New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-07-07
Tile nr4MArIC SIrUATTON.

extraordinary" and "great American" actors,
of both sexes. whose lights, during the other
seosons. are obscured by the bushel OF prOvln-
ciol secluson. They love to come here IN the
dog.days and play Hamlet, or Julia, III
.'The Uunchback,p or some other similarly
light and cheerful parts. Then our attention Is
always called TO grand REVEALS Oh the
Legitimate drama" Casting the eye OF ODD
servation on these revyals, we commonly see
a sturdy fellow with pair of big legs ana
laundering voice, who, when he says, with the
melancholy Dane, that he could drink not
BLOOD makes no idle yaunt of his prowess
at the flowing bowl or else we see tall,
lean, rural lady, with long back-hair, whose
voice has the smoOthness of n cOAee-mill, and
the sweetness of lemons whose style of pro-
nunciation is original and whom Nature
plainly intended for the position of matron IN
House of Correction. The spectacle is not
encouraging and so we turn our backs on the
Legitimate DRAMA and bcguile the time by
escortng our country relatives to Greenwood.
This alternative is not absolutely hilarious
but the silent tomb is better than the stage
struck peasant-in particular when taken eX-
terrally-lnd besides 10y escorting his cousins
to Greenwood, the civic martyr escapes the
necessity of going up into the Tower of Trim
ity Church. And that is something, with tho
ambitious thermometer at go.
This Summer the revival of the legitimate
drama has come about in n different way. It's
recurrence is, in fact natural and therefore
spontaneous. With single exception there
are no great tragic geniuses here from tho
country They may come by and by, but they
have not arrived yet The exception, as our
| readers will divine, is Miss Lucille Western,
who has let loose her emotions and her back
hair Mt the Grand Opera House, where both
are now flowing in copious abundance. At the
other theaters wherein the legitimate drama is
represcnted-and it il represented in at least
half of the theaters of the city-its presence Is
| the rightful consequence of a strong reaction
| against excess of trash. Opera Bouffe has died
| of its rottenness. Burlesquo has subsidized into
! imbecility. PmOmme has come to look like a
poor idiot, moaning and making signs. Aud If
! legs have not tired in public, the public has
! tired of them. These results have gradually
arrived, in the course of the last few months.
! Under these circumstances, nothing remained
| for the managers but TO deviate into sense
Ms Byron says,-and lead back the legitimate
drama to its desecrated temples. Accordingly
they deyiate. The good work is not completed
| yet but il is going vigorously forward, and in
short time our theatcrs will be completely rid
alike Of burlcsquc, pantomime, and leg bust
ness. That will be a blessed relef.
We do not mean to say that there is no
merit and no charm in certain of these light
elements of theatrical entertainment. That
would be folly. A little pantomime, little
! burlesque, little opera boufle, a little negro
minstrelsy, when presented in pure and taste
| full form, may be innocent, enjoyable, and de-
sirable Nobody wants to eat roast-bcef and
Yorkshire pudding three times a day on all
the days of the year. Nobody wants to see
Shakespcare's plays represented at all the
| theaters in the city every night in the season.
Excess of the pOnderOus is rs bad as excess of
the frivolous. HOracc's golden medium is the
| only safe ground. The present impulse of re-
| action toward the legitimate drama is necessary
and excellent; but it will cease to be excellent
| if it is carried too far. What it needs is guild
! ance. He only is wise and strong who can
discern the meaning Of facts and the drift of
circumstances, and fashion his course accord
ingly. Judgment and discretion, now as always,
are the safeguards of managCrs-and, just now,
these safeguards are especially desirable. During
the last year most of the theatrical directors
have acted without any thought at all. General
bcwlderment appears to have prevailed, No
sooner has one made little success than all
the rest have seized his idea and tried to
initiate it, Mr.. Wood brought over an
English burlcsque company, for his
Museum, and made some money with
it; and thereupon all of his fellow managers
rushed off after English burlesquers. Mr.. Fox
made hit in pantomine, and then we were
straightway overwhelmed with clowns Mr..
Bateman fetched over Tost6e and Irma; and then
Mr. Gmu made haste to introduce Desclauzas
and Rose Bell. One gave us the nasty Belle
" Helene - the other followed suit with the
naster Genevieye do Brabant." And when
it had all been played out, the immensely sap-
ent Admiral Fisk, jr., came forward and tried
it again. 1t is an old story that when one
sheep leaps over the wall the rest of the sheep
follow him. This sort of theatrical manage
ment is worse than ridiculous: it is contempt
ible. Those who have pursued it have lost
and have deserved to lose. HAPPY they will
profit by the lesson of experience. Next season,
at any rate, we think they will find that vague
notions and seryile imitation Will not supply
the place of Judgment and settled policy.
With the business-pOlicy Of theaters, how
ever the public would have no concern, were
it not that an art element aud an educational
interest, of great Importance, are involved in
the conduct of the DRAMA AS the theaters
need the people, so do the people need the the
alters. Life, to most of us, is almost incessant
labor; is greatly burdened with care; is thicllly
sprinAed with a1IQYances, " therefore heeuA