The New York herald., 1873-12-30
ANU S E M IS.
Woods Museum-Mr. E. l.. Davenport as
Rover Last Evening.


Museum. That engagement win have secured
one or two pleasant and one or two rather
important results. Among the pleasant ones
may be included the pecunlary advantage which
star and manager alike have reaped; among
the valuable Is to be ranked the reawakenlng OF
interest In certain tme-h honored roles to which
lately time alone seems to have paid that com
pliment. Last week Mr. Davenport appeared
successfully in "Hamets "a New Way
TO Pay Old Debts.n est. Mark" "Back
Eyed Susann and "Jack Cade." Last evening
ne enacted Rover in "wid Oats" This
evening he performs Shylock In the "Merchant OF
Venice" on Wednesday he deneates Damon, in
"Damon and Pythias;" and the remaining even
ings OF the week he devotes to SOLVER Twist,n
portraying we surmse, the character of Bill Sykes,
These selections illustrate the versatility OF the
performer, but do not by any means show him
constantly at his best. Ii the task OF doing this
devolyed upon us we should feel the necessity OF
devising very different budget No repertoire
would be complete, ior instance, which omitted
his Brutus in "Julius Casar," and his Jaques in
"As You Like It." STILL We are quite satisfied to
lake Rover as fairly representative OF Mr.. Daven-
ports talent as u comedian. In the numberesS
times in which that character has been rendered by
HIM in this city we do not like to seek an excuse
for not referring. with some freshness OF
feeling II not freshness or dictlon, to the many
and harmonlously blending beauties which he dis
plays In it, AT u certain point IN his career an
actor cannot with be asked to present to the
public new creations. II he has been true to him
sell and mis- procession IL Is quite enough II he re-
produce the old ones with large proportion OF
that vitality which first won them renown. This
critical point Mr.. Davenport has already passed,
and these demands he more than meets Ii 1t
would be ungracious to insist upon something new
from him II would be still more so to ignore the
strength, the delicacy the refinement, the dignity,
the artistic conscience which distinguish most OF
his characterizatlons from the vast majority OF
those oil other star performers VINO are not without
merit.
Mr.. Davenport's performance last evening was
as brave as 1t was strong, sweet and genial. 1t
was brave because the other three attributes were
maintained and co-Ordinated in the presence Of
very unfavorable conditions The principal actor
voice that has always been remarkable for its
sonorous beauty. The demand made upon him
animal strength and animal spirits and with a
temperament to which JOY Is as natural an ap-
panage as od0r is to the flower. Our remarks
will not be misconstrued into unkindness when we
say that this representation does not require less
effort now on the part OF MIR. Davenport than 1t
did 20 years ago. The WILL the pride, the vanity,
the ambition, the artistic passion of an accom-
plished actor whose triumphs are mostly those OF
the past will do much toward Initiating that
sically tells us is "a wound no alter gladness can
ever wholly heal" But these attributes, united
with all the mechanical and cosmetic arts oil the
stage, cannot do everything, and at the very BEST
under such circumstances. shadow OF pensive-
ness Is apt to fall from the observers mind across
the sunshine OF the actcr's art. 1t was so last
night. Mr.. Davenp0rt's Rover possessed every
beauty which art and experience could give it, and
it lacked that beauty for which no art and expert.
ence can ever completely atone. IL reproduced
the candor, the courage, the nice sentiment OF
honor, the pure cnvalric feeling the generous In
stincts the rolcksome spirit, The innate gentle
manhood OF Rover; and III these respects 1t does
not easily admit to competition the imper-
sOnatiOn OF another performer, OF whom we
can at present think. The good humor that could
be ruflied only by an insult: the love OF pleasure
another's rights or upon sell-honor; the warm
passions whose flow toward sensuaiity was stop
ped and purified by the advent Of Lady Amaranth;
that rich and happy temperament whose exhira-
tion was Chi He'd only by the spectacle Of injustice
and cruelty; all these were very pcturesquey and
finely portrayed not in undetached phases, like ele-
giant extracts from the book OF individual charac-
ter, but SO as to compose a perfectly articulateG
and organic whole, iull OF that symmetry which
thing lacking was that evanescent attribute which
1t would be contradiction TO expect Mr.. Daven-
1t is not necessary to 1nger over any Of the other
roles. Mrs. Davenport acted Lady Amaranth with
TO desire had the auxiliary performers given to
their interpretations as much intelligence as they
gave voice.
Steinway Hnn-Old Folks Concert.
very large audience was present in this hall
last night. The attraction consisted of large
number OF ladies and gentlemen who sang several
vocal and instrumental pieces. which were de-
sgnated on the programme in language supposed
to belong to the 0lden time and, according to the
announcement. every person who attended the
concert was expected to hear nothing but music
OF q century old, as it prevailed in the
New England States. Mrs. Caroline Rich
ings Bernard Is the governing spirit of
this organization. There was some good part
singing last night and one or two well rendered
solos, The voices are naturally good, and the
training of the ensemble Is excellent. But mu-
scal critic can approve OF such desecratOn OF the
divine art took place at Stenway Hall last night.
Without reference to the individuality OF the sing
ers and nstrumentasts an impartial critic can
not but to the conclusion that these old foks'
concerts are not calculated to bring credit to the
cause OF true art. When musical organization Is
obliged to depend upon outlandish dresses, which
by no means represent truthfully the dresses OF
our ancestors, for attraction and use photography
purporting to be that OF a century ago in their
announcements and pretend that their musical
selections are "as old as the hills" when modern
composers supply the best part Of the music, 1t
can only be placed under the same category as the
Woolly Horse the Fill Mermaid Music is too
sacred q subject to be polluted by such humbug.
In the programme was Adams .'Cantque de
Noel," which was so magnifcently sung on Christ
mas Day by Mile. Octave Gomien, and which was
unfortunately entrusted to a tenor on this occa-
sion. We can only designate the musical enter
tainment last evening an insult to the cause OF
real musical art.
Musical n nd Dramatic Notes.