The New York herald., 1873-12-23
AMUsEMENS'

Last evening was produced at Mr.. Wa. =.
Theatre the second OF that series OF come.
with which Mr.. Dion BoucicauIt proposes to storh
the Temple OF Fame In these. his later days OF dra
matte repentance. There b q c0olness OF true
courage In the man who deliberately sits down
to keep four theatres in one city going
with the productions of his brain. He
has admitted that to make all his pieces original
would be impossible, considering the time he gives
to each. We are not quite certain whether he
places greater store by his orginalltes than by his
adaptations, transati0ns or "mitations.u Itw0ud
seem that he deals them out as lavishy as he
manufactures them, and trusts that each OF his on
spring will be recognized Tor its own worth and
the mixed question OF its parentage not entered
upon. This s very free authorship, and its cyni-
clsm Is one ofits redeeming qualities.
The exact Gallo source from which "a Man
OF Honorn was drawn or was not stated last
evening. We are, therefore, not prepared to say
how much Of the indubirable success OF the comedy
belongs to the author Of the English version. A
very full and. In every aesthetic sense, ga first
night" house greeted the rising OF the cur
tain, and bestowed applause very lib
eraly up to the end OF the ffth
act, which latter 1t may, though somewhat prema-
turely, be stated ls very Like the fifth wheel OF
carriage in interest to the story The story,
In brlef is the struggle OF man to realize exactly
who he Is and to make himself what will 1T him
for any station-an honored man as well as a man
OF honor. In point Of cohesion the story, as
told in full, is not very strong. 1t opens
with one OF those painful prologues which
consume an entire act and leave you really at the
beginning Of the play: In the prologue we find
Catherine. the wife OF Latour, banker, q good
6ea S se ser sse m boy, AGED three
cessity TOR this piece or cruelty to the innocent,
except the stage excuse for bringing on doctor
tn fal bnr inv hno rda Do
saulieu, win die in q month instead of year, as
that an1 sad young gentleman
is the sudden return Of raymond Latour 70 whom
she was welded after the legally insufficient man
in Ireland, he being Protestant and she Catho-
lic 1t is reasonable to suspect that In the original
story this supposed marriage mar was only promls-
rled and comes to settle an annuity on
Catherine aud 50 cast her OF. His law
the truth to her. and as parchmenthearted law
yers 50 frequently do In comedies leaves her, de-
consulate, as the curtain falls on the prologue
with the invalid patting her little boys head
the b boy y has is his arm IN sling and in the next
posed to eIapse, and the boy of three now looks
q dashing fellow OF s5. He is supposed to be
has has Inherited m the nvalid's money and name. and
is in love with Renee, the niece and ward and
aware Of his relationship with the family, but
formed, In due time. by the soft-hearted lawyer.
as Se as an 9S
of Jacques. At his house the Countess, his sister,
stately old dame. cleanly stolen from from the Mar
forward with her family pretensions to refuse the
suit Of Jacques for the hand or Renee. This Is the
o. the sOsc ia
it, but is the strongest In the piece 1t takes place
g. n 0oa sosne Of nd s extra
father with hiss heartlessnesS and the
father arguing with the son how
him whom the law does not recognize as 1egitt-
mate. 1t ends with the SON, at the request OF the
o p e
to jump over another twelvemonth and land IN
the Tse % as ooa q ad ns
father is the object Of this act. The unnatural
parent has been daobng inst IN stocks Sas and i 50
2! % : his mcssss's the ,, Countess =, depends;
Sf sapa IN sss ssus.ons ss sSon aaS ara ss s
At the close or this act, however, the interest
ceases for Jacques has trtumphed, his lady love Is
Sumoied % ana % what i more % could @ man wants The %
wife II the son WIN consent The ifth act is simply
te. ss ev. sSasa X & esss for ana nothing SfnaGs IS
cleared up II is weighted with Eaudlin mother's-
haif-past elevee without any corresponding adval-
tage. The cast was as foll0ws:-
PROLOGUE
Raymond hstogr Me. i:Iha Mr Il B. Polk
De ssulieu. an invalid iodger in Cstas-
DR.. DepecSe, surgeon Mr. g. sroWne
1nsiCls SrssSsr!s Harry BscIs,s
JacQuote, Q servant MISS blaiSdell
SECOND ACT.
The Marquis de Rosney Latour, an old noble.
Mr.. John Gilbert
snS nossTs ns AGED a4Ty besss rGn
Jacques ds ssuiisu, the son Of Gathains -' DsvAsA
Ramona Latour, banker aged 49, j. B. sisS Poik
cansTias mother q
asrvs,.. an old butler ysssY: Y! r.5s.ss asx,;
The first character which claims attention Is Mr..
Wallack's. He is the soul OF the piece, and acted
tnrougnout with admirable nerve and skill 1t
Nj. f.wallack: Z however, We make the necessary
allowances IN this respect, the remainder in his re-
End He - was shS lover ss tns man 81
aysnaer RI upon his recscfFsnE lasner@ah Tat the
which paseo N.Y. osers has made his o~n sn.
fact his playing last night was OF those pieces
Of character painting which are the despair Of
bad father, had tc deal with very strange crea-
tion, and yet his performance savored OF
actors favorite fault. Anatole Brisebarre was
iog1e he did not lock he in earnest in the
sentimental parts, but that Is more due to the
was more successful. The small prologue part
Of De Saulien, the invalid was "delicately'
played by MIR. 4. M. Holland, who In everything he
does betrays great artistic conscientiousness
The leading female part OF Catherine was
rather insuniciently filed by Miss Laura
Alexander, Q debutante from the provinces.
she was overweighted throughout, and
TINS tno ,oe WAS sv more S
In grace or refinement but does not reach to power
or pathos. Mme Ponisl's Countess was as good
she usually makes these parts the character Is
so bodily lifted rom Robertson that unless 1t can
now be traced to somebody in France
the public will feel rather painful
interest in It, however clever the reproduction
The Renee OF Miss Jeffreys Lewis was fresh, firm
piece OF acting, which pleased us much, 1t is q
pity she has not more to say, what she has Is said
so well. Gervas, an old butler, Is q reminiscence
OF "Kerryn SO that B0ucicault has only
to make his bow to BOucicault for the