New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-08-21
THE DRAMA.
,sc.e w,LpEs PLAY OF VERA"

49, r..atre-then and thus reopened1or the season ei
80 ,aa-aud was by an audience 'nat eonp'e'ey
susd the house, MISUNDERSTANDING : sau.en "oe''s..
.er heat had made life almost ntoleraole ana rem
n'osa .orded place repugnant even to contemplate
eefsas noorIy rewarded the public curiosity, how
- aispiay Of several queer scehes' picturesque
,,n,s hut mostly ugly. and by the exposition OF
,fr, foolish highly peppered story OF love- intrigue
fsno ,nve.tyd with the Russian accessories Of fur
and dark-lanternss anu o''
-, freedom and the people
.,ssss,iou of what the poet Campbell with
a - ono,ons historic mentions as =" wastes that
,ar in eternal snow" was not the least agreeable
r,n.te of this performance ininAins On INC iroS'S
r~ra.susv ia more congeniai pursuit just now
,h,,R,ns on anybody's play or any.
-. .c,ns The advocates OF summer theatres
s0u' no.ses.ed Of strange taste when they Ike
arc es vsltetne crowd. and watch their fellow
W ,a,,g noon the stage in reek OF Precipitation
"a snnprssssd fury Of disgust ana ilitemper' O'in-
,o viii perhaps advance so far by ana by us 10 make
s,.ss for anybody to open theatre IN the summer
time
- u,uas. inlay Of Vera" thus untmey launched.
,rm.iv constructed according TO the accepted prin-
,.s Of modern rDeodrama That 10 to say Its author
sssd IN compose Il Of strong incidents, surprises
"a .hsatrieai sitdations. Such piece, IL acted
hnred years ago less would have been inters2ersed
,,a sones and Illustrated OF emphasized with frequent
r,hnrsts OF instrumental music. To-day the meiodious
literary fashion remains The writer OF melodrama Is
80 constrained to square his ideas with probability, or
- ntsia a nice and observance Of nature In his
yt,aure of the development and display OF character
undsr the stress emotions and the pressure OF crcum
stanees without venturng into the realm OF the IDEAL
ne usyertheess widely he likes away from
the realm Of the actual.
Be generally assumes indeed, to deal with the
saots of some specific phase OF social life,
~, he does not scrupe to those facts to the
purposes Of his mslodrama making the con-
uct of Individuals and the occurrence OF events 10 take
any may happen to be preferred by his fancy
mr. by necessities OF his play Hence Is that
We were TO take our knowledge of countries and peo
ules and distant aspects of civilization from contempt
rsry nelodrama should depart away from the theatre
with extraordinary ideas But. indeed the melodrama
does rot aim Its object is TO SURPRISE dazzle
and excite begins and ends In sensation and II this
be attained 1t docs not trouble itself about the means
that were used to effect this result
Mr. Wilde as true he be to the traditions OF the
craft which he carefully to have observed without
having as vet conquered, has built up his play upon
tral idea Incredible and preposterous but
which, neyerheess is useful the motive spring OF
ciacerc situations; and these situations ne mas de-
yised freely and with occasional slight felicity Vera
"a high stepping wordy, and long winded but 1t Is In
substance, and after much condemnation shall have
formed it, practical piece Of commonplace
.rs.rsuch piece as old De Walden would turned
out at the rate OF half dozen annually, in all sizes. 10
suit purchasers: such piece as only young author
would consider mportautyet reasonably seryiceable
niece for all that No sensible person behodlng II will
suppose that no seeing anything essentially Russian
or really authentic picture ofe or either profound
s,hte or novel in the analysis human motives the
portraiture OF human passions Such observer will
perceye hough that OF the incidents have been
chosen with dramatic ssgscity, and arranged AS to
lead I'D to good effects. More than this has not
been reached and apparently has not been sought
The persons presented totay devoid Of interest.
Something more is necessary to invest individuals with
the ideuaiy which sehsracter-with repusive
nsas or charm with some sort of force ana with dis
eliminated attributes-than to designate them as
Nhists or Fenans, illuminate or knights OF Malta
OF the dramatic power essential to the making OF dis
tnet rounded. eontrasble persons, Mr. Wilde gives
evidence production. His people are all of the
sane suf-like many lengths of tape cut from the
zane ROLAND they all talk alike Let the reader look
at seotts great novel Of Old Mortality" and read for
instance tbe chapter in which the preacher and old
Nanse when carried on by Claevrhouse, are made 20
talk and be will an example OF this rare power
which only the greatest writers possess, and Of which
Mr. Wide like most OF his colte nporaries, Is deficient
there capital examples OF 1t, also in Fielding
Ls to Russian politics the writer might DO expected
ma touched upon them IN mere romancing, and his
views only cease to be indefinite when they become
commonplace. The abolition Of serfdom In Russia was
"a economic The serfs were burden TO their
owners and not benefit Hence their emancipation
became readily feasible, and reform was made,
which, as to motive to be noted for Its shrewd
pssthaa its benevoence The liberation OF the seris
however did not imply, result In, liberal govern
nent Russia has stin been ruled with rod OF Iron
sne this tremendous and severity have, of course.
been attended with popular reactions. One Of these Is
Hhlsn-and this Mr.. Wilde uses as background and
psxt COR the story and action of his drama The idea
ofoonnecting member OF the royal family with an in
cendiary plot against the government or which
he s member IL good but II is not Lord Byrons
tragedy Of Marino Faero "a noble work, containing
~ ssSt passage, the curse unmatched In literature
for awful eloquence and lofty the
spectacle Of sovereign ruler himself leading plot
against his state. Lord Byron OF the opinion
that tins IA the only instance OF the exact Kind
recorded In history and he remarks in one OF his Letters
On the fact that Marine prompted by Jealousy OF
one Of the nobles There woman In the case. "a lie
usuS How effectively persons Of rank can be used In
felton, associated with secret societies and political
plots, Is shown likewise in OF the novels OF old
Dumas which most readers will call to mind, and very
ectousy In Sir Walter scots splendid romance now
adsys seldom read of ANNE OF Gelerstein," which
Affords sogcod glimpse OF the workings OF ~the ysene-
gsrioAS' OF tho Red Soil Of Germany.
Mr. wildes play in this groove. He has invented
purely fictitious story, making hi hero. whom dem
ocssue Instincts govern and whom love for Nibilist
vsman leads into danger both Prince and Nibist;
ana no obtains the principal theatrical effect of his work
sans Of this Princes svowal of treason under cond-
~ 81 imminent peril This Is sufficiently irrational
pun possesses sort Of sudacty; IL Is calculated TO
eAus; and 1t Is made tributary to animated stage
0n As to its sense tho author 10 doubtless ndiner-
~ fhst old yarn about the monk who had written
~ proving that certain town impregnablo and
- never be taken. just before King Charles XII
fsaH - stti. Ass hers The King may take the
- Md fhss ~ SO uthor, but be cannot disprozs
teshnieal the play Is defective for lack OF
sesnee N the e.. ne act does not flow naturally out
sh'ther The i've OF them nterludes, hitched To-