, 1875-08-01
THE THEATRE.
PRESENT AID POSSIBLE.

foF Lae tMaa00 1Ta0t1H<-
The ''Two Orphans" which has had very
successful season at Hooley's, is not great
play, nor does it enume rate IN its my great
actors; but. in our tim g, it is something to say
of theatrical repree entation that it deserves
criticism. Tho actors are well suited to their re-
spectlve roles; the sce merry, costumes, and gen.
era1 accessories, are :ood; last, and best thero
is good deal of rea! ity about it; it has life; it
moves the audience. While it is not the best it
is good enough to SET one thinking OF the best
to serve as text for him who respects the His
trionc not less thar its sister Arts, and believes
in its vide cspabli ties for good as well as for
evil.
The play itself is as q composition,
U.RY UNEQUAL.
When one consid iders the immense loss in
volTed in ordinary TRANSLATION, and the far great
er liberties sugf ;ested by the comprehensive
word !" "adaptato u, this is not at all surprising,
and mskes cii;ici SIN Of the original author i'm
possible. There. Is really only one thoroughly
strong scene in The play-the hesitation OF the
truthful PT1ores in the Prison Of Salpetriere.
There arc plenty Of striking scenes,-notably
the last, where the effect Of Pierre's sudden
transformation is quite electrical-but they are
of the type Of the rudely sensational rather
than the purely dramatic The distinction be-
tween the two makes all the difference between
true Art and In seuious mechanism. Tha sensa-
tlonal ls local. limited to the play and it's charac
ters that wha:h is really dramatic is universal,
in6nite-lt touches all hearts, it outives all
changes. You are spectator Of the frst--you
share and feel the last.
The truly dramatic is crisis in some ex1st-
ence F; it interests me, it interests you, because
d II fa ia E1yTS11oH 49, ~. rIH..
is only tao crisis Of somebody's play uutil you
can persuade Ine that = similar experience ia
likely to happen to me, it may amuse, it may ex-
cite me, but 1t will not deeply thrill or move me
Thus, when Pierre repeats, "We are . family
that Kill. you have 3 feeling like that Of the
child when the terrible lion roars at him from his
cage IN the Geological Garden. You shudder,
you are Interested; but it does not touch you
very uearly,-your anceators did not include that
among their peculiacit:es. But, in the nuns
moment OF agonlzed hesitation, what sudden
ACTIVITY OF TIE 1s1ELLEcr AND HEART!
Today thee, you feel instinctiYely; " tomorrow,
me" Ought Jeanle Deans to have told the truth
at the risk OF sster's lHe7 Onght g1eat-Aunt
Dorothy, when the British demanded of her the di-
rectlon OF your grandfather's dieht-but there
is no need to Parsicular,ze; it is the same old
question: May one deceive an enemy7 Is1t
wrong to lie to an aasassin In Short NAV one
depart from the truth under "peculisr circun,-
Stances? scene which embodles ono Of these
great moral questions il certain to have power
over the multitude AZ to the moral effect of
the answer given by this scene. one is not 80
certain; but its dramatic ef<ct IS very great.
just hero An interesting arises: thin, /
Gallo voice from the seat in trout de- |
elares that the speaker saw tbts play in
Paris forty years ago. II the dates
work are reiiab1e, '' Les Miserables did not ap-
pear till near 1860. But this scene instantly r.
calls the memorable chanter where Jean Vatican |
hides in the chamber OF 6lstar Biuplce, The nun,