The sun., 1873-10-29
THE IDIOTTC DRAMA.

has Of late taken possession Of the theatre. The
burlcsque operas of Onenbach evidence OF
its influence over the lyric stage. The popu-
larity OF Mr.. Emmett, Miss Lotta, Mr.. Sothern,
Miss Lydia Thompson, and others exhibit It's
progress In tho drama. II Ia the natural child
OF burlesque by negro MINSTREL so II may be
called mulatto. The family likeness between
Lord Dundrodry and Bones Is unmistakable.
He Is Bones with white face; we recognize the
cunning simplicity the same self-complacent
giggle-the same vacant non sequit,r In ideas,
the same conundrums. As Mr. Sothern repre-
sents the drawling gait Of the walk around"
Emmet and Lotta are founded on the quick
step Of the breakdown" Dan Bryant com
bines the two. We speak In artistic sense,
and nothing Ia further from our thought than n
wish to offend in terms when we point out that
the Kind Of pleasure we derive from these per-
formances Ia like that Of watching the gambols
OF monkey. The caricature OF humanity is
agreeable to sense OF superiority. This the
most brainless feel while contemplating some-
thing still more branless than themselves. The
lower the audience may be In the intellectual
scale the greater their pleasure 10 the contrast.
But as the theatre 10 an intellectual ana not a
geological place OF entertainment we regard
with curiosity the success OF such perform ces,
not as an instance OF the degradation Of the
drama, but Of the degradation OF the public who
tolerate and Of the Journalists who praise them.
The drama cannot be degraded; the stage may;
the actors may; the journalists may; the public
may; but the drama is no more affected in It's
purity by these exhibitions than the English
language is by the speeches uttered in Tammany
Hall.
Let us take for an example the .o-called COM
edy, "Our American Cousin" When produced
here fifteen years ago II was poor thing enough,
but IL might be called drama. Now Mr.. Soth-
ern presents IL altered and misshapen Into n
platform entertainment In which he Ia almost
the only spokesman-a frame to contain a carl
cature, a mere dramatic horse collar through
which new kind of clown can grin. Observe
the weary forlorn way In which the performers
await their cues to speak the few words that
feed Lord Dundrcdrv with his ne1t joke. Have
you seen the expression Of patient suffering on
the face Of the dog Toby while Punch Is using
him IA something to speak at? That same mel
sncholy protest is visible on the countenances
Of the actors who support Mr.. Sothern in his
most popular pieces. How sadly they wend
their way through the dialogue! With what
wlstful, upturned eyes they salute the curtain at
the end They are not less humiliated than we
were when we found ourselves on leaving the
theatre inyenting excuses for having been
amused.
We have no objection TO the thing itself In its
proper place. But its proper place is not under
the same roof with Shakespeare. Sheridan, and
Goldsmith. Last week wallack's Theatre was
occupied by " Lord Dundreary = this week It is
occu,ied bv "sbe e,oons 10 copouer" Tbere
a Ltnd ., .r,ts,tc iiasrho,y In h,,rctr,
,hss. two nor,orrance. int con,ac, and no
o,a Lnows tha, halter ,ban Nr John Iester
wallack. To what base has he not brought
his fathers house2 To what condition has
he reduced that family OF artists assem-
hlcd under tho old mana care and an
.roct,ona,o,v tnour % "w,lIact,s oud,erce,,
.s {" WaIIack,s comnanv;r Ua b,. dishandea
~. ,rooo .,d dsiiye,od ove, tho ,hes,ro % .uch
o,,,or.a,n,ron, =. ,,.o h,yo doscr,ho, NJ, naIy
:, - ,,,,,h -, -t,.,., ,,,,,,,I,, ,o-.otros
a., ,,.,,,,,a. ii ..,,., ,ho e,,,a-,..t, ,y
..,..., 81. -. 49,, ,-.t,.','. !. -. ~ 49,
-. y 'le "'' "ss y W" ~. W"
~ NNN'N ''.- 20 ~ -. ,,,,u
-, W.. "i ~ ."." ,,' ..'''
"'
,"v '',""' -'u 80 "a' ., r'''' p'e.'s'
D"y
'V9' '"NN =" "H
sA''s anu "e" S'""N VI a''"e. " "'e ~, w. "'s'
ern mas pceh mo""po"aIns ""'aoA ihea''e
win 'ne luio'i0 p'ai,"' -ui. Daiy u"s pe'n EN'ns
inc s'an""u oo"ou'.s VI SnuAcePeale' Noh-
ercNe' i"quhur, anu Sueriuuh' luz ISSUE W.
tween these rlN4l MANAGERS mas peeh ueoiueu oS
the pubho W"hln the last month tue NerulV'
mas ueeh unah'Hous' four weeks ago mlle'
Aimee at the broadway Appeared IN 'dlouc
opera' MISS Lydia thompson at the oIympc lh
ldioto burlesqne' Mr Lhinet IN the iuiouc
drama MAX ana MI sotherh ih TWO iulouc
'"hedles' bat"ise nooA anu inc buirah-
pooter' Inc sighai ialure Oh all these attempts
cannot pe "orioeu 10 tne oauhess oi 'he tnhes'
TOT AZ the same ume booths Ihea.re was IN
capanle oi auml'1lhg 'ne oto"us una. Naihiy
sought places 10 witness 'he s'ihple "ho'eson,e'
out 'nreano"re en'er'an,nent "noIueu oS ar.
'eh''s"h III MP 'a'i " .iN'' NsNef u"''
'"'s ul"'i,'n' ms '' " H'uoA ',le 'ao''
.'e"y ''','"e W e'.'' V"o 'ie'' ''a. "' "ae
-, ,.'.',s. ~, -, ,,, ,t,','a'. 49,,
.'..,',t,.. 49,, ,o,,,,1.- ,h.ona IA ,,,,sso, 49,,
-, ht 90, ttan,,,,,, o., IT., ho,.orar a.,
.o,,,h,n ,,raI had 80, a ,n,s,ross o.,,ad ,h.
na,,a,o, nrar,. an,,o'a, ,,ro.an.a ,,a.,ao
So, ,h. so,,,,i,, ~, hts ,.o,,,, d,.n.s,,,
| uha,h.. ,h... ,o,.,,.,,,,r n.I...,,, ,i,
r.turn "a NJ w.i,a.L 20 ,ha s,a,o nr mo-, ,,,s
.nno,,no.u,an, ,h., n. x.,o,,,d ras,,,,a hts ala
no.,,,on -, ,or,m.,d Us rocoiyod hv NJ, VII
| ,,h hoort, ,,Ioa.,,ra 1hora 4. ,hIn, IN a
80. to-, a, W. o.r,o, dc astda ,La nas,
! I,,,o an oid carmen, ana 40 we f,lt as wo az