The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-04-19
AMUSEMENTS.
schtIler's Robbers.


SchtIler's Robbers.
Tonight q number of amateurs will give, In
the. German language, the above-named
famous romantic tragedy, at the Academy OF
Music. The proceeds of their labor Of love
will be used toward the liquidation Of the debt
resting on the new German Lutheran Church
In King street; and what with this good pur-
pose, and the great pains the manager md
the amateur actors have been at to bring the
Robbers worthlly before the public, to say
nothing of the interest of the play itself, we
have no doubt that a large audience will I'LL
the Academy tonight. The German is famil-
lar with Schiller's play from his early child
hood; bnt as 1t is not improbable that many OF
our native readers may not have such q
thorough acquaintance with this, one OF the
chets-d'oeuures Of the great German poet anu
dramatlst, we will give a brief outline OF the
plot:
The hero, Karl Moor, is the eldest son Of a
nobleman, who is supposed to have lived
| about the middle of the last century. He 10
introduced to US as a student at one Of the
| German unlversities-had been pretty wild,
fallen into bad company. and alter having re-
peatedly abused the kindness OF a very 1ndul.
gent father, found himself hopelessly in debt.
He writes a repentant letter to his fond pa.
rent, but his brother Franz, (the villain OF this
piece, and perhaps the greatest monster IN
human guise that ever sprung from poets fer
tile braln,) intercepts the letter and suostl-
49,. ....h - m WOO no1nnlotQd Tn lYaS.
perate his weak old father, who, soft as wax
in the mou1diag hands OF the Willy
Franz, dlsinherits Karl. Franz, pretending
to write in his fathers name, answers
his brother Karl, and drives him to despair.
With a number of his companions, all ship
wrecked in fortune, he goes to the Bohemian
forests, and there becomes the captain of q
robbers band. Magn'fcently heroic robbers
have ever been the poets favorites; and Karl
Moor is endowed by the young and entnustas-
tic Schiller with every manly accomplishment
conceivable. Although the chief of robbers,
he has nothing whatever of the thief or robber
in him; and withal gives utterance to philoso-
ply and satire-ever bold, keen and incisiVe;
and yet again soft, tender and pathetic; and
In spite of our better Judgment the outlaw
claims our sympathy. For. this reason and
Others, into which we cannot enter In this
brief sketch, this play has ever been very
popular throughout Germany, and most gene
rally has not been permitted 10 be acted
by the ylpilant censors OF the public morals.
There is but one female characteri In the drama
Amelia, (the ward of old Count Won Moor,)
the beloved of Karl Moor. She, like all Schil-
ler's heroines, is highly attractive. In the
course of the play, we are treated to many
of the robber band; a few repre-
sented on the stage, but mostly related IN
camp, after the occurrence, by the partici-
pants. Karrs chatting spirit is not satisfied In
his new career. True, success smiles on all
his undertakings. He rights the wrong, and
exercises the ~strictest discipline to prevent his
followers from degenerating Into common
thieves and murderers. He nevertheless feels
that In tits he is not successful, and that, after
all, the responsibility of the wrong done by
them attaches to him. he longs to see again
his father aud the scenes of his youth. He
Journeys with his band into the .Vlclnl'
tv of his fathers castle. he there
learns that his father is dead; that
his brother Franz is in possession, and Thai
Amelia, after resisting all the Turing wlles OF
this hypocrite. had kept her plIghted troth to
Karl. He, however, deems himself unworthy
to possess such a treasure, and weary OF lie,
determines to deliver himself up to justice. at
her request, he kills Amelia. Franz, after
having been guilty Of every possible enormity,
falls a prey to remorse, and only escapes the
syenglng hand of Karl by committing suicide
snch is a meagre skeleton of this celebrated
and highly interesting tragedy. A regular
critioue would be out of place here. Those OF
our readers who feel curious on the subject
can find numerous scholarly dissertations by
master hands on the merits and dement's OF
this work of art; and to these we beg leave to
refer them.
The Ravel-Martinetti Troupe.
This company gave their final performance
at the Academy Of Music last evening before q
fair audience, and presented an unusual va
riety of comicallties, including two panto-
mines, songs aud dances BY the charming lit
tie people, lie jeuns Ignacto and la petite Adele,
MT. duntley'S WOuuoIiul pnhJo noioS3 ohN snS
usual ballet advertisements. The performances
were well received, especially: the stump ora
ton by the utttlee, Igraclo, anditotmed a fitting
close for TIC highly successful season of the
troupe in Charleston. 70
Owers,,,he Comedian, iiComtng.
Our readers will be pleased to learn that
John E. Owens; the iuimitablei comedian, Is
shortly to;make his appearance for a brief sea-
son at the Academy Of Music. The fame OF
Mr.. Owens has preceded him, and it Is gen.
crafty admittedithat, In that species Of comedy
which he has mhaade his speciality, he is with
ont a superior on the American stage, with
the single exception possibly of Mr.: ;sothern,
in the one character Of "1ord Dnndreary."
Mr.. Owens's humor Is Of the rolllcking, toyial
sort and, In his great character of s'solon
shingle,p as also in 'iThe' Victims '.Paul
Pryn and the other plays in Which.he appears,
his acting is, from beginning to end, one piece
OF continuous and contageousj ollity. he has
lately finished a very successful season in
Baltimore, where his performances were very
highly mentioned by the press. One of onr