The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-10-29
AMUSEMENTS.
MRS. Bow.rs,s Success Last Night.

Mrs. Bowers's Success Last Night.
Mrs. D. P. Bowers opened at the Academy
last evening, In q dramatization OF Miss Brad
don,s well-known novel of "Lady Audley's
Secret"
We need not recapltulate the Incidents OF
the play, which follows the plot Of the novel
pretty closely. 'Lady Audley" vas the FIRST
book that brought It's author Into notice, and
with her the race of yellow-haired tigresses
first came into vogue. Nothing, Of course, can
make such q character as that of Miss Brad
don's heroine natural. AS matter OF fact, ladies'
In the nineteenth century do not change their
names and pretend to be dead In order TO
marry, under a new personality, wealthy and
credulous old baronets; nor do they throw In
convenient first husbands down-wellsa and Try
to burn people in their beds. consequence
the presentation of such a character on tne
stage cannot be said to be, In the higher and
artistic sense of the phrase, holding the mirror
up to nature. But there are tragic elements
In such a conception, nevertheless; and what
ever we may think of the propriety Of import
ing Medea into the midst of the unromahllc
civilization OF the presentd day, it must, at least,
be admitted that Medea, In an English manor
house, might be expected to behave very
much d la Lady Audley.
And 30 We may say that, granting tne Toe
of the t~awnydressed fend to be a legitimate
one, it could hardly have been much better
expounded that 1t was last evening oy mrs.
Bowers. Her stage presence Is fine and I'M
pressive, her figure ls good, and her gesture
and elocutIon are natural. correct and mar
monious. Her voice, too, though the remains
of a severe cold impaired its fullness and
truth last evening, is strong and musical, and
capable of artistic meditation. She was COOL
ly received at first, but as the dramatic pas
sion of the play mounted towards Its climax,
..the cunning Of the scene" woke the slum-
berlng sympathy of the house, and at the
close of the second act a long-sussained ap-
plause brought the. actress before The curtain
From this point EDWARDS a steady growth OF
power was manifest eliminating, perhaps, at
the close of the third act, when the maddened,
guilty, foe-tracked woman rushes forth to
burn the cottage which shelters her enemies.
The brlet fourth act, which ends the play,
furnishes some striking tableau1, but hardly
lutensiaes the dramatic situation. The cur.
tain fell finally, leaving the audience evident
ly fully satisfied, and Mrs. Bowers was again
called out.
In her strictly tragic acting Mrs. Bowers de-
serves very high commentator. The lighter
parts of the role were not quite 30 successful
The vlvacity was somewhat more forced thar
natural with so versatile q character as Lady
Audley's is meant to be, and the effort In this
direction was rather too apparent. But on the
whole we are inclined 10 prefer Mrs. Bowers
to Janauschek, with whom sheshas often been
compared. or this, however, we can Judge
better when we nave seen her In "Ellzabeth'
and s.MaIy STUART rs -
The support was unusually good asa whole
Mr.. McCollom Is an actor OF merit-easy. natu
raj, and not over strained. Miss Rich as Ahcto
Audley and Mr.. Nichols as Luke Marks, also
contributed efficiently to the success Of the
evening.
The house was q full one, but not as crowded
as 1t certainly will be tonight, and as Mrs
Bowers's talents deserve. We desire espe'
oially to call the attention of the management
to the dIsgracefnl conduct of the gallery. The
noise and rude laughter in that portion Of the
house last evening was simply intolerable. i
the gallery cannot be prevented from annoy
Ing the rest of the audience It had certainly
better be closed.
Anderson, the uIusionist,
Is making a tour Of the principal Southern
cities, and is announced to give a season o.
three nights, at Hlbernian Hall, commencing
Tuesday, November IL. The principal fea'
lures of his exhibition are the sleight of hand
Illusions, introducing all the latest novelties
of the necromantlc art, the serial suspension,
with novel and startling effects by Leona An
derson, and the plano performances by Pro
lessor shubert. At the conclusion of each en-.
lertalnment one hundred presents will be dis
trlbuted among the audience.