New-York tribune., 1867-06-18
THE DRAMA.
rrlE IEn1TIMATE DRAMA

prejudice appears to have taken root III many
minds against Che idea Of the Legitimate Drama sort
OF rcproach seems attached TO the word Legitimate IN
this application of it" which not so before" a
play that can be called Legitimate" is now, 10y many
persons thoaeht TO be prosy and heavy affair." some
thing that Possesses literary met" and must therefore,
be strenuolsy avoided This modern theatrical hoTrO
of Literary merit" Is, we think very amusing shsKe
speare Ben Johnson beaumont and Fletcher Massnger
DRYDEN Moere Racine, COlman and Sheridan, managed
20 write plays of the greatest literary merit, that no
dramast Of day has equaea even in the matter OF
stage effect but they, suppose, arc slow coaches
now To hear-as one frequently noy hear, IN the
theatrical @Ord-merconary speculams ana persons 90
ignorant that they scarcely SPELL sneeng at literary
merit" and the legitimate DRAMA, is we repeat anus
ing Sheer as they may however. this reign OF sensa
ton headers" real horses pigs blood aud thunder ana
arrant tras generally must inevitably come 20 an end
We were told the other day, by cotcmpory tbat inc
anagers-whon 10 Hkcned 10 traders present an iheIor
order Of dramatic entertainment, because the pupho
wantsA This statement we deny. The public does not
want the kind OF rubbish that has been thrust upon 80
abundanuy ever since Mr. B0uCicaut found out ana
taught the secret OF real tubs" All the milk, as Emerson
SAYS comes from that cow and have had quite enough
Of H. The policy OF most OF the theaters throughout the
country for some time pastprompted as 1t has been
by This perniclOus belief that the public wants hohH
but sensation" speCtaoleshas resulted III driving inc
better CLASSES of people almost entirely away from the
playhouse. But there must como change For our
part We believe that like oil excess this excess OF theat
roa Punch and Judysm must cause reaction and bring
about better state of affairs at distant day Edu-
Gated people who the Drama, win not forever sub
nit 10 the OF faYOrte and ennOblng rccrea0n nor
will tho players the country long DO conont to
walk about tho streets doing nothing, while bauetgrs,
"sups" and stagecarpenters usurp their places Last
season the whole country Ife with complaints OF bad
theatrical business. Stars waned Salaries were small
and hard 20 get FoveFish uncertainty prevailed The
reason was-the Degradation OF the Drama. Give tho
Drama rightfu position, and IL will wear an eyerlus
rous and beautiful crown OF gOld and bless it's yoaes
with abundant and continuous prosperity
LEAH Ar THE BROADWAY TIEATE1
"Ieah the Porsaken," Mr. Augistin Dalys we'll
known version Of Mosenthals German drama OF Dc.
borah." was played last week at tho Broadway
Theater TIE play-bnl instructs us that II was pre-
sented "by kind permission Of Miss Bateman" (Mrs
Crow) tbas been produced In careful manner though
neither with much richness Of scenery nor with nvari
able accuracy Of appointments The churchyard soone,
in act fourth, is especially picturesque more liberal
allowance Of stored and animated bust
would however. materially improve H. We
Of Of tho scenic SrtIst The 6sss Of character. in,
MT W T. sheridan as SalIan Mr. Jack tho old priest
and Hiss Hattie ThOrDe as hqdelenq Miss LUCILLE West
character @ &C. eyincod we think more positive talent and
keener INTELLIGENCE than any previous performance that
distiaot conception Of the opposed emotions Of
ovo and hatred, and skill In delneating the conflict
OF love and doubt. iu sensitive passionate and
jealous nature. Portions Of II. also were actually
bad not led us TO expect. In the best scene OF all
hOwever-tbat Of tho ourae by which in the main tho
performance may fairly be judgedMiss Western showed
that all the faults OF her style OF acting s Ia
De discarded She was artificial in every respect she
leaned against tombstone ana had the calcium light
turned full upon her face and figure. She fell upon her
knees with 30 much weight and violence a. almost
shake the stage She assumed abored attitudes with
Cueupebb
effect She exhibited surprising and unpleasant
eular force; and she raned like maniac. All this Is
depOraby wrong. Leah, first Of Bll must be woman
that man might love- No one could love the impiOus
vrago that Miss Western depicted In this churchyard
scene. There no dignity, no pathos no wOman's
heart no Hebrew pety IN anything that she did At the
end OF the third act we Thought lar more gy or her
Le0h than could possibly do at the end Of the fourth
Her costume, We may add was likewise incorrect.
that blSzed like polished warming pan, 70 cay nothing
of the general richness and elaborate neaness OF her robe
surely nadmlssbe ornaments for the garb OF wan
derng outlaw. who Is actually begging for bread Miss
Batoman used to dress this part In an almost equally
absurd manner wooden as her performance OFT was,
however it was far more delicate, apd therefore, far
more satisfactory than Is Miss Westerns inc latter
feeling and exercises the spell Of force the popular
one day it rssy deserve them At present Il is an ex
tremely crude and defective work OF art
BARNUbIs MUsEUM-THE SEASON OF 19G6I67.
They work very hard at Barnum's Museum The
late Artemus Ward spoke of having observed the indus
trous actors at that establishment proceeding thither
that Of course, was comica oxaggeraton. When 1t is
considered however that the Museum kept open every
day from sunrise until at least 10 o'clock in the evening"
and that theatrical performance Is given the after
well at night IL will readily be inferred that
slight labor Is demanded OF the players at this busy
house brief review OF the OF 156667 will
firm that inference That season opened the sd Of
September 1906 when money" played in the after
nOOn and The Lone House On.tbe Bridge" in the
ing On the 9th "Therese" was given IN the afternoon
Ihe Lone House by night till the 10th, which
day played both afternoon and evening and there
after II held the stage till September nth. Mary Lock
wood was then produced, and ran day and night TIL the
Old Folks At Home" which were kept on the stage
week. On October "The Lady In Black" acted in
the afternoon and Our American Cousin" in the even.
ing and this arrangement lasted till oct g. when d" Our
American Cousin" usurped the entire field, which he
kept for Six days and nights "Ten Nights In Bar
ROOM, brought out the 18th OF October, till the
2Oth afternoon and evening On the 22d "The Sea Of
Ice" was produced This on the 18th Of November was
superseded by Rosna Meadows" On the 10th came
the HOneymOOn the goth The Vision OF the Dead"
Old Adam was introduced on the afternoon OF Deeem
Game" and "K "KabP superseded it on the 10th.
From the 17th 10 the 22d the bill comprised
"Dying For Love- and "The Kabi" On
the 24th in recognition Of Christmas Day "Major Joness
the 3lst of December Robinson Crusoe" and Trying IL
On" introduced They kept the stage for week.
On the 7h OF January, 1867, "Unclo Toms Cabin" was
brought out and IL till the 4th Of February Mrs. O.
feature Of this representation. Mr. John Brougham's
drama OF The Christian Martyrs next and held
by Our Tenement Houses" This till April /, when
"rhe Streets OF New York" was brought out and this
played afternoon and evening for two weeks On the
18th OF April Yankee Locke commenced an engagement
Nights in BarRoOm" On the 18th the bill changed
70 The Yankee in Cuba" and "A Wife for