Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-11-11

Ing Handled WithOuG GtOVes-
what Caustie Critic from St
Louis says of Her Stage Ventures
--"A A school Girl" ana AZ "Stick " n
Cor. of the Graphic.l
ST. LOUIS, November What a
pity it is that SO many of the news
paper critics have deluded poor
Anna Dickinson into the belief that
she is an actress There is q Ger.
tain significance in the title of her
play, which her audience generally
begin to realize before the close of
the intolerably wretched first act Of
the "Crowp of Thorns;" and con-
siIering, too, that the support
given by DeBar's always wretched
lin legitimate drama) stock com
pany IS uncomfortable, Miss Dickin-
sons play loses whatever little
merit it may have in dialogue and
construction, and tn ough her own
admirable inability to supply any
redeeming features degenerates into
nothing more than a prolonged
and tiresome fouPaGt farce.
ga Grown of Thorgsf is not
original in any sense Of the word
| It IS a mere tumble of stereotyped
! Shakspearean phrases, iaartistically
strung together and FidioaloHs'ly
ont Of place. And while the plot
savors somewhat e. originality in
its obscurity, still it is constantly
reminding you of something you
have seen and heard before, which
loses much of its merit in the trans
planting or repetition. The con-
struction of the entire play is in
sipid, and exeites neither attention
nor interest; we are at loss to
know which is the heroine, and are
able to distinguish her only by'her
name in capital letters on the ege-
nin9's programme and by the con-
spicuousness OF her wardrobe upon
the stage. Where so much might
be done by any one with ordinary
dramatic telsnt there is absolutely
nothing done, not one single, soli-
tary character having the promi-
nence necessary to convey an intel
lipibIe idea of his or her position in
the drama, beyond mere genera
and very vague impression thai
something or other is going on and
each of the actors has something OF
other to do with it. but what, wt
are sadly at loss to know. VOL
sey's craCtiness and cunning are en-
tirely ignored, or, at least, miseFablj
illustrated, and he goes about effect
inp his yillainies in such Il yilIainOpi
| way thai it is evident from the very
beginning that he is going to bt
found out. King Henry is roya
fraud. 1t is difficult to imagine
that there is any blue bio9d ip hi
veins, for he appears 70 have beer
hurredly yanked away from hi
brush and currycomb, put apon
dais. and nick-named u king, anC
even TO his dear mistress Anne h,
talks more like a fo0tman in hi
best clothes and on his holiday
than as the monarch Of England
Jane Seymour displaces and sue
ceeds her rival ID the Kings fayo
in very unapproyed but very ex
peditious manner, and while no
strictly a passable dramatic creatur
she has the good sense to be brie
and commonplace in everything
she says and does.
Anna Dickinson dresses Ann
r Boleyn abominably in an incor
! gruity Of gaudy and inconsister
colors. Her clothes actually don
seem to fit her, and the manner
. which she carries her arms by hC
. side does not materially add to I'll
: attractiveness of her figure. HI
:. clothes are oud of place in cut an
color. and the anachronism OF h
wardrobe is beautifully complet,
!. OF Miss Dickinson's acting it
impossible to comprehend what J
= the world she means to gain by 1t,
D notoriety or renown. She shoul
}. certainly have been satisfied vii
q her reputation as a lecturess, il