New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-08-19

- No ~
r.s,bodrs definition Of love.-whch in comic strain ne
- - tle grub in the apple. viii be noted ey all
,,.rs a. wen expressive OF the STYLE Of the drama
o., drama it is-and not comedy. There ls no at'enp'
uers nor to dealize types OF society nor 10
I,,.n artificial talk with the sheen OF e4ul'"Ae'
c,,os indeed ere suggcsied-as when, IN act thlru'
-, .h,racters assemble IN "the hving-Ioom" 81 the
"a house. 20 frolic AL Balow Fen The flavor
- oll-rn,e civilization, in what still Dutch New
- se,-sltv wears ago. f., IN fact, made 10
s,-,r,te the whole texture OF the piece. But
,,ifss-Iv this is work that has peen
,,,5e fer It's own sake-for It's STORY ana
.,rso,er and vehicular utility in actng-and
o- for the Illumination Of its epoch Ana IL
r. beeu made well. There are but few defects Here
-, tnare an incident is forced. Here and thore char
~ r5 notably that OF the saiOr-loyer, is unreal and
ieeant-as though the writer had fashioned nm
80 b,f imperfect sympathy The first act Us TOO long,
and rbe second set is a httle langmd The machinery
"a m ah act seems creak. and there is Lack oI el-
relv cd 1lae and fulfilling briancyin the nnl eucci
rt-s arr somewhat conventional. and their talk is
dec7t OF ginger. The fibre Of the piece throughout s
e,dr and not sinewy and. Dv reason far more OF tue
nit NJ the drama than the authors treatment OF IT,
,bc work il wanting II that burning vitality WAlch
comes of everlasting applicability 20 common expert
80 and that universally OF interest which alone can
give rrulanence TO the creations OF the human iAiu'
yetitts charming piece OF literature and successu
NAV It's future in the public eye-ii we read its des-
tiYy archi-must depend very much upon the man
per In which II Is acted; very much, Also upon
The caprice OF popular taste. II was acted i'sl
night iu highly intelligent and spirited way through
out most Of the cast. and t received with an eager
Welcome and delighted paudits by very large assem-
blare OF SPECTATORS whom neither tempest nor heat
could check in the career Of their humor. The mouse
was crowded. Cold water has seldom been poured so
copiousy upon anything it vas upon this prounc-
tou by hc storm Of the last three days To print no"
minute account OF its plot would only be 70 wafer II
some more There cannot be publication more tedious
than the narrative Of dramatic plot Fortunately the
subsauce OF Wolfert's ROOst be set forth III
few words It's first act confronts Doiph HdrerST0i'
and BrDn Van Brtut as lovers of hdr'nd van IaSSe"
D5ph Is the heir TO the Impoverished estate Oh
Wolferts RoosJ; BrOBl is 10urshng young pu1cneI
Katrina is the blooming daughter Of B1l~s Van 4GSSe
and the belle OF sleepy Hollow. These per
sons together with Dol0Hs mother and sister
pb0Be a mulattO servant, IchG60d Crane the
comic factoum OF his ueighborh0Od, and the grimy
Ghost" Of old WOlsr HduerStrGC, are all brought on III
this act and the story is opened by the dispatch %
0Uh 10 sea- and the appartiOn Of the Dutch spectre
seen by IchabOd, and heard 70 command search IoI
ms buried treasure The rising Of this Ghost from al
Old well ends TINS act. and makes wemdy fantastic
uicture Act second shows Katrina gTieying for the
absent DoiDh, whom she has petuiantiy rejected
IebaJod-smJten by the helress-comlcaLy STRIVING 10
learn the cause Of her sadness Emma HaTeS"G~ en-
III the news that his rival has been lost at sea Ac's
third and fourth beginning the intimaon that this bad
news is not true, devoted to reioicngs at "a"
TqsseFs a1m and involve DOlphS return, IN disguise
Enp.as betr0thal 20 Ieho6od, comical rendering Of
the epi.ode OF THE HeadleSs Hessian wherein
Iehabod is lit with a hurting pumpkin, and
knocked into FoJerfs well-and the burning
OF Woilert's Roost and attempted murder OF
DoIDh bg inc Jealous and infuriaed BrOm Van Brtnt
The last act brings TO light and to punishment the
inIauty Of Van BruHt untes Dotph and Katrina ana
fetcles u Ic0b0d-whO has come up from the bottom OF
the wel-with old WoIferts buried treasure. The pic
oue parts are thus seen 10 be those winch close the
third ANA fourth acts. There is shudderng passage III
the last act wherein the supelsuuous dread OF Br0D
Bgaes-wBO thinks himself haunted By murdered man
lis used with wild power % wind up the play IchdC0d
Crane pervades the piece and Eghts II up with his
hum0r and good nature. He Is ungny, agile, peTtna
oious fantastic absurd and ludcIous yet tender, de
cate and lOvabe-a compound OF awkward galiantTy'
Quixotic philanthropy, scarecrow drOery, shrewd
sense and homespun refinement This part In the action
requires Keen sense Of comic perpety. touch OF visit
fuenderes here and therehis cOnduonis so forlorD-
and in one scene, emotion quite closely akin 10
pathos Mr. Raymond has found in this thoroughly con-
genial part and be infused into II sweet spirit and
treated IL with decacy Of touch that must have sur
rised many who knew him only in the yOclferous SCI
lers II Was seen however, that 20 some extent, the
part is exraueOus 10 the mau action OF the drama IL
boyers around the current OF what done and suffered
but ia not interpenetrated with these experiences
Moreover enforced transfer Of his love- wrought
nv tbe coquettsh Katrina Icbab09 IS trhed with, and
ts limits the scope OF the character in serious acting
Nh RAYMOND, all the same, embodied winning ideu-
tity aud made gracious with Inherent geutene-s as
n was lrou with eccentric humor More particular
comment on the work is not possible DOW.
The representation lasted til midnight-dls-
PLAYING, what viii DO doubt at once be
reuedied. the tendency In the piece 10 dwell too
mueb upon details The dialogue Of BrDB and
KafriRa in act first might be shortened; the exit OF
JolDh might De hasteDed; the pie" business should
be cut; BroBl could be spared altogether from The
second act the presence or the widow HG cerStrdD
proved mostly needless The drama was given IN five
acts-ne third having been cut IL two for convenience
OF the machuiss. The subsidiary performances need
not now detaln attention. Mss FOrsythe would be
mere satisfactory with more natural manner, and
with less Opuience OF raiment. Mr. Henry Lee did the
performance gOOd-thrOugh lack or attention 20 the
delivery ~ the words, and lack of gallaId ana TAX
manner The play received beautiful scenic dress
It's prosperity not 70 be doubted II IS the BEST new
play that been produced, on an American subject.
Tnce " Tue OctOTOOD."