New-York tribune., 1874-07-21
THE DRAMA.
UNION SQUARE THEATHB
WITH THE TIDE.

this city The attendance, for wet night sHcceedngA
su,rv I,v >was considcrsbe-th0 theater being about
two-third, fltd Mr.. GayIers play Is comprised 10
prologue and four acts and Is noiaoic Tor tne sim
plicIty " lts story variety Oi it, Materials aud tao
suItaby Of its mechanism to the purpose for when
:, was designed Thu purpose seems 10 have been n.
ample and inmate exbih uOB Of the attributes qualities.
and special accomplishments OF cnamb'fmin AMI
variety actress-Mss kaJe Ma3 hcw-who has suddenly
shot from her former pherc and become hcair"alee-
centrcily,-ningng holden fairy, and sweet domes-
tic pet.--of the Lotta and Maggie Mitchell 0e,crip-
tion. The Of the prologue passes IN the phaa
ASYLUM al Bloomngcaie that OF the subsequent dana
IN and near Virginia manorhouse. Inc heroine. Dben
first presented as wild and unruly ci IN the osphaa
asylom, is .mischieyous as Topsy as rough -
| HarqerN and, to borrow the expressive I'D
| guago OF Tony Lumptin, as loud as hog undr
| a gate" When, however. she has been adopted ani
trained by wealthy Virginia lady, She becomes per-
feet Pamela OF dee0rOus simplicity; AMI IN ths new.
! matured and more sccmly and agrecab3 gus" SO
apses into no greater cccentucy than tbat oi singing
comic songs in character costume, al picnic anl mas
Gueradlng for duful purpose at the lodSinP' OF
Southern colonel In the prologue she has rescued tho
child of her benefacress rom drowning ia the drama
she rescues that same mothers dirug-when grown 10
womanhood and married 10 polished hre eatet-'roa
The meshes OF an intrigue with military LptharoT and
this sho does by turning suspicion upon herself an M
curing temporary odum. These hints suhcIeniT
disclose the plot Of the drama 10 Is not
srilungly novel plot and the spectator Ends that II ~
not wrought out in notably propusiVe, ai"rt' ana
vigorous manner. Portions OF the dialogue halt AMI
are little turgid; and the action u arrested Dy Iher'
ludes for the Illustration OF the heroine Tho keen sense
Of dramatic symmetry fnds strict necessity Tor ihs
nr,iooue and finds itself mlslei and disappointed IA
the lack Of consequence upon the arrest of the o'r
and is bothered by some pucriities OF tah anu 7"m'
violations OF probability. At m early period IN thS
progress Of play, accordingly, attention "Ahdes
or Is dyerted-from the piece, and tastens upon 'na
actress 1t was Miss Mayhem that bad to b'
shown and Mr. Gayler bas devoted his M
yenulty 20 finding tho best way TO show her. Piaj-
goers may be thankful that he has lounu means "'
doing this without mixing his heroine IL any pr"r''h
nastiness or without carrying sensational eN1gs'rtoh
to an extreme. His play is not altogether pf"oah'.
coherent or compact, and IL Is so largely piece OK
theatrical tailoring that cannot be sad 20 have much
life OF its own. For Mss hayhow it was mddo ana ~
Miss Mayhem it is inspred-with pretty md'h al ina
ardor that it is capable Of eNerting Thi' is tiln
little lady, with a neat figure and glad race, splshtF
as the Iid and merry running water. ste docs n''
always pronounce words correctly; her mann"t
ia not elegant; and the tone OF he'
mind is not the tone OF mtelertul FUN"
m ent. But she reveals in huhuIeH H'e
WAYS a good and winning nature aud her actions ara
full of the wildwood eraces OF health ana TIE Joyous
relish of fe Her mimenc talents, also ore unnsua'
and remarkable The romp the rustic mapien' Tie
ar t1cial fine lady. the protean theatrical singer and
the genuine woman ennoblcd by mood aud decH oi
sefsacrihce all deneatcd by her WIN the eHcctoi
truth, If always with equal precision OF toueh ana
amplitude of finish. There IL crudeness In her WORK AZ
an actress and II Is disagured by certain disageeab'
manherisms but, in spite of these defects and IN sps
the fact that the obvious limitations OF her nature
sterny prescribe her to the realm oil Voi"te
eccentricity takes rank among the ehnraceriShe
performers OF the American stage and u genuine ana
positive theatrical attraction Her success with the
10. "a. d al = A
al apparent lcllque .was decided She Is not likely To
surp ass the popular vogue OF either Lotta or Maggie
Mitche-the latter Of HON she resembles Out sue "
destined TO much prosperity in their DOMAIN Among
the players who co0porated with NJ s MIyhe"
last night the only one notably DISTINGUISHED him-
self was Mr. W. IL. Lytette who acted negro servant
with much adeity to a truthfully humorous IDEAL The
cast comprised Messrs. s. shortey H. Iach, henr,
Dalton F. Percy-and neck-te-D. Barclay, III. b. Ions
dale, Mrs. f.. lie Brun, Miss Imogene Nandyke' MI"
Thorpe, Miss Mary Davis, Miss Marie L. Brnn' Ait
Madeleine Harry, Miss NJ. Lockwood, and Mss E hob
inson Most Of these have not boen heard OF before
and their loss to the stage would not Dc the cause oi
public lamentatioD.
Mr. Gayler..whatever were his original aspirations
has become under the pressure Of circumsnoes-iha'
Is TO say OF experience and the spirit OF tie age-'
practical dramatist He writes plays with view to III
the capacities and pecuari,!cs o; certain selected
players and TO suit what he believes to be the taste
certain specific classes Of the play going public hh
pieces are thus manufactured as matter OF business
and out OF necessity OF reaching practical results
and not of spontaneous impulse and the necessity
Of dramatic art PLAYS that are rooted In the purpo''
and coored by the spirit denoted In these facts do not
and manfestly cannOt-partakc OF the power and th'
quality OF creative genius. They may, Indeed contain
attul flashes from that Interior nature of the "lei
which is himself at his best and they may be petyadec
by the warmth Of talent that is set a1dne by Industry
Blu since is the motive OF barter then
| will
ary rank obscure. Nothing high or permanent
| in any branch OF literature ever yei
! produced save out OF that grouudsWou
| euotion-cOmDning eamestness, power nTe' Heo
| DOM and grace-wlich is the soul OF tie arus"
life. Certain popular tastes may be n.y. VIVID
out the excitement c his emoon and 1t Is To ht Ger
tain current popular tastes that Mr. Gayler has aoed
lie is not alone in this method OF authorship / Is u"
custom Of the time IL copously illustrated by hr
| Watts Philips Mr. Augustn Daily, Mr. Birtej
| Camubeu and Mr. J. ". McClOskey. The late MT
Dc Walden, we remember, used 10 argue tha' u h''
! been ana must be, the custom OF aI ume; ane
he was wont TO affirm that even Shakespeare "ro''
| for the actors and the notwithstanding ""o'o'"
| 81, the same prnciple that evolved "The seven Sl'
| tersv There are a great many people IN 'n'S "'''
who look upon art as upon everything e'e' as o's
,o,ter ~ saving wood II you have stout horse ana
shorp saw you have only to keep on saving ana Sou'
| :. othelop or your School for Scandal" OF 20"
| Z" Chlde Harold" or your In MemoraW' vi !O
" History OF Civilization" will drop AT last upon ''
literary wood-ple. There are other people VINO p
ceiye the fallacy OF ali such views ana the Iu'iN "
such practice. Gayer, we doubs not Is Que o' ms ms
| class. These remarks are not intended 'u p' 'p
| disparacement TO him. The time was, when-Oului"s
| on a foreign basis, but needing genuine inspr''i.'
! he wrote the fine comedy OF " The Magic "
rlage :" a piece worthy TO rank with Mrs' bA'en'u'
selfp and with the few other original plays that eOu
nttf a NJ