New-York tribune., 1870-01-08
THE DRd M.
MRS. wALLER's MIG MERnrrrEs.


of It's frat periormanoewo briefly referred to H. Dor.
witness to the remarkable excellence Of Mrs Waller Hs
MevTes lively sense Of the signal merit Of that per.
sonation now leads TO return to the subject Por
the play itself a very few words may sufico
IL ia not one that greatly deserves to detain
| attention IL is musical drama, in three
acts Its character hybrid. It consist,
partly action and dialogue and partly OF music. The
element in IL In some respect bore
Some Of the music Is commonplace, and In several
stances it materially impedcs the movement Of the play
The vocal business at the close Of act FIRST for example
ia clumsy and silly; WHILE act second, at least three
fthe songs dragged IN by the head and shOudeu
while the action Of the drama halls We aliude TO H>ry
Berrdm's "Be mine, dear maid" DdHdH DtHSO'Ts
without O companion" and Gabriers Safely follow
him" There Is old anecdote Of an irriiated
diner. who told walter, at a slipshod inn thai
he preferred to have his butter on ono plato
and bis hairs another. Its application bsrs
s sufficiently obvious Drama and Music are distinct
ma ter aud each best by itself When this adaptation
OF Guy Maunerng made, however, musical plays
were IN fashion They still have their admirers and
although piece which, by step after step on the ladder
elimination. unchecked TO its climax greatly
preferable. aud fills indeed the only sound Ideal Of
OF dramatic art yet assuming at the outset that
the action Of the drama is every and then to pause
till somebody has song or played on hddle' even
this hybrid sort OF work be enjoyed. Lot Us
say. too, that the musical part OF the perform
ance as given at Booths Theater, presents several
features OF eminent merit The opcring gee, The
winds whistle cold" is delightfully."- sung, and 30 Is Fbs
chough and crow" glee act second though eir effect
would the appearance Of certain OF the cho
rus singers little less Dutch Especial commenda
ton likewise, is due to Mr.. Arthur MatthsOn, for ths
expression and polished style OF his singing But
the aud most touching biz Of music Ia the piece
to TASTE the simple cradlesong which Meg leries
herself sings Henry Berrdm IN order that his heart
may awaken sounds OF other days. Mrs. Waller exc
| cuted this with admirable finish, and made 1t sadly
pathetic or the instrumental part Of the musical per
! formance Mr.. Moenhsuer has the direction; and he
! conducts 1t with genuine ability and taste
Leaving St. Ceclias affairs, we turn TO the dramatic
| element, with which we more particularly con-
cerned This IL not exceptionally strong, either In
the play or In the novel on which 1t is based. What
| there is Of IT, however, has been well developed
| Sir Walter Scott himself is said to have had hand
/ in this adaptation, which was made by hr. Daniel
Terry in 1876 and was first played 10 that year, a,
Covent G0rden Theater in London The construction Is
simple The plot OF tho play departs particulars
from that of the novel, yo, suggests the latter In outline
and reproduces its strongest points OF Interest and ELECT
The language plain sensible mostly suited to the char
acters and generally unpretentous in style It's CHIEF
defect is certain stiff angularity. Act first
Is expianatory-aud duh. Acts second and third
carry the story to climax; are h'eP
and varied with incisent; and vigorous in spirit
The three acts together show how Henry Berrdn, the
heir Of Eangowan. was protected against the wicked
Vaccinations Of his enemes restored to Ills nghtial
| Inheritance and happily betrotned to the proptous
object OF his love All scotts readers aware that
tins good fortune was brought about by the fidelity and
the kindly Of the gypsy vagrant, Meg Aerrites'
who had nursed Henry BeTtrdm when he was an INFANT
and whose love for him commingled mothers tender
ness with OF feudal yassal's devotion. 81 was
born" says Me0 to raise the house Of Eangowan from
its ruins" II was wise device to make this oracuar,
! picturesque and deep-hearted gypsy the central
parsonage In the play She the most graph character
involved and almost the only one OF importance Dan
die Di,Hon Dominic Sampson and Dtrek HdAerdiek. 10
true are parts that worthy Of good players bus
all the rest Is, emphatlcaly, "eaher and prunea
For Neg MeTres the play provides four scenes In acts
the second and third In the first she recognizes Henry
Berrdn in the gypsy camp, and warns him OF lmpend'
Ing danger In the second she him from the attack
lug gpscs. and thus battles Dtrck Hateraies attempt
to capture and carry him away. In the third she
natures plan for the utter discontinue and fnal de-
! struction OF his murderous foes. In the last-the
famous cave she fulhs that pan but lays down
her life for the object Of her holy and beautiful love-
Each Of these scenes admits Of powerful acting The
moment BEG Heyrles appears, however, she must be
recognized the perfect embodiment OF the character
The part massed in, and allows but little scope for de-
! tail work. All that IL does allow, though, Mrs. Waller
has thoroughly improved. She builds upon distiHvt
IDEAL aud she works with mastery art The CHARACTER
indeed s be largely misunderstood IL mas
! tho happiness TO be free both from the clouds
|
! has traced IL clearly. good aud true
heart capable of the profound and devoted love.
terribly intense nuture-strongy individual and In
dOmtably proud and sefreliant-sn overardent imagn
aon which dominates unsettled brain; these are its
chief clements Meg Merries has borne ali manner OF
grief and hardship Certain graves claim ber tears
she could but weep. knowledge Of dark and bloody
crime has shocked her mind and blasted her life. She
has passed through many bitter trials. But all the
WHILE she has grown In awful abstraction from the com
mon ways OF this world, till, at lastin the haGgard re-
! mains OF her beauty, and in the rags and
tatters OF her miserable garb-she seems the
| incarnate genius OF witch-craft, the mystic
Sybn OF prophecy. Mrs. Waller fills that ideal. Her
makeup for the pert is superb The wasted face ths
blazing eyes, the rigid muscles the bony fingers the Wild
hair the wreched garments-al these signs Of her
hard fe tokens OF her misery and embems Of that dis
ordered Uhch yet is iron true TO distinct and
righteous purpose. Mrs Walters grand dignity OF bear
ing powerfully mpressive-thred It is by ths
lurid excitement OF soul that inspired by
munion with the beings OF another world. But
was the overpowerinR pathos with which she ut
| tered the deep heart of Neg Mefriies that thrilled
us most deeply Holding her staf aud croon.as
she sang the cradle song, while the lurd light
OF madness seemed to fade OF her eyes, the poor soul
went back, as In dream, to earlier aud happier days
The awakening, too, from this revere very beauI
full With frantic energy tho personatOn Informed
from fret TO ostas is requisite but the sweetness oil
| what had once been gentle womanly nature shone
through this and heightened the elements Of tragedy and
pathos. There is nothing in the world more desolats
than the irromcdabe misery OF nge-the anguish Of
heart that looks back youth and happiness from amid
its own ruins. Mrs. Waller painted this, in her ren
derug Of NegS supplication that the walls Of her Old
home might be rebuilt, and herself be remembered
Very fine and touching, also. the lofty altitude Of
spiritual abstraction which the actress attained Ia eH