The Portland daily press., 1871-03-06

The magnificent audience that collected at
! the Music Hall on Saturday night was gather
! Cd together to witness an iapersonation OF
\ character that has become werld-renowned.-
Owens "Solon Single" is an artistic creation
that takesI rank with Jeferson's Grip Van
Winkle," With this difference in the two char
| acters. "Solon Shingle" has prototype in
class now almost extinct that is forcibly recall
ed to the minds of many of our older citizens
when they witness Owens in the part. "Trip
Van Wrinkle" is an ideal creation conceived
| by Irving and delineated by Jefferson The
one is tangible, the other idealistic. "Solon
Shingle" as portrayed by Mr.. Owens is worth
travelling miles to see. From the first sentence
of Scion. "why Mr.. Winslow, haow du yu du,"
to the falling Of the curtain the house is kept
in continuous roar of laughter, while at the
same time the eye is kept continually on the
alert to catch each word and gesture, every one
of which is so natural that it seems impossible
to detect a single exaggeration. No wonder
Dickens called this impersonation "most Wv.
id development of character" A man who
could give such representation of "Justice
Staveleigh" as Dickens did without the aid Of
costume or cosmetics was best Calculated IN
judge of the excellence of Owens "Solou Shin
gle The shrewdness of feature vet evident
childish simplicity of conference.-the the
onlldlike and bland smile of the Heather
Oninee'-the working of the quid in the
mouth, the feeling round for the spectacles
wn'ie you knew all the time what he is feeling
tor' thew wipe OF his mouth with the sleeve Of
MS coat, the gathering up of his coat skirts
with his peculiar yep" when he seats him
self-the long string around the pocket-book,
tnese are only few of the noticeable points
That go to make up the remarkable whole
WSy, there were old lawyers in the audience
Saturday night that could recall the names
OF former clients, now dead and gone, that
Owens brought to mind. Curtis says that
the actor lives only for his generation; that
Garrick, or Mrs. Siddons, or Mrs. Old
field, would no doubt fail to interest the
present throng of theatre goers. But neverthe-
less we read of the successes they achieved, we
treasure their names in our memory, and the
actor who can transmit his name to posterity
has surely reason to feel proud. So with
ovens "Solon Shingle." The class he nor
trays may become extinct and the actor pass
away, but after generati DDS will read a do.
"a
try and how Owens drew the most cultivated
people to see his representation.
The play Of the "Poor Gentleman is zoo
we'll known to require any abstract of the plot
at our hands. Mr.. Ovens "Dr Ollapod" is, |
to our thinking, one of his most enjoyable por-
traltures. "Dr. Ollapod" is a man OF low
breeding with certain quick wittedne and
dash that renders him tolerated in the English
country society of the times in which the p,av
was written; man who never .ssiDks the
shop and whose best Jokes are the ones he |
narrates at his own expense. To the imper-
sonation of this latter character Mr.. Owens
brings all the irresistible humor that is denti-
fed with his name. His ''thank you good sir, |
l ows you one" is inimitable, clinched as it is
BY that peculiar glance of the eye that con-
vulses the spectator with Laughter, and his |
scene with Miss McTab, where he induces her /
to take q walk end assures her that she shall |
clear the stile without any sacrifice to her |
mcdesty is a most delicious bit of humor The |
support was very good, Miss Flood giving an |
especially fine Interpretation of"Miss Lucretia |
McTab." Mr.. Norris was fair as frederick
bramble," and Mr.. Broughton was admirable |
az the wooden-headed, honest "Humphrey /
Dobbin." We cannot zee how the weather
would justify Frederick Bramble in wearing a |
fur cap and Sir Charles Cropland an overcoat /
when Miss Emily Worthington was attired in
muslin dress; neither is it considered correct
Tor an actor to pronounce duty "juty." But
these are minor defects