The New York herald., 1869-11-29

Eer not only destructive Of dramatic Interest," put
subversive Of comm0nl sense. Never was there such
Kettle OF fish, An adulterous intercourse-that is
the Anglo-Saxon OF it-between Forester. ayoung
painter, and Lea o married woman living apart
from her husband, and her character is the very
backbone Of M. Augier's comedy. In the English
drama this wicked lais0n 1s toned down 10 an limo.
cent courtship, both parties being unmarried at the
opening OF the play-the artist o bachelor and the
lady widow. This change, however commendable
In point OF morality Is the utter ruin OF the play for
the translator not having the skill TO remould the
subsequent scenes and situations OF the drama
SO as to adapt them 10 the prodigious alteration
In the moral attitude OF the chief person
ages nothing can be more motiveesS and
inconsistent than the whole tone and tenor OF the
piece. The cause is eradlcated, but The effect re-
MAINS The tree is torn up by the root, but the
foliage goes on blooming in rank luxuriance. The
woman who has been regenerated from faithless
wife into chase widow goes on talking and acting
II she retained her former character She Is madly
IN love with the artist after he is married to another
woman, and though she would have us believe that
she is pure as unsunned snow she keeps tearing her
hair and wringng her hands as though she were
no better than she should be. She would pass ior
Lucretia yet she behaves like c0nscence-strlcken
Lais. Altogether the play Is simply nonsenslca and
though there WAS no storm Of hOwls and hisses at
omnously significant OF the doom Of the drama, in
tjmatlng as plainly as IN the language OF Launcelot
70 Jess.ca "Be OF good cheer; lor verify B believe
except Mr.. q. COghan. VINO by his excellent acting
raises an Insignificant character TO importance.
Mr.. Allerton, the present lessee OF the Lyceum TO
whom belongs the Responsibility OF having brought
out his ponderous play attempts to impersonate ihe
sentimental painter, but only succeeds IN proving
tnat, however learned upon other points, he knows
nothing about acting. lie is stage-struck aristo-
crat-tne son OF lady Of title. Allerton IS only
nom de guei7e. His manners are easy and gentle.
man-ike, and you may see at glance that ne has
been accustomed to good society," but OF hlstrionic
talent he has not particle, or II he has he keeps 1t
to himself. His taitn IN himself however, Is un-
bounded. Last season he took the Princess theatre
and every night for SIX mortal weeks demonstrated
to the entire satisfaction OF the town that ne could
taken the Lyceum; but he VIII purchase his whistle
rather too dear prce, for the cost OF keeping up
cannot but wish that his enthusiasm had
taken o direction more profitable both 20
himself ana the pubic. Mr.. Alerton Is not the
nected with the titled orders. Mrs. Fitz Henry, as
she Is known the profession, Is Lady Smith, the
widow Of Q military knight; and Lady Don, now
playing IN the provinces, Is relct OF Sir William
Don, an eccentric baronet OF gigantic stature, who
commenced life an oIllcer OF dragoons and ended
it the taest and by no means the least amusing,
OF low comedians. Ills greatest character was pro-
baby Tood!es, which Mr.. J. $. Clarke Ii now per-
forming with such signal success OF the Strand
theatre.
Or verify our MOBILES have come to win peace.
We Britishers whose greatest glory Is that our IN.
violate island OF the brave and Tree gave birth to
William Shakespeare, are now unable to boast OF one
dramatst wortny OF the name. Night after night IS
made hldeous by the production OF some wretched
play spirtless Its dialogue 80 inartistic III its
plot, outrageous in Its portralure OF character.
that man could not wish his worst enemy
other day upon the subject OF .'lntel-
lectual Corruption" one OF the Saturday
reviewers had ng at stu n IN
his indignant sOul:-"We wonder how any man can
see 'Formosa' without blushlng for very shame not
merely that he Is present to listen to such bader-
dash, but tnat such balderdash should have been
composed by fellow man and could attract an au-
dience Of his fellow men," Pretty mot" that, and
rich In vlrtuous vehemence. Nevertheless, the ai-
thor Of 'Formosa" ls beyond all comparison, the
best of our playwriters. Let their faults be what
in his plays, and when ne thinks 1t worth his while
to do SO MI. Bouccault can put brilliant and vigor-
Gus language into the mouths OF his dramatic per-
sOnage5 but what shall we say OF plays such as that
brought the other night Chartng Cross theatre
under the title Of "Won at Last'S The force OF
twaddle could no further go. What story to build
play upon "Gracious goodness goodness gra-
cious |" as Mr. Blackstone Is wont TO say, what a
story young man falls IN love with
done ere now and VIII again II young wo-
men viii only mind what they are about.-and
incident OF interest and unenlivened by one solitary
remark worth listening 10, they win one another ut
last and get married. Theres the whole S story;
say. II reminds one OF The eventful history famed
In nursery lore-
There little cobbler
And he had little swl;
And he stuck II In the wall
And that Ia all.
There is not o character IN the piece respecting
whom the audience are not In precisely the same
state OF enlightenment as the old lady in the .Be-
" nen that dear old soul heard that Sebastopo was
taken she inquired, "Who ls SebastopOl2 And what
did they take him forf And what do they mean TO
do with him? ?n We just know as much about the
personages OF Mr. Wybert Reeves play, and care as
much. The critics are quite az sea about the
drama which must have been haunting Mr.. Reeves
fancy while he was engaged in the composition OF
this lrumpery work, some maintaining that he had
In view Mr.. Thomas Tayor's drama oil "Stlll Water
Runs Deep" and Others declaring that he was think.
ing all the while OF Mir. Whyte Melvilles story 'Tho
Brookes Of Briddlemonn The beauty OF it Is tnat
lectures Is true, or whether either Is So The play,
however originated, Is worthless. There must be
metal more attractive upon the stage OF Charing
Cross theatre If Miss Fowler, the manageress, would
draw money to her treasury.
new burlesque, called "ino," now being played
at the Strand theatre, deserves notice, chiefly for
the fact that 1t does not from the pens OF any
OF the small band Of writers who for no other appar
ent reason than that their names all begn with the
lesques for the London theatres. 1t Is pleasant to
find that 'the little busy B's" as they are called,
are not to have 1t all their own way, but
other letters OF the alphabet. Mr.. b. ].
Speeding. the author OF the present extravaganza,
has chosen for his theme the story OF the famous
daughter Of Cadmus and Hermoine who became the
second vile OF the Theban King Athamas, and who
was ultimately transformed by Neptune into a sea
goddess. Mr.. SPEEDING has OF course turned this
veraclous story 1.-THE seawy side out,n even as love
turned Rodrigo cOplously interpreting the narrative
as he goes along with puns which sound the lowest
depths OF verbal turpltude; but the day for such
concets IS gone. The highest compliment that can
be paid to pun Is to boot or groan at It, and those
tributes used to be paid to Mr. Panche the early
masters OF the art OF burlesque punning out
the public has had surfeit OF their attempts
TO palter with them, and the most execraDle
puns tnat ever sinned against sound and
sense now pass without the distinction OF
q reproof For the rest Mr.. SpeddMgs fun Is
none OF the races nor IL his Wit either afluent or
refined, but there are In his buresque some laugh
able topic songs" some grotesque breakdowns and
one or two passable parodles, and a. the piece Is
well danced, richly costuned and picturesquely
Illustrated, 1t gives entire satisfaction to the
audience who seem to think very excellent fooing.
Mr. Thorne, whose strange professional fate It Is
always to appear In pettlcoats, cuts O ridiculous
ngure as the domlneerfng Queen OF Thebes; Mr..
David James, the best OF the Strand comedians,
plays the hen-pecked King with lugubrious numor;
r