, 1876-06-04
The Marvellous Acting Of
Miss Eytinge.
porfor1nances for the Coming
Week.
0eception to Carl Woifsohn..-
Apollo Club concert-'-
Eichhein.
o,o,c1,a Trcker'S Debut---TheO-
dore Thomas Dificulty--'
operate Notes.
THE DRAMA.
CHICAGO. ]

THE DRAMA.
CHICAGO.
TIE TWO ROSES.
aRosc Michel" and Rose Eytinge are worthy
~ further observation and remark. In The
Tptnuss Of Tuesday was told the story Of the
r1,y and some OF the beauties and dement's OF
he performance were barely indicated. Let us
nv examine the drama and the acting more
closely.
uRase Michel" has been built on c1assf cal
model The spirit and genius Of Racine pervade
\. One motive controls the action; one place
,l1oxs it scope; one brief period OF time EN-
braecs it. A study Of the manner in which
these three unities are preserved will give
,encral idea Of the spirit of the play. The mo-
Ire is mothers love, which, in the circun-
,tauces Of the play, becomes fierce, unscrupu-
lous passion. Opponents Of woman suffrage
hkea certain pleasure in saying that women
haycno sense Of justice; that their moral nature
indeed, has been dwarfed by the peculiar posi-
uou Of dependence which they occupy. Cases
Ike those Of Mrs. Belknap and Miss Sweet have
been cited to show the obtuseness Of women to
ordinary principles OF business honesty. Neither
Mrs Belknap nor Miss Sweet, it has been said,
seemed to be aware that there was,
any euormty in receiving, or giving,
ornromising or to give, bribes. We do not pro-
pte to discuss III this place the soundness OF
hollowncss Of these arguments; that does not
come within tue province OF dramatic criticism.
What We do desire to notice is the fact that this
magnificent heroine, Hose NicheI, IS represented
As hing full Of tenderness and affection, unset
fsh, possessed of indomitable will, truthful and
anxious to do right; aud yet she lacks the in
tellectual faculty which alone can INFORM hcr
moral nature what is just and what is unjust.
She does not even make the effort to decide be-
tween the right and wrong Of it, Being crea-
ture Of sentiment, she proceeds on strictly sen
tireutal grounds. The child she loves would
be distressed il hcr marriage should be broken
oil. and rather than have this happen HOSE
Nicad deliberately consigns nobleman, her
friend, an Innocent man. to die an lgnomln1ous
death on the scaffcld. In the end, it is true,
she abandons her daughter, denounces her hus-
hand, and saves the condemned man; but It Is
passion and impulse, not prepared resolution,
which urge her to Tue IvoWal.
The sing!cness Of aim in Rose -uichel will be
spoarcnt u cny one who shall see the play i'll al
intelligent way, Everything IS made subordi-
nate to the main purpose OF cNh1b1tlnG the
power Of a mothers love For this reason, II Is
evident, tie murder does not take place upon
tue stage 4 life-and-death struggle IN the sec
ond act would not only be an anll-clinax, but
also serious diversion from the llne OF nction
Ibid down by tile author. Hose Mlcha would,
for the tne be tns anS The @qI plav
would d:gcneratc into vulgar detective story.
Afterwards, the broken thread might be caught
up, but the play Us a work OF art ~onlo oe oe-
stroycd. =. <o.a
IN the subsidiary motive, il We may GILL 1t SO,
furnished by the friends OF the noblcman con-
de1nuci to death. They believe Hose can con-
yict her husband, if she will; aud they entreat
her to pity the mother OF the innocent noole.
man, to remember what it is Tor q mother to
suffer, to think Of her own Child, and bc mer1,
full These illusions to her own child, instead
Of having the effect intended make ltose inl-
perrious 70 all prayers. Why should her dear
daughter suffer, she argues il order to sase tne
child Of another womans NO. NAY uou 't1is ~
His wrath upon he7, but she will meyer DC tue
Instrument Of handing her beloved child over tu
the tortures OF disappointed love. The work
ins Of Roses mind Under these contrary forces
IS Very subtle, and we think tue dramatlst's oe-
ipeation Of it Is truthful and spir1tcd-
would heishten the effect OF the principal ac.
tioa. In obedience, probably, to q depravet'
popular taste, ilfouiinet has been mace q coa1euy
part; but II llalfa-dozen sentences, presumably
inter!opated by tue actors, ARD TWO aosuiu
mock.Lcro;c songs were omitted, the character
would possess Only deeply-pathetic interest.
What there can be to laugh at in poor Wlthng, Ting
who for want OF appropriate objects to bestow
his affections upon has made companions anu
friends OF dogs and cats, and such smMl aceti u
Willie Seymour, and doubtless in those OF stu.
art Robson, is undoubtedly at times funny
fellow; but he is not constitutionally funny; ne
has it only On the outside, like circus ao"n
The position of this -no,ainet, without tathcf OF
mother, waif astray upon the broad ocean 10 o.
tic, wanting even the wit to save him
self, forms a fine contrast to- the Sit
nation Of Rose Michet's daughter, whe
Is overwhelmed with. the oufuen
Of love she sustains. We should Ike -, 70 So
be would BE- less popular with the ignorant poE:; p:
lion Of an audience, be would, Iepreseheee
by mastcr-actor, win the hearts Of those whose
good opinion is alone worth having: Il Is sait I!
That George Fawcett Rowe is the author OF LII:
part Of Nouli,et If so, he deserves credit LOT
line bit Of work. he is not too old, either, tt
play the part as it ought to be played
The time and place of the play Are Woftny
moments consideration. The time appears =
Dc not above few days, or weeks, a. tne nTS. r..
thc hrst three acts OCCUPY Gay ~ saen - af1e n'
fourth act may proceed on the fourth day, or a1!e
The lapse Of a few days; but in any event IL N
cudes only IN hour OF two, scarcely more LIN LII
than Is occupied in the representation. ~
tfth act is much the same in this respect as W
fourth. The place throughout is Inc CLy y
The Count de Vernay,. one inside, two at In
house Of Pierre lfiehel, and one IN the pf1son
The movement Of the play, it will have beer
observed, is condensed and direct It IS slnga 1
iafly deficient in variety. The mothers iQs
could almost be represented in an algebra
moves IN straight lines, all Of which are nisel f.
ptoportioned and closely drawn, Narmth .
department % Of Sculpture i @ ratliaE than q that
painting. Dull, cold marble is the materla
from which it has been constructed; ana tn
beautiful IDEAL Il is scarcely necessary to Oh
serve that this is not the method OF Shakspear
md Moliere; it is the method Of Volta1re, ,;is ~
johnson, and whole tribe OF lntcr7or EnEle
Writers in the last century. But the metnou
such as it is, has been admirably. pursued, an
The consequence of it is play that Is noE ON
classical In its spirit but interesting IN 1ts oese
opment and stage-lfe.
TIE ACTING IN "RosE MICHEL"
Not much can be said in addition to What Ia
Krr,Yr in =