New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-06-17
THE PLAYS OF A SEASON

The Legitimate Drama Is phrase ol
shifting significance. Sometimes it means
plays which nobody wants to see, or which
the managers fancy that nobody wants to see
sometimes it expresses dramas depending
solely upon their dialogue and conduct, and
not upon paint-pots and horses, sham magnlii-
cence of costume, situations which are classed
rs thrilling" many-twinkling legs, and much
abused lungs. There are virtuOsi who consider
nothing legitimate except Shakespeare. There
are critics who condemn every play less than
one hundred years old. There are cOnnOis
seurs who are absolutely incapable of experience
ing any pleasure from any acting whatever, but
who are perfectly certain that their grand
fathers felt the purest of critical rapture night
after night in the Thespian editice, and that in
the palmy days of the drama, nothing was
ever produced unless of tirst-rate excellence.
This il point upon which little cursory re-
search would marvelously enlighten the fault
finders. Ever since the old Greek smeared his
face with the lees of wine, and with his COM
pany performed his antics upon a cart, we beg
leave to assure the Responding that there has
been an uninterrupted succession of plays bad
enough to break the critical hearts and yet
good enough to please the multitude. The
stately and frozen stuff which was accepted
for tragedy during the last century, the plays
of Hill and of Whitehead, the "Zaras' and
"The Roman Fathers" are as Legitimate as
possible, and yet have hardly particle of hui
man interest. Garrick's management is usually
spoken of as of something wonderfully correct
and classical, yet of the original plays produced
by him not one in fifty keeps the stage.
These preliminary observations we offer be-
cause it is necessary for us all TO rid our minds
of good deal of traditional rubbish, before we
can arrive mt some tocrabe idea of the wants
and prospects of the modern drama.
We shall not follow the example of those
Who in their passion for the legitimate, fall
afoul of the unfortunate managers and berate
them for conducting their enterprises according
to the taste of the town. The whole morality
of the matter is settled by the line so often
quoted-those "who live to please must please
"to live" 1t is all very well for n fastidious
observer TO sneer ut the method of doing bust
ness in theater in the success of which he
has no pecuniary interest; but if he were
forced to pay rent, taxes hctors, actresses,
fiddleTs, scene painters, machinlsts, property
men, dancers, door keepers, prompters, and SUI
pernumerarics, he might decline to consult the
whims of the fastdious few, and to deplete
his treasury by making u fight for the legiti-
mate, even if he could by unutterable ponder
ing discover what the legitimate really is. He
might feel that the public taste was sickly, but
he would not undertake TO mend it mt his own
expense. He would refuse to be ruined by
rule or to be driven into the bankruptcy court
only that it might be said of him that he made
the real nature of which something nobody
could give him the slightest conception.
There is no theater in this city which is more
respectfully conducted than Wallacks. 1t has
a manager who understands perfectly well what
n good play is, and it has company capable
of presenting in an uneXceptonable way any
comedy worth presenting at all. And yet it
must be admitted that the record of its bust
ness during the last season (Which we have
already printedD is far from encouraging, ex-
cept in the single fact that "Wallacks," what
ever concessions it may make to frivolous
taste or perverted appetite every now and
then brings out sterling play by way of
protest, and as if to show what it could do if
only encouraged, it has given during the season
just closed She Stops TO Conquer" twice;
me honeymoon eleVen unles; Z Now
Way to Pay Old Debts" six times; The
Bellies Stratagem," eight times; "Town and
Country" seven times; 1.-THE Rivals"
seven times; "The Wonder" five times,
and the poor old stranger" ut which
one never knows whether to laugh or cry.
twice. These plays are all fairly to be classed
as legitimate" or, at any rate, their legitimacy
is generally conceded The record upon first
inspection is not a bad one; but upon looking
n little closer, we are forced to acknowledge
that the account current is not exactly inspir-
ing. Here is "Megs Diversion" played six
teen nights; "Mauds Peril" thirteen nights;
" Rosedale,n twenty-four nights; and the bur-
lesque of Black Eyed Susan" sixteen nights,