The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-05-11
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SIX CALLS BkEpRa THE ss,uayA lS- -MtaB prcx.
INSoN DISPLAYS one 81. Twtl or rIsR cARpr.
NAL VIRTUES, BUR MORE on THE CAPITA
FAULTS OF THE sDRAk2rag AIT.
BOSTON, bay g. The anticipation that d
numerous and brilliantly representative ma.
semblage would witness the first appearance
OF Miss Anna Dickinson upon the stage was
fulfilled here tonight at the Globe Theatre.
About 900 persons were present. The
night was stormy, but friendship and public
interest prevailed against tempest; and Miss
Dick inson was greeted with much applause,
ak calls before the curtain. and d stack OF
flowers marked "fWelcome, A. d. -, n 5.:f q
III the social welcomes DE alone considered,
her stage advent was successful III other.
things be considered, II was not. Her play
" a Crown OF Thorns," lasted two hours
snd forty-iive minutes. Tits thin tissue OF
level prose dialogue on the story OF
Anne Boleyn, involving seventeen per.
sons. It il not relieved By strong sra-
matte incident. Scenes in sfHenry VIII
and Axe and Crown" ,cmbody its SUBJ
stance, and are better. LISA tedious piece,
done on the Giecommeti model, made known
here by Ristori. Its scenes come over like
the paddle-wheels Of a steamboat, and are
cut of at the caprice Of the man ut the
wheel. Hall depicts Anne Boleyn cheated
OF her lover, and goaded into resentment by
Wolscy. The other depicts her ruin at the
hands OF Cromwell. The language lacks
elevation. Most Of the characters ask DO
litical conundrums. The impression left il
that Henry the Eighth's reign was populous
with bores, andh fondness for dccapitation
had good grounds. The last scene is taken
from Tom Taylor's play introduced by Mrs.
Rousby.
Aane Boleyn is the whole piece, and the
other parts are feeders. Miss Dickinson
went through it with masculine force. At
points where she could lecture she was
effective. She showed dramatic Instinct
some idea OF execution and much will. In
art she was cellow. Her presence rs queen
was puny. Her voice was often nasal and
thin. Her walk was one-sided. Her atti-
tudcs were mostly crouched. Her emotion
was that OF the mind, and not the head.
She does not burn, but she glints. The face
was often set in q stare to emphasize q
tigerish disposition. Great stress was laid
on IN apostrophe to Jane Seymour and an
expostulation with Lord Percy. They
sounded like walls from Martha's Vineyard
with the brethren in full possession. Had
Miss Dickinson adopted the stage in youth
she might have become fair actress. 1t is
not easy to see how she could ever have be-
come an agreeable one. Her performance
was potent exhibition Of personal charac-
ter. but it lacked the attributes that charm.
Her hearers were friendly and patient,
=, and wore their crown OF thorns like good
Bostonan stoics. Should Miss Dickinson
keep on in this new pathway which she has
chosen, in despite OF her lack OF essential
/ qualifications and against her too-evidently
| didactic grain, she will very likely have to
wear it herself. Mistakes are not the less
mistakes because they are made with talent
and vigor; and we see no reason to encour-
age the idea that Miss Dickinson is an actress
because she dresses herself in four gorgeous
robes and goes into an ecstacy Of elocution.
! Correspondence Tribune. ..