The New York herald., 1876-09-28
AMUSEM EN- is.

'LIFE" AT THE FIFTH AVENUE THEATRE.
The new play Of "I.fe" attracted large and brill
liant audience the Fifih Avenue Theatre last night
II passed OF with laughter and applause but not with
entire approval Mr.. DAILY, tho author, describes
It on tho bill as Dovelty-a comedy OF city
typcs-ndaptcd from several French sources. COM
bining comedy, farce, burcsquo, pantomimc and
spectacle and this description Is correct These
elements mingled, not blended, hetcroecnoously
like badly mixed salad, in which tho lettuce is good
tho oil is good, the vinegar s good, ana the mustard
salt and pepper but in which the egg is not wholly be-
yond suspicion. Tho result is confusion. The good in
tho play Is spoiled by the bad, and tho bad cannot be
saved by the good.
1t Is hard TO approach this picco from any critical
standpoint for It has apparent purpose and
sisent aim. Chaos Is not easily analyzcd. Such q
hodge podgo as what called the plot has seldom
seen outside of dream, or since Nathaniel Lee
wrote his celebrated plays in lunac asylum, In
OF which he excaims:-
OH that my lungs could hleat like buttered peas,
And with repeated blcatinxs catch the itch.
And grow NANCY rs tho Irish seas,
Teogender wnrlwinds for scabby witch.
One object seems to be TO hold up to derision tho
and tho other to bring out ballet There IS great
deal or talk of deep and dreadful plots but there is no
s IN s II osSss 1s2
called fe" but Il lie has any sanity then The title
Is mockery and delusion. There is ttlc art IN the
play, could there DO in picco which is like
Ariosto' g fnoon-thc place to which all foes flew and
thorc remained II the author had had central idea
from which to work out story. thero is material
enough In tho play for sparkling comedy but he has
conglomeraed ideas around nothing. He has tried to
reconcile the irreconcilable The finest passages arc
the situations from the French in the first two acs ia
which there is great deal OF ingenuity displayed with
with green glasses, ghting with dogs chambers
and generally, acting as in my NciGhbor's Wife, -
''The School Tor Scandal and "Evcrybody's Friend,
all rolled into one stupendous farce.
The weight Of tho comedy portions fell upon Mr..
Coghlan, Mr. Fisher, Mr.. James Lewis, Miss Amy Faw-
gitt Mrs. e. II. Gilbort and Miss sydney Cowell. Tho
dGbutantc In New York. Miss FawslIt, IS pleasing IN
manner with decided English style, and will proba-
bly, succeed botier In , better part ars Masham
coTcdy She furnishes stuatons tor the other persons
but has nothing herself at stake OF Importance. Miss
much mistaken she will strengthen the feminine ee.
ment Of tho Fifth Avenue company Mr.. Coghlan
We hardly know what the play would have done without
him. An excellent eccentric bit OF character was gwen
by Mr.. Fisher, and Mrs. Gilbert was delicious the
mothcrin-law. Nor should We omit to give credit to
the Mary Ann OF Miss Mary Wells. But Mr. Brougham
cast out Of his ne and although Mr.. James Levi
made the hits OF tho night dressed up afemalo
dancer in the ballet Il was unpleasant 10 see his fine
humor wasted In idle bunoonery Miss Helen Dungeon
was pleasant in a soutrette role and Mr. Davidgc was
all that stage detective could be.
The ballet will probably save "Iifc," though II has
nothing really TO do with tho story The scenery IN
she third act ID very Deautu ana tnc Dallc tnoueh
small, is large enough TOR the Fifth Avenue stage.
The snow dance Is novel and very effective number
| OF ladies with short dresses and baro bosoms
dancing in storm OF snow, with ltttc NUTS IN their
hands. This Is q great realistic effect and tho bact
| grouped and postured in that charming senti-
| mental style which everybody knows, just as
when the female trapezc performer dcsccnds
| spiraiIy on rope, head downward,
to the stage with eyes upturncd and hands clnsped
her breast, while the orchestra plays with religious
| icrvor, "Sweet SPIRIT Hear My Prayer" Mile Bon
| fanti danced exQuisitey and with Mlc Sohlkc was
enthus astically received. The fundamental mistake
Of the play, however, was not even to be kept
Uut of the ballet. The beautiful closing de-
stroy cd by the appariton Of Mr. Lewis IN rising car
dressed in ballet costume and wearing nigh black
hat Tho experiment OF uniting comedy and laclc
is not success, yet 'Itic,'' II It Is condensed and
OF the duller that which pictures
the stage behind tho curtain--strcken out, will prob
ably draw large audiences long as the country peo
plo roman In New York.