The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-10-18
MU EN- E NTs.


The Fifth Avenue Theatre.
Under the title Of "Moorcroft, or the Double
Wedding" the long promised American drama. by
Mr.. Bronson Howard, was last night produced at
this house. There was as Is usual at first nights
in the Fifth Avenue. q crowded and brilliant
audience waiting in deep expectation for the ad.
vent of that novelty that is ever coming and
not-the American drama. In some respects,
at least "Moorcrolt" may with justice claim to be
American. The pictures Of life II presents are
certainly not drawn from any foreign society, and
we may venture to hope that Americans pur sang
win fail to recognize themselves in the mirror Mr..
Bronson Howard holds up to nature. Yet we must
do the author the justice TO say that there IL
grain OF truth In the crop OF characters
that spring up before us; but we are fain
to hope that the nature OF the fruit Is so distorted
in the samples he presents that they by no means
fairly represent the product known as the Ameri-
can man and woman. In the nrst scene we are
presented to an honorable specimen OF the chival-
rous South, who tries to sell his brother as
q slave and afterwards to murder him,
the last nlial act being rendered impos-
sible BY stap inflicted by the intended
victim. This INCIDENT brings down the curtain on
that ns G ss se PLAY may Ss ys Old
- s;s is ~ is 3 sf$
occasion 70 acknowledge mis- obligation to Mr.. John
Hay for the IDEA OF his play. but he forgot
Sas ann ne ns Ia was
the Infamous Slave law, which exposed refined
and cultured persons Of color TO the danger OF
being sold into slavery In so far as 1t touches
the bred Scott decision we believe che point has
been Illustrated In "Uncle Toms Cabinn In q still
m has Tnus we see that Of the new
drama 1t cannot lay claim to much orig-
nality so far as the invention Of the
underlying, life-givng Idea Is concerned. It. how
ever, diners sufficiently In treatment to justify
the author In claiming II as his own, and we DO
bis claim The play is divided into four acts. The
second has little or no connection with the main
plot. and the fourth Is little more than an exh
S Ss m aRReA upholstery and man we'd
so sns part Of the modem arsma that
we have well nigh lost the right to protest. And
as dramatic authors have lost the power
justice that the costumer should come TO
his aid TO educate us through the eye, since the
dialogue Of Mi. Bronson,s play. There is
not q sparkle in II all The comedy Is the
Sss sH0 ana a
by an occasional ratricide 1t would be unbearable.
ssence in in this piece, for whenever i Is in
trodnced II descends into the regions or
low farce or buresque. Miss Davenport who does
the authors of modern society plays was thrust
into prominence In the second act as
young American lady-one OF that peculiar
type That at the seaside dresses for a
mornings stroll on the beach as II she
were going to the opera. We were
under the impression that the shoddy people
who are guilty Of this class OF outrage against
good taste were an outcome OF the civil
war II this be SO, 1t Is what OF an anachron-
ism to SEND one OF the class to Newport in 1858.
IL Is also rather funny TO see q gentleman ''tip-
pingn the servant with fifty cent stamps in the
same year. But SO that the morning costumes
are rich enough we suppose that
such trnes mast be passed over
as mere matters of detail. Some
of the Incidents IN this play require to be chai-
lenged as snow wing either o lamentable ignorance
on the part OF the author or most reprehensibls
lack OF morality on the part or the society hi
sketches. We wonder Ia II usual for genuemeG
who visit Newport to listen to a conversation
not intended for their earsY or do Amer
can ladies USUALLY Qpen Letters addressed 10 othe