, 1873-09-02

MF1CkEA8 B THEATRE,
Mr Bronson Howard's society comedy, "Dia-
monds," was produced ut MoVickcr'a Theatre
last evening. Comedies treating Of society haye
boon remarkably successful Of late there haa
boon rage for them they have boon the FASH
ion, and, being tho fashion, every one won't to
SEQ thom, As general thing. they havo been
witty, bright, sparkling, light Of struo
ture, easy to follow, and 1t seldom took
moro than two hours from the opening Of tho
plots until everybody WAS mado happy. b1r.
uowards production Is not destitute Of merit.
At timos 1t Is amusing, but thero is a heavy
streak running through it which makca 1t linger
tediously. Thoro is tho usual man with wife,
"a man who cares nothing for society,
whlo the wife Ia the h}ayo of fashion.
OF course mattors don't run smoothly.
When sho wants to so to a party ho
prefers to stay at homo and toast his tooa at tho
fire, and whom ho Is determined to go fishing
sho asAs him to taho her to soiroe. As ho
won't go, Of course sho finds some one who will.
There is always somebody around to bo moro at
tentiyo to a mans vito than the mnn himself.
and, in the case at bar, to borrow legal phrase,
there Ia cousin, how those cousins do
turn up at tho most opportune or inop-
portune moments, - and this cousin who,
by the way, had been jiltod by the lady III yoara
gone by, WIS in tho houao OF his miatross
making love to her, partially against hor will,
though sho did encourage him the lcast bit, aa
ho was useful whom her lord and master was out
OF sorta. Tho reader knows TINT tho villain Is
found out in tho last act, and that the man and
woman fall into each others arms, swear eternal
fidelity, tho curtain drops On tho scono,
and tho audience makes tho best Of its
kr t4.A
(O'NeiD, tho wife, Mabel (hIiss Ada Gray), aud
the villaln, John Reddington {Norris), Those
are not tho only oharac!crs: There aro twenty
ono m othors,1a!abont twelve too many: OF courso
Moutollo) fllrta with Perciuai Ja,yis 1Tlovd9: @
Horminie (Alrn. Ella .KombIe) i1irls viii
Tom 1tuesde|1 (oaston), and Miss Corneiia
dsIs yWt& b. qasa Ta9R anfo11 ss ATSS TSs}s
may bo other 1irtatlonB going on but they es-
caI'o our memory just now. These flirtatious arc
Bide-nhows to the main circus. Sometimes tl,oy
are interesting and funny, and again proBy antl
aoTrowful enough.
The first act ii in family mansion whore tho
man and vito and tho yillain mako, and tho
rest Of them put In. an appearance, and
80 through IL, their laughing parts. Everybody
laughs in this aot. Nun, vito. lover, aud tho
tlirts all laugl..-forcod laughs, unnatural loud,
mud STACEY. Mrs. Allen docs her share Of tho
caohinnatlon bottor than any. She is most
natural aud easy, Tho others laugl, as II tloy
woro lirod to laugh, a1ld do nothing; olHo. Thoro
IL too much laughter in tho not, Tor what tlloro
iB to provoke such oxuborant norriment cannot
ho discovered OF the stage. Tho aecoud act III
the kissing not. Everybody klesos everybody oso.
It IL vi improyenlont on tic laughing not. Thea
comes tho third or uIghing act. Eyorybo,ly
slghs. Dy this timo tho inan and vito hayo be-
coma utterly aatranged, anl the lady anu gem
tlen,an lovorB have arrived at tho conclusion
that tho aourso OF true loyo doognt run smooth,
Tho curtain goes down ngaia, and rises to tlls-
close tho gcono Of tho fourth aot olub-room
past seenos Imaginable The h III ao ot onds rnH
The thle tho villain IL dlaoomtltod, ind oyory-
body elso IL malo happy by marriage. or in some
other way.
A. fo< tho aqtlpg. like tho play, It IL good lq4o