The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1879-02-06
Townsend Theatricals,


The Townsend Theatrical Troupe
playe ed in Rininger's Hall Monday to
Friday evenings Of last week to good
sized and, we may say, large houses
when we consider the very unpleasant
condition of the weather and the roads
The glowing accounts given OF
their acting, in the Norwalk and Elyria
papers as well as the Communications
conveyed to our people by private indi-
viduals had put expectation on tip-toe,
and Wellington turned out one of her
most appreciative audiences prepared
to be entertained, and disposed to look
charitably upon any slight failures on
account of lack of orchestra and stage
accessories. The first evening "Nick
of The Woods" was put upon the stage
and the crowd which had waited in
anxious expectancy till quarter past
eight, we've treated to a series of border
scenes in which were mixed up soldiers,
backwoods-men, horse-thieves, ruffians,
cut-throats and a fair sprinkling Of
blanketed red men; not lacking the
necessary scalping-knife and tomahawk
But the play had not proceeded far be-
fore we discovered that our bright hopes
were doomed to a fall. And' 80, what
fall was there, my countrymen !"
The plot was from a story i'm the N. Y.
Weekly and in literary merit, not above
the average dime novel. The acting
was fearful. The heavy tragedian rant
ed and roared and mouthed and struck
stage attitudes and took on load of ag-
ony terrible to look upon, and the lesser
lights, like we,l-taught pupils, followed
closely the example of their master.
The ladies Of the company cultivated
the same tragic tones and with we'll
simulated emotion Ito their listeners if
not to themselves) went through
their parts in a manner suggestive Of
pioneer camp-meetipg. In addition to
this, their articulation was so indistinct
that none of them could be we'll UNDER
stood. They gave us snatches Of back
woods song, love-making in the will
derness, and talked simple nonsense in
the most unnatural way. We had plots
and counterplots, surprises, yells and
war-whoops, stabbing, shooting and dy-
ing and many more opportunities for
doing deadly work, when the fatal mo-
ment was conveniently deferred; the
uplifted tomahswk was unaccountably
delayed as if waitin & for the tardy res
cuers; the bowie-knife with nothing to
prevent, refused to take the fatal
plunge, and from first to last the acting
was so untrue to nature, the heavy trag-
edy was even more farce than that
which followed. The farce, however,
was the only redeeming feature Of the
evening. The acting was fair, the parts
tolerably adapted to the players. One
of the young ladies did finely, but TO
say that the troupe as a whole has mis-
taken its calling would only give voice
to the almost unanimous opinion of
those present.
The plays of the succeeding nights
had rather more merit, but the acting
was scarcely less reprehensible. No
one with even a moderate acquaintance
with the stage would give them credit
for being first or even second-class per-
formers. We must do them the credit
however to say that in their social and
business relations with our people they
were above reproach, and dealt gener-
ously with all with whom they had any
intercourse. That they had good houses
must be attributed to the unfamiliarity
of the majority of our citizens with
theatrical exhibitions, and to the fact
that there had been no entertainments
here recently of that character.
We can but regard the fact that en-
of this class are somewhat
largely attended, while those of m uch
higher order and more meri1orious, re-
ceive but an Indifferent support, as not
quite complimentary to the intelligence
Of our community.
We are unable to account for the
glowing representations of the press Of
Norwalk and Elyria, unless it may be
that their reporters had been initiated
into the mysteries of the green-room,
and treated to frequent draughts of the
nectar that gives inspiration and double
vision. And then what mean those
notices of the editorial fra
ternity in other cities? We give it up.
We fear Wellington has not the dra-
matte instinct. but still we have our