The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-11-01
MUSICAL AND DRAMATIC.
"Fox and Goose" mt the waIu ut

Morning Post of this city, has long enjoyed
high reputation as q dramatic critic, and now
he has ventured into the field of play writing,
and has no reason to be discouraged by the re-
suit. For and Goose, bright aud rollicking
three-act comedy, was written by Mr.. Stockton
some years ago, while the author was an edito-
rial writer on the New York Tribune. When
Mr.. John s. Clarke went to Europe he carried
copy of the play with him. and the late Will
liam Brough adapted it to the stage. Mr..
Clarke made his first appearance in it at the
Strand Theatre, London and great was the
combined success of actor aud playwright that
For and Goose hefd the boards for three or four
months without interruption. In May last, Mr..
Clarke produced Mr. Stockton's play at Booths
Theatre, New York, where it achieved success
quite equal to that which it attained in London.
Last evening, For and Goose was produced at
the Walnut Street Theatre, for the first time in
this city, and the large audience was kept by it
in continuous uproar for nearly two hours.
Strictly speaking, For and Goose belongs to
the domain of farce rather than to that of
comedy. 1t is utterly improbable in plot, aud
Mr.. Clarkes rendition of the leading part is
extremely ridiculous. The whole thing is con-
ceived with view to impossible situations,
which give the actor an opportunity for the
display of that rare and grotesque humor by
which two hemispheres have been convulsed.
"Fox Fowler" brazen-faced adventurer about
to be turned out of his hotel for arrears of
board encounters silly old fellow by the name
of ''Sir Gander Gosling," whom he easily dupes
by pretending to be au intimate friend of young
"Jack Gosling." Then "Sir Gander" is called
away, and young Gosling" appears, only to be
won over by the adgenturer, in the belief that
the latter is an intimate friend and crony
Of &c ,e
means new one, but it is
adroity worked up, and presents to Mr.. Clarke
an opportunity as young Gosling" for fairly
reveling In fun. ''Young Gosling" is so effectu-
ally muddled by the port which he drinks in
honor of his friend Fowl FoXer," that he is put
to bed, and the adventurer repairs to the house
of "Major Mandrake" in the character of
''Young Gosing" to claim the had of Rose"
to whom the genuine "Jack Gosling" is engaged.
All except "Rose" and her lover, "Philip Hart
ley" accept the adveuturer the genuine ''Gos-
ling, and as "Rose" has not seen the latter for
eight years aud is so much in love with
"Hartley" she also determines to cheat ''Young
Gosling" out of his identity the only possible
chance of escaping from q dstasteful marriage
She accordingly offers privately to pay Fowler
handsomely for keeping up the imposition, and
when the genuine ''Jack Goslng" RECEIVERS from
his drunken stupor, and puts in an appearance at
the house of the "Mandrakes," to his intense
disgust he is treated on all sides as swinder
and thief, barked at and bitten by huge dogs
impaed on glass bottles, thrust gnominiously
from the house. and, when he re-enters
by scaling the wall, is shot at with
"blunderb," as he persistently speaks of blum
derbusses, and in the end entrapped into duel
with the adventurer, the only alternative that
he is given being to deny his own identity and
acknowledge himself to be "Fox Fowler" the
swindler. young Goslng" strives earnestly
to avoid a fight; he has a horror of
blood, especially of his own blood; but
the conspirators not scrupulous,
and he is brought face to face with
his equally reluctant adversary. Rifles are
the chosen weapons, and, armed with one of
these deadly instruments, young Gosling, -
after resorting to all sorts of devices to delay
the encounter, tries little buster and struts up
and down, demanding the reason of 'this intole-
rable delay" Then he swears that he won't
fight with guns which dislocate his
shoulder, and demands " cannon
rifed cannon" pop-guns, revolvers,
anything which he imagines is not to be had
But the revolvers are unfortunately on hand,
and he is presented his choice of two weapons.
'I'll take EN- both, he roars, and the scene
reaches climax with his inability to prevent
the treacherous things from going off.
so are the bystanders, who are reinforced
at this stage by the "Mandrakes' and Hartley"
"Don't you come near me-" yells "Jack Cos
ling" as he throws his arms wildly about the
seventeen barrels meanwhile going off in rapid
succession. The conspirators brought to
terms by the pyrotechnic display, and acknow-
ledge "Jacks" identity, and in rushes "Sir
Gander' to confirm it. Explanations follow,
and the play is terminated by young Gosling''
refusing stoutly to have anything more to do
with the "Rosey-Posey" who has treated him so
badly, thus leaving the coast clear for "Philip
Hartley" who carries off the prize.
1t will be seen from this brief summary of thu
incidents that the plot is worked up admirably
for the benefit of Mr. Clarke's peculiar line OF
business. But, aside from this, the play is ex-
celleptly written, the language is choice and ele-
CANT, the repartees are sharp and pointed, and
at no time during the performances is there q
superfuous sentence uttered. In short, Fo1
and Goose, independently of the laughable
comicaltes of Mr.. Clarke, has decided claim to
favorable consideration on its own merits, and
Mr.. stockton is to be congratulated on his sue
cess.
Mr.. Clarke's rendition of the part of 'Youne
Goslipg," as we have already intimated, i:
admirably grotesque The different situations
into which he is thrown demand in turn toucl
of 'Major Wellington de Boots, "Toodles'
and 'Bob Acres" and this rich and rare medley
of mock-heroism, drunken palaver, and arran