New-York tribune., 1879-12-30
THE DRAMA.
PARK THEATRE-FAIRFAX.

Campbell was made known here last night, at the
Park Theatre. This piece Is in five acts and Is en-
titled Fairfax -the name being that of one OF It's
principal characters. The action begins in
sqnalid hut on the banks of the Southern Mlssis-
sipp and is continued and completed in and around
a mansion on the st. Johns River in Florida. The
time is 1s5s-GO. The persons conventional
types; the plot is built on an old model; and tho
piece is written in elusive and struggling prose.
The dramatic object sought to be accomplished is
the investlture of woman with circumstances
which impede her progress to present happiness
through the menace of an exposure Of an alleged
dark and painful secret in her past life. After this
structural pattern thousands of stories have Deen
written and thousands of plays have been
fashioned. Such freshness animates the present
use this ancient scheme found In the scenery and
accessories of its exhibition-tbe place, the atmo-
sphere the social tOne-and to some extent, In the
dramatic treatment. An air of the free, picturesque
romantic and possibly adventurous life OF the SOUTH
ern plantation is in other words difiused over IL,
and at several points in its movement, the skill OF
the author has embeshedit it with effective situation
and climax There would be more substance In the
work better reason for its existence, and frmer
ground of sympathy with its development OF trlals
and pains-to say nothing of moral weight, and
some sort of practical meaning applicable to human
experience.--if it's heroine bad really ever done a
dark deed OF incurred any reproach, OF ever stoon
in need of forgiveness or ever been burdened with
any secret of the least possible importance.
"Theres nothing, either good or bad,
But thinking makes II so.'-
vet as the facts of her career are made known. IT
simply appears that she has been married to worth
less man. who when drunk. tried to shoot her.
and, in ensuing struggle between them.
accidentally shot himself The occurrence was seen
bv tramp, who, at a critical moment IN her subse-
qucnt experience, turns up to accuse her of murder.
and thus to prevent her, temporarily from con-
tracing q second marriage. In brief. the piece Is
the theatrical display of complications consequent
upon preposterous lack of frankness and common
sense and of the dissatisfaction resultant from de-
layed puptials. There are minds for which such q
spectacle may chance to possess absorbing inter-
est Some people easily pleased. 1t surely is
not needful here to recte all the incidents that go
TO make up the drama. The reader will sufficiently
perceive from these general remarks upon its drift
that it is one of the many PLAYS which, starting from
a confused basis, strain after startling situations
through the medium of illogical mechanism;
and that the wish to see "how it will turn out
is the sole motive that any spectator have for
following its course. This statement implies the
still deeper explanatory fact that no attempt has
been made to impress by the characters themselves.
apart from what they suffer and act. In the higher
order of fiction il is not unusual to find that even
trite experience is made signifcantthat Is to say.
instructive, or pathetic, or ennobling or In some
way interesting.-by means OF qualities OF charac-
ter in the persons who implicated in any given
mesh Of events. In this drama. Mrs. Narri9old who
wishes to marry Mr.. Fdirfdr. Mr. fdi5dr who
wishes to marry Mrs. Margotd, Mr. Hebstr HinRo
who first accuses Mrs. Ma'rigold Of the murder OF
her husband and afterwards admits that the shoot
ing was accidental and that the unlamented AarTi-
H. lord ubn vttb bfa
eye saw Mayriqod die and able to state that vel
low fever was the of his demisethese and all
the other individuals who participate in this tale OF
the sunny SOUTH" which might equally well bea
tale of the moony North or the starry East are little
more than many names. The lady, indeed, seems
capable of taking her emotional troubles with much
inward disturbance and much loud and emphato
volubility. and the gifted Fairfar is seen TO be
loaded to the muzzle with sentimental CAB. But all
the persons Of the piece taken together, have not
character enough among them TO make one Tony
Lumpkin. one Bob Acres one Miidmdy, one Chdico'e
one Esther Eccles one Mabel Pane, one Hester Craze
brook one anything that anybody can remember,
when at last their copious stream oftak has pnrled
away into blessed silence. Nevertheless as already
said there Is good tone Of actual life about the
piece and there are moments of dramatic effect IN
il, deftly devised and neatly handled ; while the
text Is fecked, here and there, with bright lines,
ana while every part of the work is sutused with
that earnest sincerity which is so eminently char
acteristic of its author. Mr.. Barley Campbell
always means well. IL is splendid bass-this
same sincerity of purpose, steadfast pluck. ana
frank willingness to dash pell-mell into dramatic
eitori-on which to build up the stately structure
of a mind that shall be ripe in knowledge Of the
world. fresh in invention. and clear in its percep-
tionnnd strong in its exercise of the methods IN
which to use a fine and firm artistic faculty
"Fairfaxv is useful pay.-in period
compaf atively barren of new dramas OF the better
class.-hut it amounts to nothing more and 1t Il
chiefly notable as u steppin gstone to better things
It was cordially received last night. beng
smoothly acted by the regular stock company OF the
Park Theatre, the chief members of which were
hailed with the kindly welcome that always awaits
theatrical fayorites in their own home.
This is a thoroughly well-organized company, ana
the actors abored so faithfully that they made the
piece seem much stronger than it really Is Inc
collsaay between Frederic Robinson and Agnes
Booth In act third. though fantastic 20 the last de-
gree. was invested by them with a passionate -ln-
certy that could not be resisted; and ut the close
of this act the author was called before the cur
tain to receive warm greeting OF tho