New-York tribune., 1882-02-27
MJ1SJC AND THE DRAMA.
YOUTH.


.sveral scenic pictures of great beauty anu '"0''
.ra sbovn bv the aid of ingenious mechshic'i "p
,rancas Also the piece contains one paS''s0
.ssor+iallv dramatic interest-one tua' uooP'S
affects the feelings OF the spectator even
distorts the probability which. aceoruinS " '"o W
of Photographic drama, 1t is oou"u A.
This passage is the scene in whlcl 'no ''O' 80,
MICS the identity of her son IN oFuer W s"ou niii
,ror, ;nnendinc ignomny. The moving snip anu
A. axnIosve battle scene are, hRe"Sc' eAce4ieh'
''e - lectures But here the merit of the
-rorl ceases And even in this there Is notnihg
- onI nothing of permanent value. When you
have seen Youth" your eyes have been pleased,
.Dd vou have enjoyed few minutes of interested
snsnense and that is all If the production of such
work rs this be dramatic authorship we should
GOV that dramatic authorship would be a good
thing 20 avoid.
II is sagaciouSly said by of Disraelrs charac-
ters that youth is a blunder. manhood a struggle,
and are regret" aud, doubtless, in the majority of
cases this is true. Some such thought appears to
have been at the basis of the motive that prompted
this composition. The play is named " Youth for
the reason that IT relates TO the adventures of
young man, and presents some of the consequences
of the youthful blunders made by his father as well
as himself The sire-now become clergyman of
the English Church--is understood TO have be-
trayed and deserted girl in his early life. This
unfortunate femae-the time-hOnored Miss Bailey
of song and fiction-has gone from bad to worse
and she presently turns up, in the character or
Nemesis to avenge upon the son the sins and cruel
ties of the father. Her Vaccinations succeed, and
the youth is welded 10 an adulterous adventures,
who betrays him, and causes his conviction for
crime of which her male accomplice is guilty-so
that he is imprisoned and disgraced Then he comes
ont n ticket-of-leave man. enlistS in the army as
nriyate soldier and wins the Victoria Cross by his
Callantry in battle. At the end he is vindicated
and restored to his rightfu position, and his foes
are put TO shame Having thus had his mistake
and his struggle he may now be supposed TO have
come 10 1.-The slippery pair of pants" and the calm
season of regret His father has been there for
some time.
There are dozens Of stories that offer, substan-
tally. this plot One of the most recent is novel
entitled THE Cameronians." And, of course, there
are many plays that have used most of the Incl
dental points and stageetfecs that reappear IN THIS
one. Playgoers at once recall Not Guilty" taken
from the French, by the late Watts Phillips in
which the embarkation scene was fine stage
picture. Never Too Late to Mend" FREELY"
"Formosa,o Jessie Brown" and ours" are a
few of the plays in which, with more or less modif
cation, the best ideas that suggested in Youth
were long ago made familiar. Each of these pieces,
though is immeasurably superior 10 Youth"
Mr. Robertson's ours" with its march of the SOL
diers, is classic alongside OF it, and Mr.. Bouct-
cault's Jessie Brown" is worth hundred OF 1t.
Mr.. Wallack, it seems to US. might much better
have got up Jessie Brown" with superb scenery
and fine cast. The scenery would have been made
for the play in that case and not the play for the
scenery managers choice as to the conduct of
his own business however, is his own affair; and,
IL tho public wish TO pay money for seeing, on the
stage the departure Of an ocean steamer which
they can see for nothing any day of the week, at
0 North River pier. the manager is, naturally
enough willing to crafty their caprice. Only-thiS
sort of stuff must not be supposed to have been
accepted play, or as in any way worthy of Wal
lacks Theatre good carpenter, good scene
painter, a good machinist paste-pot and scissors
and few old novels do not make dramatic litera-
ture.
The actors deserve, and receive the fullest public
sympathy for their great zeal and sincerity, in
throwing themselves into the work of this piece.
henry Edwards in particular, aninates the
tile scene with noble manliness ard with an out
burst Of patriotic fervor that entirely sustans the
much needed illusion of that scene. Harry Gwy-
nette personates the repentant convict, and gives
strong and pathetic performance, expressed with
affecting simplicity. There is a delicious vein of
coquetry in the acting of Miss Rose COghan, as Ere
MaicoiSie. and. later, moment Of sullen and cold
wickedness that denotes true power. Mr. Gilbert
and Madame Ponisi fill the preliminary at the
sailing of the troop-ship with genuine parental
tenderness, and give the requisite serious import to
o delicate and distressing dramatic climax. The
acting of Mr. Teare, at this point, is also notable
for deep feeling and entirely sincere assumption
Of rugged manly emotion. An obnoxious villain is
made appropriately dsagrecabe by Gerald
Eyre Mr. Elton has comic Irish servant TO depict
who bangles loosely upon the plot and drops in All
occasional touch of sport. Miss Lorraine presents
in her own pleasing manner a pert little chamber
maid full of sauciness and ginger. Miss BOniface
is the conventional heroine, and Miss Fanny Add-
son the hard and hateful avenger Of the parsons
youthful indisCretion. No rea, a,ona6le being could
expect moro to be done with such play than these
actors accomplish. Such trash never before
had such care expended on lis Interpretation
or such beauty lavished on its attire youth"
will undoubtedly, run for the rest OF the season--
not as play but as a spectacle pleasing by super
fetal means a superficial public taste.
THE OPERA SEASON.
Forreasons understood by amusement managers,
butwhch viii want the approval Of tho public, it
has seemed good to Mr.. StrakOsch to EN-
barrass the patrons Of the opera this week