New-York tribune., 1870-09-12
THE DRAMA AND MUSIC.
THE DRAMA.
WOODS MUsEUM-sRs. sCoTT-SIDDoNs.

fhnf
osrtainment is Woods Museum The word OF promise
orard 20 renovation and cleanliness, has been
rs.,w tept The Museum was never so tasteiuhy
o-eted as It is now. It's theatrical department. was
-, 80 well organized as at present. Hs eAnpieoir
b' bv oro never before so bright and cheerful Here
indeed the observer finds trace OF taWdri-
Snu evor as it were of bears grease and bergamot
-, of Attleboro iewelry. Perhaps that element is
e.able from haunts that devised and designed 10
tity common popular craving Tor marVes ana sehss
t,ons A place wherein are exhibited the car Win
s,y legs the Stone Giant from onondaga' the
~. sumner in wax and the literal he'll OF DR.. Wattss
r,nbook must needs prove rather shocking at times,
!-ensd taste But the Museum is now so clean and
and the dramatic entertainment which 1t offers is
rcommonly good that one is inclined to overlook all
M horrors whether in the chamber or out OF lt-and
ntemplate only the meritorious features.
With the heroes Of antiquity 1t was the custom TO oer
..or,aoe to the gods before going into battle Justs
a. wood makes propitstory offering TO the Muse OF
49, T.si,imate Drama, before entering upon his cam
In ~ Bare-eeged Burlesque He has brought out,
g. The first time in America, Mr. TON Taylors new his
teal DRAMA "'Twixt Axe and Crown" and therein he
hs Afforded an opening TO one OF the moss sincere tai
It'd and aspiring actresses Of the day-Mrs.
TT si5dops This attraction offered for
,ho Nrst time last Monday, when the regular
a0stio season ct the Museum was formally
umepced. In London " Twxt Axe and Crown" has
had long and successful at the Queens Theater,
Jr,neess Elizabeth, afterward Queen OF England. In
Nev-York the piece wil doubtless, prosperously
along TO the end OF Mrs. Seotsddonss engagement at
the Museum. That engagement, we believe, Is TO last
three weeks longer We trust the time will be improved
BY theater- gOers who love good plays "TwjztAxe
and Crown" has already been seen by considerable
sembHes 1t deserves, however more ole attention
1t one Of the best historic plays that lave been added
70 stage literature ia modern times. not only respects
historic authority in almost ai Important matte OF
faot but it swathes is IicLure Of facts in an
atmosphere OF poetry. No |taMkcl leAi. IN be told
that every incident in human yp,ierce has IFS peculiar
surroundings of emotion, ar at tho story of the past
IN oroer 10 DC "nonE .de,-uust not only relate incl
dents but must Wv them with feeling In this drama
"Tw1xt A1e S.nd Crown" Nj. Tom Tavlor has told in
that way re story Of the fate of the Princess Elisabeth
She W.s-as all the world knows, or ought to know
su eced OF treason by the re ming Of England
Ter POpish sister, Mary; and thereupOn harshly
treated. Once she imprisoned in the tower More
than once her life in danger Protestant and Cath
Ole did not love each other very dearly in those days.
and heads often tumbod between them. Rightly there
fore the youth OF this Princess may be said to have
been passed twiXt and crown. She suspected
Of treason. and she heirapparent TO the
crown of the realm. Her situation is very graph
ieally illustrated in this play 1t depicts one
political plot, representative Of many, and
Herewith it blends oye5tory. The of the piece
IS London and its vicinity. TIE time is 1S53545s, years
immediately preceding Euzabeths accession to the
throne The characters "a IN number. The story is
told in five acts The language is, for the most part,
blank The action Is direct end vigorous. The
chief situations exceedingly effective Liberal scope
afforded for picturesque of scenery representative
Of the interior and exterior of English palaces and
manors, and OF the grim AMI crino-hauDted Tower Of
London There is perhaps slight excess of talk in the
drama, and sometimes too much Of "What, hoi" and
here coil and other expressions or that rather face
tous order These trivia! blemishe howeverna work
really accOmpshes the great success Of reproducing
living phase of a bustllug, momenary,~ and romantic
period of hisOry-and tnat by artistic means and with
pOetca adjuncs. Possibly moreover, these would not
appear bemshes if the piece were set in perfectly ap-
prOpriate scenery and O, led with trstcaSs ability
IN every part These conditions not fulfilled at
Woods Museum. Much, though has been accomplished
The scenic artist Mr. Ayres, has treated the tower
subjects with taste and skill and certainly the dramatic
company engaged here-shicE is largely superior TO
either of predecessors IN past seasOnhas put forth
very vigorous effort to GO justice To the piece
What the spectator the Princess Elizabeth loving
and beloved by Edrayd Coytenay Earl of Deyonshire
Sainy beset by the nachuatious Of Gardiner, Bishop
of Winchester, and Simon Renayd, envy Of Philip
the SecOnd-that willy and cruel Spanish monarch whom
Motley has chrstened tie black spider She undergoes
much peril. She langushes in the Tower. Her lover
and herself beset with spies and traps But her in
tegrty Of character and conduct combining with for
al pcrs, and lands her at last the English throne
And this is very interesting historical episode If
the dramats has in particulars, taken liberties
tn the stately Muse. Reading the.past by such lights
these read it very clearly and, the Imagination
being quckened, remember what we read The wise
Eud lovely Princess Ezabcth 'thc bloody Mary the
willy Bishop the still more willy EmbassadOr-tbey are
nJt mere names us any but creatures Of flesh
end blood and realize clearly as we think upon
their motives and conduct the vast and stormy convul
ion through which Professionalism and Freedom estab-
hed themselves in England, more than 800 years ago
Mrs scott-sddons-who, while she did not fulfill the
ndy prOgnOstcaOns that preceded her arrival made
a very agreeable impression ana won great many ad-
prers AS an artist when she here before-persOn
ated the Princess Elizabeth with great deal Of emotional
power and with every requisite attribute OF beauty,
serious sweetness and glsh dignity She may not have
closely resembled the Elizabeth Of fact. That was not
the drama i3easeS fact She certainly
vas IN spirit, the Eii-IdeGs Of tine playi albeit,
ln two or three Of the situations 1t appeared
90 that provision lad been made for
the exercise of greater physical force than
~ delicate a woman az Mrs. scotsddOns can manifest
TIE faults Of the performance were those OF method
Nrs ScOttSddOnss art is frequently faint IN color ana
overTapid in movement. A miniature in watcr-coloTs
may be beautiful, but il viii not show to adyan-
tagc in the glare of the foohts The chief requisite TO
good acting mastery of the art OF delicate cxaggera-
ton. Mr.. scotsiddons has acquired it, She still
retains. moreover. inde5ciDable habit of gig
Cling, which nearly always spoils her naturalness III
merry moments. Her ascrity of imagination as in the
OF act third and her tenderness in the part
ing with C0vteHGy, in act fourth were, however
conspicuous and admirable While the earnestness with
which she merged herself in the character made the
whole performance very worthy and a
really Impressive artistic effort. Her COS
tumes. shouli add were singulaily handsome
and were well matched with her liy-like and pensive
loycnr,s. She was warmly applaudcd on Saturday
cyening-when We saw the performance for the first
tmo-and was once called before the curtain.