New-York tribune., 1883-12-19
MUSIC-THE DRAMA.
AN AMERICAN WIFE

hor inarrieu mate sne mas met with another man.
seemingly more to her taste, who loves her, and
| whom she loves in return. But her husband
although he detests her, and is libertine, a rake
and scoundrel-is not disposed to tolerate this
| convenient abandonment, for tho reason that it
| infiicts wound upon his vanity and depriyes him
| OF her fortune. Accordingly he has pursued and
discovered her in rural retreat and lie now COM
mands her to return to their home-th threatening
that unless she obeys he will seize their child of
whom the law, in such case, would give him tho
| custody. In this dilemma she would be compelled
to yield to her cruel destiny and return to tho
matrimonial bower, but it is fortunately made
| known and proved that her husband has, in
| fact, broken his marriage VOWS, and, under
false name. welded and abandoned another
woman; so that his wife is now legally entitled
to her divorce, and can contract fresh marriage
of course with the aspirant to her vacated af-
fections. These persons and facts displayed
against background of domestic cOmmonplaces
are associated with a villa residence somewhere mp
the Hudson River-the household Of retired mer-
chant, with several friends of himself and family,
being slendery attached to the main scheme Of the
piece
Viewed as a lesson In morals and in law, An
American Wife may justly be designated a salu-
tary piece Its author, apparently, designs to I'M
ply that married persons ought not to be constrained
to an association which has become hateful, and
that infdelity and physical violence are not the
y causes that should be held to warrant and Justify
divorce. But probably-consdering the nfrmites
of human nature and the complications of human
socety-It would not be possible to frame any sys-
TEN of law whereby the individual might, in every
instance, find relief, without offence to the public
good. An injured wife or an injured husband can,
under certain circumstances, get free from the mat
rimonial fetter. Somewhat to enlarge the scope Of
those liberating circumstances might be to assuago
many griefs. Much to enlarge it would make mar
Tage farce, and destroy the institution of family
upon which, mainly, the fabric of society rests.
That there is need of the wisest legislation this
subject; that woman Tor a man may be unjustly
and cruelty oppressed by the matrimonial yoke, and
may deserve relief without being able to find it;
and that courtshp and marriage are far too lightly
regarded in these days are, seemingly, the truths
which underlie the structure Of this play, and
which may be said to constitute the moral drift Of
its author. The piece is therefore salutaTy. MANY
people heed song who will not heed sermon;
and many, doubtless, might by means Of drama
have their attention drawn TO questions of vital inn
pOrtance which otherwise they would pass with
needless Indifference. In the story and afterward
in the play of Man and Wife," for example, VIII
kie Collins rendered great service to his gen.
Grafton as well as to literature and art
Viewed as play, on the other hand" An Amer-
strongest moral that brewed will not avail
to redeem that defect in dramatic composition.
Virtue, on the stage, especially in modern plays,
is almost always brought into contempt, by being
made insipid; and this is injury to the public,
and not benefit. Words are inadequate to describe
the mischief which has been wrought by for
ampe) the Madison Square Theatre series of gOody
dramas. Innocently wrought of course, but not
less certainly for all that! Judge Barretts play Of
AN American Wife" has been built upon such
lines of didacticism that rises but little way
above the level of theatrical medOcrity. The story
is trte, the characters colOrless, the movement
is slow the dialogue is monotOnous, the culmina-
tiOn is tame, the slender plot is encountered with
much needless detail, and the conclusion simply
amounts to this-that q moral which no.
body disputes is urged in way for
which nobody cares. Scenes such as
occur in actual lfe-colloquies about nothing,
frOlics at a picnic, domestic talks, much writing
and reading of letters, kilograms, etc.
indeed presented But the photography of
cOmmonplaces is even less interesting than moral
precept. 1t ought not to be necdful to remind
a writer for the stage that only the essentially
dramatic aspects Of life should be selected fora
play and that even these should be combined ac-
cOrding to due regard for the delicate exagger.-
tiOn essential to inspirting effect. Judge Barrett
has written with excellent intention, and like the
scholar that lie is so well known to be- But his
moral ideas and his legal lore are IN excess of his
dramatic invention, aud however much his play
may instruct, it fails TO delight.
The audience was large, and it received the piece
with eager interest, kindly appreciation and pa
tient respect. At the end of the third act there
was vociferous call TO T the authorize which, at
first, Mr.. Gilbert responded, in Judge BaTrett's
name; but upon its renewal, the distinguished
Justice himself appeared in of the stage boxes,
and aCknow lodged the courtesy of the public. Tho
play has been very handsomely set. one of its three
scenes, in particular Ia view of the shores of the
Hudson), being very beautiful. Its charac
ters wsre IN every important respect
Miss COghan enacts the prosecuted wife,
and her assertion of the mothers love and the
woman's defiance, was instinct with right feeling
and impressive force. Mr.. Gerald Eyre was espec
ally felicitOus, as the French adventurer, aud Mr.
Tearle gave due dignity and Importance to the in-
age of injured wOmans champion. A stormy COLO
guy between these two actors, and a kindred
encounter Immediately ensuing between Miss Cogh-
Ian and Mr. Eyre, furnish the only real OppOrtuui.
ties OF the play; and these were amply improved.