two doors" from your mind, and preserve your
remaining senses if possible.
1t il play that depends wholly ON funny noidents
and pointed dialogue for what force it has. There u
caractcri in the whole affair. There is ndiyid-
uaIity, and any two Of the dr0matis fersone might
change dresses and speak each others lines and not
the slightes incongruity be observed.
Sl there are occasional coulical incidents and fire.
quent bits Of smart, witty dialogue that the
AUDIENCE Out until he "noe 'ihdir 70 entlrey refnSo-
elsd it will have consistency, oongr,i,y,
completeness than volume Of Joe Miller spoken by 4
clever company IN alternate jokes. 4
Mr.. Blake knew very little of bis part but was oc-
casionally funny. Miss IIenrques when abe Was
natural was good; when sLe attempted TO be heroic,
she was very bad. Bfiss Cannon was consistently
GOOD and Miss Tree ovcracted and thoroughly bad
in every scene. Messrs. Lester, Norton, Reynolds,
Young and others, did all that in them lay TO inswo
the success Of the play.
Some scenic discrepancies and failures materially
marred the efec; of the last scene, which was tho
satin a-plnd at the Central Park But with a adi-
cious cutting down, doubt the piece will be made to
serve the purpose of the management for week or 60
until the new house is ready.
Mr. Lester was called for, made short spoech, de-
claring himself the auhor and announcing the play foe
repetition.