New-York tribune., 1883-06-05
MrJsIo AND THE DRAMA.
TIE THUNDERBOLT.

Wi. ,,.o,;,a was duly discharged last night at
~ Irn,n, Souare Theatre. 1t comes from the ar
sa.., 80 Mr.. rouis Frechette. who is described IN
.hn rlav-bill "a poet laureate of Canada" ana IL
!. theatrical missile of the canister description'
.roh as scatters smoke noise and Old iron. III
rla;ner terms, "The Thunderbolt" is sensatioh
smelodrama, containing an omnlpotent oou.noin
planter a bsffied murder, house on hre' a s.ean-
boat, an abduction and rescue. These ingreulen''
are comminged with copious muciiage oi III
flammatory prose, and garnished Win stage p,'-
lures of the moss-draped scenery OF Louisiana ino
niece derives its name from compnmeh'aiS
title which has been conferred upon It's cniei peison
Mr.. Paul Rodette-surnamed " The Thunderoou'
on occount of his propensity for going of. The
nlot-crackling and swapping through hve acts- 10
descriptiye and illuminative of this alert anu iu
oac;ons gentleman and the purport, OF lesson' VI
tho NAV anpears TO be that Thunderbolt Is the
rohlest work of heaven and that the South Is fuh
of Tbunderbolts and, therefore, hallowed region.
Tho rar,icuIar Thunderbolt here commemorated
10 blazoned forth to the public eye by MIR. J' New"
ton Gotthold-au actor who resembles this SORT Oh
character very much as the placid German sausage
resembles the aspiring sky-rocket Mr. hoaeHe mas
il appears gone off at least once before the beginning
of this dramatic record of his adventures -nrst aD-
duc,inp and marrying beauteous Miss Bailey. and
ho has STAYED off for long time. His estate. Belle
Rose" meanwhile has been held by an overseer OF
the Jacob McCgoskey pattern, rascal who wants 70
keen the property and to marry pretty GIRL MS de-
pendant by whom he is detested. When, therefore,
we behold. in act Grst the ThunderbOlts return to
Ionisiana. and McCloskey's consequent consterna-
tion and fury we are full well aware that In act
second an effort to smash this Olympian implement
will treacherously be made. and be made in vain
This. in fact is what occurs; and there would be
dead Thunderbolt, but that Mr. Rodette is both
expeditions and herculean in moments OF
peril. 1t is early and easily per-
ceptibe. likewise, that the Thunderbolt
will launch himself all over the obnoxious McClos-
key, for the protection of the fair damsel VINO
"would not wed him, were he more lOwly at her
feet to than eer he DID," but who has given her
affections to juvenile Rodcte born during his sres
preliminary exile, and now restored to an aston
ished and enraptured paternal breast. That a
requisite marriage certificate and an essential title
deed should, Under these paper novel circumstances
be out of the way that the recovery of these doc
uments should be opportunely effected. almost by
miracle or that fire should result from the eJacua-
tion of two Thunderbos junior as well as senior at
simultaneous discharge, are incidents that
do not awaken special wonder. Having oc-
CURED to everybody else. since childhoods
happy hours of yellow-covered fiction, why
should they not occur to the Poet Laureate of
Canada"i Occur, at any rate they do and their
occurrence winds up the romantic experience of
Mfr. Rodete in the most approved and time-honored
style.
The exposition of all this-embellished with pis-
to-shots, with divers homilies on domestic virtue,
with many little coiloquies nothing at all, with
several chapters of autobiography, and with Ethio-
plan prattle by NJ. c. DAILY and copious consumption
OF whiskey by Edward Lamb, in the capacity mot
limited of an Irish sailor brought on to have his
nose tickled with a siraw-occupied nearly three
hours At last however Mr.. Rodeite got hold of his
missing papers, and Mr. Lewis Morrison jumped
into the sea- and all beholdcrs came away in glad
ness that the show was done. There is not single
tonal situation In this piece There is no fresh in
cident in it. The persons Of 1t are brought on and
carried off in a wildly capricious manner, with
puerile incert tude and absolutely tame and trivial
results. Mr.. Gotthold.-an old and practised actor,
but one devoid of sensibility and charm,-walked
play from ridicule. Mr.. Lewis Morrison,
On The contrary. who appeared to be afflicted with
violent collie, emphasized all the cheap melo-
dramatic ciap-trap of the composition and only
needed parlor-skates TO complete the spectacle of
his absurdity There is good reason why rubbish
should be produced on the New-YOrk stage, the mo-
ment it is summer We have to endure enough OF
It, in the regular season.
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