New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-11-08
ADJUSTMENTS.
Academy Of Music.

"uC"y VA NAuSlCs
Leah, or the Curse of Intolerance was
presented last night to an excellent house
The mise e', scene was very fair, and the
heroine was very well supported. There is
nothing more painful to witness than the
spirit Of persecution persuing the helpless,
unless it be the innocent wronged by per.
fdy. 1t would seem that the dispensation
OF mercy so much needed by the memorable
creed of Judaism was perverted even to a
more intolerable hatred of race and religion
by those who protested peace and good
will to men. The intolerance of the play eff
Leah is borrowed from or inspired by
that of LA Juive." The powerful trial to
which the Christian lover is subjected is
similar in each case. The devotion Of each
to the faith in which they. have been reared
is the same, though the terrible fate of the
Jewess in the one is substituted by the d. ore
modern and merciful expedient of emigra-
ton to America in the other.
The persOnation of Leah, the forsaken.
displays Miss Western in those contrasts of
violence and the softer emotions for which
she is so well adapted. The fierce passion
which would leave the blind and dependent
of her race, for the love OF an alien in faith,
the shame Of desertiOn and expulsion. the
rage Of jealousy at seeing pe1jured lover
at the altar with another, the fiery ven
geance that intOned curse to blast life
and offspring, all succeed each other like
the tones of some powerful and pathetic
instrument of music. The elocution was
perfect in its distinctness and mOdulations
the tableaux we're striking and the pose OF
the central figure studied lclassic, and occa-
sionally sublime. Certainly, all that ma
ture and artistic expression can give were
presented in the Leah of Miss Western
There is, however, one disadvantage to
which she is subjected-one, perhaps, for
which merely professional excellence is
not responsible. The drama itself is scarcely
worthy of the genius which is employed to IL
lustrate it. We pass the weakness and cred
ulity of Rudolph and the bowling intolerance
of the people restrained by the superstitous
reverence of the cross. The language of
drama is not, in literary sense, worthy of
the splendid defamation, impassioned ges-
ture and majestic figure which pronounces
it. The power and pathos of the maledic-
ton scene demand more terse and sonor-
GUS periods than those provided by the
composer. The genius OF Miss Western
deserves the demonstration of Shake peare,
Sheridan, Sheridan Knowles, Scott, Bull
wer. the classic authors and writers of
English literature. Will she not give US
some specimens OF her power!
St. Charles Theatre.
The attraction at the st. Charles Theatre
last night was the new play of Donald
Mckay, or the Hero of the Modoc War;" in
which Mr.. Oliver Doud Byron appeared in
his original part of Hero, chief of the Warm
Spring Indians, really Donald Mckay, hav-
ing been stolen from white parents when
child. Mr.. Byron makes up for the part as
the reddest Of red men, leaving us to infer
that when Indians steal white child they
in some manner change the color Of its
skin. This, however, did not affect his act
ing, which was excellent throughout and
much applauded. The play is sensational
and full of startling situations. 1t will be
again to night. For the matinee
to-day Ben Mccullough" is announced.
On Sunday evening Miss Ada Gray will
appear as Mercy Merrich, in the "New Mag
dalen."
The Opera.
Tonight will be repeated the grand opera
of Lies Huguenots." Those who witnessed
the performance last Thursday night are
much pleased at it's immediate REPETITION,
as it will be, perhaps. some advantage to
the artists themselves, and certainly affords
q better opportunity fer forming a correct
opinion and more thoroughly approaching
each performance than first performance.
Those who did not attend the first repre-
sentation are naturally DESTROYS of wit
Messing the second, owing to the favora-
bic comments OF the press and the gen
eral commentator of Thursday nights !
audience.