The daily gazette., 1882-11-14
LANGTRY'S FAILURE.
A Stupid Performance of "ROsalind" to u
Disappointed Audience.

CNcw York Star.l
A more thoroughly disappointed audience
than the brilliant and fashionable one which
assembled in Wallack's Theatre last night,
to witness the worst performance of Shakes
peare's {" As You Like It," which we ever
remember to have seen, it would be difficult
to imagine.
As on the night of her debut, the arrange
mcnts were perfect on the part of the man.
agement, and the lovely theatre was filled
with an audience which was handsomely
dressed, well looking and happily expectant.
No admissions" having been sold the
house was thoroughly comfortable and well
ventilated and the luxury of their surround
ings, plus the desire to be courteous to the
stranger, kept the audience in their seats
with few exceptions, long after they had
given every other evidence OF boredom and
weariness.
1t would be long, arduous and useless
task to attempt to point out all the flaws in
the performance; the merits are but brief
category. The scenery was good, both sets
used being thoroughly we'll done, and the
company knew their lines, showing evil
dences of careful rehearsal. For. the rest,
the performance is most charitably char
aeterized as stupid. Mrs. Langtry made a
passably respectable figure while padding
In the shoal waters of Tom Taylor's less
than mediocre comedy, but in the depths of
Shakespearean comedy she foundered and
puffed and blowed in a way to excite the
sincerest pity and alarm. She was not able
apparently to grasp the meaning of the
work; it seemed quite beyond her intel
lectual horizon, and only appreciable to her
in n dim and misty fashion as one who
should see the desert mirage.
To read blank verse well is so uncommon
that we arc forced to the conclusion that 1t
is gift, and certainly Mrs. Lanotry has it
not. She gabbled her lhIcs exactly like
schoolgirl at Nassar College commence
ment. Her action was as stiff as her read
ing was unintelllgent and novicey, and
there seemed left not one lola Of that
magnetism which she radiated on the open
ing night Of her engagement. More than
all this, she was not even pretty R0sdlind.
The boasted beauty, while looking
charming in a marvellous toilet in
the first act, was anything but
alluring in the boys dress of
the later scenes. 1t is rather delicate
thing to discuss woman'g legs in cold
blood and colder type; but 1t is not to be
denied that in these centcrcd all the interest
In Mrs. Langtry's first appearance. 4 half
thousand opera glasses were leyeled at the
stage awaiting her entrance on the fret
scene, and after moment of portcntous
silence, The busy hum of voices told that
they were under discussion. II this seems
without thp province Of criticism our
excuse must be that this candidate for public
favor had presumably ouly this quail
iicaiion for the role. But alas she
had not even this. Her dress was of
most modest length, reaching quite to the
knee, and her lower limbs were of most
curious and anything but pretty shape. The
ankle was slender and very long, and the
calf of the leg was extremely knotty, pro-
truding in sudden and unshapely fashion.
The supporting cast was In most respects
about as bad as it could be, Mr.. Grahame,
who made his first appearance, was barely
passable Jaqstes, and Miss Pattison was
thoroughly conventional aud quiet accept
able as Celia, The performances of the rest
of the company were not such as to call for
specal mention,