The sun., 1872-10-03
IMUGEHENTS
Opening Of the Winter Season at Wallack's
"A Charming New Comedy.

q
A Charming New Comedy.
An army of workmen, numbering over
one hundred, setting to work on Monday morn
ing, were able by Tuesday evening to change
wallack's Theatre into brightness and beauty
almost as miraculousy and suddenly as Gdldtd
In tho play OF which We now write was trans
formed from marble statue into aliving woman
The audience was az numerous "a II Is wont to
be at the opening Of n season at this house, and
moro than the usual interest was felt, from the
fact that the comedy to be brought out was new
and had earned an excellent reputation In Lon
don, where IL was played at the ilaymarket the
better part of n year, and also because thero
were to be several first appearances.
Mr. w. S. Gilbert, the author OF the comedy OF
"PygmaliOn and Galatca, had evidently deter
mined to avoid all hackneyed plots ana trite
situations, and to give the public something that
should be new and interesting. He made the bold
experiment of going back to the Greek mytho-
lOgy for his subject, selecting the familiar story
of Pygmalon, but not even adhering to that
with the slightest fidelity, for Pygmalton was 2
king, while he makes him poor sculptor, and
bcrt's hero casts her on.
The tale, as Mr.. Gilbert constructs II. Ia as fol-
F'pgrndlton, an Athenian sculptor, has fashion
ed statue Of Gdldtod with such consummate
work, and prays the immortal gods TO give IL
life. Ills prayer Is granted, and Gdtdtc1, awak-
ening To consciousness In mortal hfei eagerly
questions her creator concerning the attributes,
pains, joys, and duties OF the novel existence
She Is animated by one overpoweTing all-c9n- con-
trolling sentiment-love for him. His vile, who
also deeply loves him and IL as warmly loved in
return, but whose nature Ia Jealous and
cruel, Is absent from homo when the
miraculous Transformation OF tho marble
figure occurs, and finding on her return
that his heart has byen touched by the ar
dent devotion Of Gdldted, hurls a curse upon
him, and 10y the exercise Of mysterious power
conferred upon her by the goddess Minerva,
noCent cause Of his misfortune suffers the keen
est anguish at what she has done, and learning
sister MWHic. and In which, with noble self
sacrifice. she inplOres the gods to make him
and true to Cvntscd, the wife, and that his love
for Gdlrtot was but momentary art frenzy
bids him a ,ad farewell, and turns again into
to only nine personages: PBgnnlon (Mr: George
c. Lonifacel; ChrBso', an art patron hr, St%d-
Agcstnos, Chry.oss slave tMr. Il. NJ: Holland;
MiH0s, PygmdliOns slave (Mr. Geo. +. Brownel;
Gd!dted' the statue lMiss Catharine Rosersl
Myrtnic, PDgmdiWn's sister Mrs. FOSTER and
Dplnc, Chrgsoss wife Mime PonisD. The play
third passing in PyGndliOns studio, and the
second In the courtyard outside the house.
nanked by noble pillars, adorned with statues,
flowers, and fountain. and giving a view Of
Athens, with It's Akropolis In the far distance,
Is "a beautiful stage picture. To Messrs. lsher-
wood and Evans special praise Is also due for
the management Of the transformation scene at
the close, where the hcart-Droken Gdldtcd fades
ghost.
The comedy Is In blank verse, but the language
l. simple and DonYcr- atiOnal, rising at times TO
rare beauty of cxprcssi n. The elements Of re-
lined sentiment and Of the ludicrous are kept In
countorpoisc, SO that the play neither becomes
mOnUtonously elevated. on the one hand, nor on
the other, does II degenerate into burlesque. IL
is comedy OF unusual attraCtiVcness, pure la
stNl lie, simple and charming In language, and in
teresting in the devolopcmcnt Of its plot.
ON the whole, the acting is not fully up to the
refined standard Of the plav itself. Mr.. George q.
BOniface, who assumes the character OF IBgmd-
lion, has his own notions of art, and they are not
altogether In accord with the traditions Of Wal
lacks stage, for these certainly point to nature
as the model to be followed, while Mr.. BonifaCe
seldom lays aside a certain munotonous and la
bored way of speaking even the simplest words,
and \ gasping for breath and doubling his vowels,
which are among the vices Ola stage method now
happily last disappearing. The same Is In great
part true also Of Miss Edith Challis, who signaly
fails to reproduce the admirable picture Of the
loving but jealous wife, as drawn by Mr. Gilberts
vigorous pen. Her acting lacks both the refine
ment that should characterize 1t In the tenderer
moods, and the Intensity that should accompany
Miss Catharine Rogers, who makes her first
appearance In this city In this comedy in the
character OF Gddtcd, Is an actress OF unqucs-
tionable talent, and is possessed Of grace and
refinement OF manner, and an Intelligent and
sympathetic appreciation OF the curious and
subtle emotions that might be supposed to ami
mate a being called suddenly into life under the
circumstances indicated in the play The con-
ditlons are 80 extraordinary, not to say impos-
siblc, that an actress needs poetic feeling
and the utmost tact To enable her to present
them in such "A way "a to make them seem at
all credible, And this tact Miss Rogers dis
played.
Mr. Stoddart was a very droll Greek indeed,
and Mr.. Polk looked the Athenian warrior To
the life. Nor was Mrs. Fosters delicate and
womanly impersonation without Its due effect ln
making up the enjoyment Of the evening.
The comedy, we sincerely trust, will have
ennuble the stage, elevate the public taste. and
leave only memories Of beauty and Of pleasure.