New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-12-17
THE DRAMA.
A NEW PLAY AND A NEW ACTRESS
BOOTHS THEATER-JOHN BROUGHAM's LILY OF
FRANCE-MIsS HELEN TEMPLE.

tIHfe.
now actress, Miss Helen Temple playing tho part Of
June Dare, made her first entrance tho metropolitan
stage. The drama,wbcber viewed with reference 10
its literary workmanship whi1 Il careful and fine,
with reference TO It's scope for the art OF acting, which IL
large and fellcOus,-prOyed to he wor6 Of high Or
der. ambitious essful and Of great aud unusual
melt The actress,announccd without clamor aud pro
sentod without ostcntation-proyed - be- a OF
genuine ability intrepid imaginative, and full Of cnthl
sasm. II is seldom that 40 many elements " benefit
and enjoyment offered TO play goers. az time
combined In this representation. The tcster
well filed, Notwithstanding the preliminary adverse in
! lucnco OF lowering, snowy day and chill and
stormy evening; and tho performance received
with general favor and with than one outburst Of
| vehement applause.
| TIE name OF John Brouebam attached 10 dramatic
composition has long been warrant for It's worth Mr..
Brougham It + true, has and then condescendcd 10
write machine plays for the commonplace order OF pub
| lie taste-producng such pieces "The Lottcsy or
LAe aud "Thc Red Light" But these occasional exp
dent cOncoctOns not the spontaneous ana natunl
products OF his mind and It Is not by them that bs art
Is 10 be measured In this work he has done justice
to bis fine talents and to the higher capacities Of thu
STAGE The keynote OF II Ia the rejection that there
no spectacle more noble and -cyatng than that pre-
sontcd by the great pcrsOnages Of history ia the great
moments OF their lives. Some such Thought must haVe
fitted across his mind when he chose for theatrical is
raton the story Of Jane DGre. better choice c0ud
not well have been made, for tragic DRAMA Wnleh
should be at once grand and romantic, Impressive to
the ina ginaton and touching to the emotions. There
may ne room for deal OF controversy as 10 what
sort OF person Jane Dare really was. Historical schO
ars are not lacking who say that she was much the ~
verse Of ohaste and nuje Nevertheless Il IS certain
that her character deeds experience, and fate were IN
ensey dramatic AMI that her agurc rs II rises In tbs
popular records of history. is beautiful massive
aud mournfuy resplendent. In commonly accepted es
innate the time in which she lived was ono Of various
and turbulent action. Tic country which she saVedana
which permitted her perish was tine most picturesque
in Europe The caIeer which she fulfilled passed from
the lowest 20 the highest extreme of fortuneand through
strange .tterng, fantastic sad and terrible Ficiss
ules She was born peasant rho lived to be greater
than king; and she died martyr great actor In
stirring historic period, she commands intellectual Az
tenton by her character her exploits, aud her achieve
ments. A noble ana beautiful woman-surpasS-
ing in her deeds the herosn and endurance OF
men, and pershng miserably at last because her love
illness and grandeur at once dsnaycd and Inundated
her eotemporanes-she appeals 10 the warmest sympa
thy OF the human heart. Thus In central figure IN story
in historic coorns in number and variety OF CONTRACTED
Incidents action and suffering and In tie Accessories
of time place. the subject contains all the clements
| needful 10 a superb play. And Mr. BrOugham has
proved himself thoroughly equal TO the subject. No
man better tlc capabilities Of the stage, and no
| man has his knowledge more completely at command
The theme Of Jaae Dare has several times been treated
before in dramatic form; but IL has never before been
treated with such breadth Of design, such definite snf
high purpose such rational ingenuity, and such delicate
feeling and taste as are revealed in Mr.. Broughams
| oily OF France"
This in brief Is the outline Of the tragedy The LILY
is Jane so styled the OF her virgin purity and
heavenly innocence. The play tells the story OF her
heroic life and dauntess DEATH in five acts. In act first
June, by what seems direct communi cation from ths
world OF spirits is confirmed In her conviction that she
ia dyinely destined the savior OF her country In
act second Jane appears before the DauphD afterwaFd
King CHARLES the Seventh, at Chnon, and having III
sprcd him with something Of her own martial fire, re-
ceyes his license command his forces AMI raise the
siege of orleans. In act third Jane depicted at ths
head OF the army. She leads attack the English
under TaboL They are defeated. talbot struck down
by her hand. in mortal conflict; and Orleans Is
delivered from the enemies Of France. In
tie fourth act Jane, now tho savior OF
her country, as Pate had ordained. IS beSet by
the monarch Charles the seventh.who owes bis crown
and throne to her yalorwith offers Of adishonorabs
love- She flies the court, protected by Duad, her
cousin. soldier, who has all along loved her.
and followed her They return 20 Demreu her
birthplace, where JLc discloses herself 20 her blind
father IA discovered by English soldier, and is cap
urcd and taken prison sorceress In act fifth Jane
is tried for sorcery before the Bishop OF Beauyes tue
Duke Of Bedford eccleastcs, aud mobiles IL condemned
TO DEATH by burning az tho stake but dies, cf broken
heart The moral Is obvious and tOucLni-a miserable
Geat being the not uncommon fate OF those leaders OF
humanity iwho unsellshy labor for the ndyarcemenE
and welfare OF others. No use is made VI the Slckenlns
physical horror Of consumption by ire.
The success OF this play which certainly deserves q
wide acceptance viii DC found to the vivid force
with which brings out and Eliminates the popular
ideal of the French heroine. Jane Drc has passed into
universal popular knowledge and esecm a woman Of
wonderful genius-as inspired at a great ana gloomy
crisis In the affairs OF country with than hu-
man courage and aror with the prescience and insight
OF great statesman; with martial rage, most lconine
and terrihe and with that glowing, profound, and ire
stbe conviction Of oreordained aud certain success
which the soul OF adersip and the guarantee OF vic
tory This ideal not less inyisorating TO the moral
sense the world than IL is magnificent Ia is imagins-
ton. 1t has steadily done good it Is continually whole
some; and all Efforts disturb il equally short
sighted and futile II Is tits typo o. eranicur-this
combination Of angel WOMAN soldier. and martyrthat
the tragedy exalts. Mr. Brougham has tthen the char
acter he finds it thus broadly mriored IN the public
acceptance amt the skIl process 0t dramatic art,
has reduced distinct symmetrical and graphic form
On only point his conception entirely original and
novel: but that point Is very impor.int one He
makes James conviction that abe is ceesaily ordained
the savior Of France TO proceed not merely from Inter
nalpromptings,-from visions seen b. the eye Of tho
mind and whispers heard the secret chambers OF the
soul-but the direct, positive ana ndispuable eVi-
dence OF her own eyes BY night ut tho witch Elm of
Domremi she is made actually behold the forms OF
the spirits by which her mind IL haunted ana to hear the
voice OF saint Michael commencing her to rescue France
from the clutch Of the savage aud ruthless invader
This device is arranged and employed by apatrioiic
| monk, who thinks he sees, IN The use that
can be made Of her tremendous enthusiasm.
ceraln means Of salvation for hi menaccd imperied
and almost conquered country. THIS inoGh' hmiih
with the various modes OF representing Religious
Mysteries provides the spirits aud directs the i hhefy