New-York tribune., 1869-03-15
THE DRAMA.
BROADWAY THEATER

v
After a considerable period of absence, in
England Miss Kate Reynolds has returned to NewYork
and has reappeared at the Broadway Theaer. She s
very welcome Her fine talent the art OF acting to-
with her womany sweetness and grace have long
since commended her cordial sympathy and adnira-
ton. She has often shown herself TO be student OF
human nature. She can portray character experience,
and emotion, in perfectly natural manner Her per
ceptions OF dramatic situation quick clear, aud true
Her skill in stimulation Is unerrng Her feelings are deep
and strong Her merriment IS irresstibly charming
warm br CHIT and full Of motion like red roses dancing
in a summer wind. 1t is a luxury TO her act even
when she acts in "a bad play The Shadow OF Crime
is bad enough ia all conscience but Miss Reignolds
glitters in II, from first TO last. Mr. =
| s. Chetnam who perpeTated this new drama,
| is understood 70 De the editor OF Lon
| don magazine OF sensation literature. lie is evil
IDENTIFY fitted for the Office Direness, in such forms as
the imaginative Macbeth never dreamed Of Is thoroughly
familiar 10 his slaugherous thoughts. He has shown
| himself in his work, all men do who write. Behind
! The Shadow of A Crime" stands commonplace lite
ray mechancof order that IS but too prevalent in
these days-bent upon producing urd limeght effects,
and utterly careless with reference to the nationality OF
the means employed to accomplish this end The story
OF this piece Is utterly and rdiculousy improbable
Things happen in IL that could happen in real lie
yet real life what II assumes 10 represent The Ian
guage OF II Is mostly mere fusiian-reevcd now and
then, by few natural and sensible sentences. Such
plays are always 10 DO jobs This one was mani
testify written furnish forth heroine who should fire.
quenty ind herself in very painful situations Illuminated
by a calcium light. 1his object has been abuHdanuy
accomplished IN the frat act tho heroine Is distressed
because people suspect her OF having done murder that
she knows TO have been done by man whom she be-
cves TO be her father This complication terminates in
frenzy In the second act the heroine s again distressed
because Iyoung artist whom she has married, wants
TO know what as her: likewise because baeBguard
forces his way her presence and asks for her maiden
ali
ing by declining 10 tell her husband anything, and by
telling the bRckguard everything In the third act tho
heroine distressed moro than because her husband
accuses her Of having been sOmebOdys mistress before
nc married her This complication Is heightened by tho
appearance Of the backguard, before mentioned, who
her Of murder and theft In all three OF these
situations there for the display OF anguish. The
reasoning spectator however cannot help thinking that
nearly all this misery IS needless Common sGnse Is
surely preferable TO derium and despair grace Holden
falsely accused Of crime could-and, in real life,
woun-have told her husband the whole story : and
there would have been end OF the matter
John BrOdle, as the reader OF Nicholas Nickleby"
remembers. had a high estimate Of the mu
tual confidence" in tho married state. Human
creatures generally resemble honest John this partcu
lar Not telling her husband, Gr0ee would surely
have told anybody else No adequate motive whatever
Is assigned for the disclosure that she makes to Rascg
4" II you don't tell all about yourself" says this i'm
pertinent intruder, 81 will ask your husband" Any
woman but the heroine Of sensation play or novel
would have called assistance, and had sueh nuisance
removed into the street, without another word. But
heroines IN works of this kind must always behave like
fools, in order to got into state Of pathos and lime
light. Let not consider too curiously. Miss Reynolds
personaed grace Holden perfectly well What the audi
ence saw n sweet woman who told her love swoetly
was passionate III indignant denunclatOn and sadly
bowed under weight Of gef aud shame Nothing
could be more tame than much OF the dialogue between
Grace and Rashiei0h. in act second wild and in
consequential than the talk of Grace and Cyr I'm act
third But Miss Reynolds spoke the words with such
grace and sweetness TO invest them with sympa
thec influence II not with positive meaning Tho
tive OF the finding OF cyril particularly touching In
its simplicity Of manner and tenderness Of tone. The
climax at the end OF act second, when Grdce defes
foo was viyidly made. The passionate supplcation
OyT1 the last scene, full OF the bitter agony OF
loving and afflicted heart that sees its happiness
wrenched away. Miss Reignods very warmly ap
plauded, all these points Truly, good woman, not
less than good man, struggling with adversely Is spec
ace pleasant 10 the gods; and 1t makes difference
whether the adycrslty be natural nonsensca Twelve
characters besides Grace Holden appear In The SHADOW
OF Crime" Tie British aristoCracy s largely repre-
soAtSda ,hc 2sQa1aay T1ea;cr performance W