The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-05-03
ARAcY cRITIoUE.

MSS Adah IsaacB-Me h en- H eenAn-N New.
elI'Dunn-RrOwne as maseppa, or the
Wild Horse OF Tartary."
From ne Tribune.
To announce that Miss Adah Isaacs Menken
Toulu appear at the Broadway Theatre in the
character of "Mazeppa,v was to announce that a
woman would exhibit herself in public in a
condition closely bordering upon nudity; and
such an announcement, OF course, was calcu.
lateu 10 draW together an immense concourse OF
spectators. Such concourse greeted Miss
Menken's first appearance last evening The
broadway Theatre was densely crowded The
audience, composed chiefly of males was the
coarsest and most brutal assembly that we have
ever CHANGED to see at a theatre on Broadway,
Every variety of dissolute life was represented
in It, The purple nose, the scorbutic counte.
nance, the CLASSY eye, the bul-head, the heavy
teroCity-all was there.
Youths whose attire exhibited an eruptive
tendency towards cheap iewelry, lolled upon
t tnelr seats. champing tobacco, and audibly ut.
tering their filthy minds. Old sports were abun.
dant. Inc atmosphere fairly reeked with yul-
gaTity. Long before the curtain rose, the gal
Ieries resounded with the clamor of the gods.
PelnaIhs belo oI character complimentary to Tony
Pastor were frequently audible. Such was the
audlence TO whom the stalwart PROPORTIONS of
Miss Menken were duly exhibited. 1t is un.
necessary necessary to say that the spectacle was cor.
ulally applauded. To speak of Miss Menken as
an actress would be TO waste words She hos
not the faintest idea of what acting is She
moves about the stage with no motive and
therefore, In kind OF accidental manner; as
and sometimes ridiculous; speaks in a
thin, weak voice, and with bad elocn.
tion; exclaims "death ~ and "yengeanceI ~
very much as a mild and hungry female
might ordertea and toast; and, in short invites
critical attention, not to her emotional carabili
Ties, her intellectual gifts or her culture as an
art artist, but solely to her physical proportions.
done with a trfing topic-are in many resnects
beautiful. That any purpose connected with dra
matte art is served by their public exhibition
however, we fail to perceive. That such an ex
hlDitlon is offensive to good taste. we
are distinctly certain. Miss Menken,s praises
as an actress have been loudly sounded: but if
artistic greatness is to be acquired by such
means as Miss Menken has chosen tor its pur-
SUIT, there would seem to be no good reason
why the majority of females eXtant should NOT
acquire 1t, II SO disposed. To be Godiva, al
least, in external attributes requires only effron
tery on the part OF handsome women-of whom
there appears 10 be no dearth in any community.
Yet we do not quite yet, look to see the stage
sWarmlng with Mazeppas. If Miss Menken serves
no other useful purpose, she will at least warn
neL Pr9lesSlonal observers what to avoid. 1t
would be unjust to leave this topic without
emarking that Miss Menken evinced not a little
daring in what we may describe as the horse
scene.
The horse, last evening, was remarkably
spirited, and, as he dashed up the circnitons de-
hle, with the woman bound upon his back nre.
sented lively spectacle of energy, courage, and
Danger. In reference to the piece-which is
styled "Mazeppa; or, The Wild Horse of Tar.
tary"-we must be content briefly to say that it
IS unmitlgated trash. Byron's poem-by no
means one OF that poets happiest Inspirations
is its basis; but through the mass of Stiffness and
verbiage with which it is overlaid, one catches
but faint glimpse of the Byronic original. The
characters subsidiary to that of Mazeppa were
represented in that uniformly unpleasant man
ner for which the theatrical Company at the
Broadway Theatre has long been distinguished.
Mazeppd will be performed every night until
further notice. If we have succeeded in sug.
readers will not need to be informed that we
cannot and do not commend it. The appearance
of Miss Menkcn's 'Mazeppa" at a theatre on
Broadway is nothing less than grievous discre-