The New York herald., 1873-12-04
Woods Museum-Mr. Owens and His
Company.


Mr.. John E. owens cannot be said to be known
py the company he keeps. He is good and it is
bad, but the evil associations do not appear to
have corrupted the goodness OF his artistic man
ners. Perhaps the reason is that the troupe ac-
companies him in his travels, but is not an accom-
panilnent to him in anything else. Last evening
he appeared at Woods Museum as Major De Boots
and Soon Shinge. In the last mentioned charac-
ter he is exceedingly well known here; in the
former not so well. His Solon Single is a realistic
portraiture OF q Yankee farmer full OF unconscious
Quaintnesses and laughable idiosyncrasies. 1t Is
as rough and crooked as an overgrown
potato knotted with excrescences, and has
a not unpleasant 6svor OF the fields.
1t is q genuine bit OF human nature.
as human nature appears when subjected to cer-
tain bizarre conditions which may be discovered
by any one who chooses to peer patiently enoughl
among the obscure farm lands OF New England. II.
il is tnctured with carcature, the caricature is to-
the supstratum OF the character what blossom,
artifcally enlarged is to the original lruit In this
impersonatIon Mr. owens has so long been acknow-l
edged to be perfection, and has been seen SO re-,
peatedy in this CITY, that It is next to mpossible
newness. The creation is as peculiarly his own as'
that OF Rip Van Wrinkle is Mr.. Jererson's or LordA
Dundreary Mr.. Sotherns, and he has so often
added to its symmetry by fresh accretions that, WEI
opine he does wisely Dy now letting 1t alone. In,
his expression OF Major De Boots he Is not 30 suc-
cessfn II is ungracious and unwise to nabitualiys
make comparisons, and we hope we shall nos
I've accused OF dong 80 Wnen we say thaes
the very iorcble impersonation given by Mr. John
$. Clarke to this character renders 1t almost Inn
possible for any other artist to achieve great suc-
cess In 1t. The material OF the role presents vast
temptations to burlesque but, since EVERY body 's
Frend' pretends to be comedy. and, therefore,
o represen tatton OF social fotbles, the yielding to-
such temptation Is fatal to the spirit OF the play.
The moment we touch burlesque we touch some-t
but quite as much without the pale OF actual nu-
manity as Caban or Ariel For portion OF TINS
iault In Mr.. owens Major De Boots the playwTlghs
40 ot,o a oanoa araar buf lover
OF truth in acting would have forgiven Mr. OVENS
for exscindng all such passages as maae .,avssIyl
Indispensable. Stll, let us remember tnat ne Dur,
sioTial the humor ia generally unforced, there
tore unextravagant. The cneck when ~ .ne i,l ngv.l
puts upOn his troublesome and DA1dpCpOS iaugnl
as spontaneous as tns nug arts of the nerrorm
ance are lubricated brings II into sympathy Win
se verai genial eccentrics whom most OF us'remem-
her 20 he ve met. The same bill Will De reta1nedi
Suring the week Mr.. owens engagement endingi
on Saturday nght'
o,x,rn,c Thcatrc-"The Marble HearA',
last evening sThe Marble Heart" was brought
ant at the Olympic Theatre, with Mr.. Edwin Adams
as Phidias and Raphael It is one Of those won-
derful French plays which are full of brilliancy
and batAos. II s almost too late In the day to re-
mark that much OF the dialogue 10 witty and mach
OF the moral maudlin. 1t Is as full OF points as Q
papcr OF pins ana as full OF shock as chevaux-de-
rise and in t the voice OF morbid passion heard
with different degrees OF l0udness, from the sickly
sweetness Of tue music box TO the d1gnined thun-
der OF the vrchestrlon. Mr. Adams has frequently
acted the part, and uses In IT his nne voice To
pleasing and passionate effect. The part OF Marie
was played by Mrs. G. W. Walcot whose fngenu,
BUSINESS was somewhat too mature and whose sim-
plicity was tribe too laboTed. As a whole thd
play was fairly performed. 1t will be repeated
throughout the week.