National Republican., 1883-02-27

long lover. To say this is not at all TO deny
the truth Of the type, but to question whether
any good end, dramatic OF other, is served by
IL. Tho catastrophe would as inevitably
follow if the woman were less
willing; and by making her less willing the
presentation of the story. would be relieved
of some of its ofTensc against good taste-for
the story, precipitated as it Is by q crime so
abhorrent that its name stops upon the tongue,
cannot in any way be held wholly at one
for dramatic illustration. This is not, how
ever, question that need he discussed. TAX
ing the story as It is, and viewing the
play upon its better sides, there is much to be
admired in Mr.. Boxers work, and much in
Mr.. Barretts use of It. The character of
Lancotto is in Mr.. Barretts best vein and
unlike most characters in that vein, IL attracts
and holds sympathy even in the murderous
scene with which the sixth act closes.
FoRD's-" EsMERALDA."
A fair audience assembled at Fords last
night TO see "Esmeralda" performed by the
Madison Square company. OF the play it Is
enough to say that it is perfectly innocuous,
and IL is put upon the stage as well as If it
were one Of Shoridan's greatest works. 1t is
a sample of what first class artists are able
to do with severely commonplace material.
Mr., John Il. Owens makes old Rogers
very quaint and interesting person.
Mr.. Owens is SO genuinely comic, and
his acting has so many sterling excellences
that he raises the part to a dignity which
makes 1t overtop the others. Miss Annie Rus
SELL as Esmeralda, has a very charming stage
presence, and gives promise of one day be-
coming q clever actress; but from the tears in
which Esmeralda is drenched through tho
whole four acts the sympathy of the audience
is strained to exhaustion. The character is
in itself rather negative and colorless, but
surely something could be done to make Es-
meralda little more like other young women
of her age. Mr. Charles b. Welles succeeded
admirably in the character of the impossible
young man, Dave Hardy, but, like Esmeralda,
the part is lugubrious Mrs. Rogers is perhaps
the most disagreeable woman ever pictured
on or off the stage, and the play is clearly
incomplete in not having some fearful net of
retributive justice to fall upon her before the
curtain goes down. The two parts which
have the flavor of reality about them
are Estabrook and Nora Desmond,
which were taken by Mr.. and Mrs.
Charles Walcot, both. capable and finished
artists who especially excel in interpreting
nineteenth century people by simply not
over doing anything, and doing on the stage
very much as people do off the stage. Nora
Desmond is really very pretty and striking
part, and Mrs. Walcot made tho most Of il,
while Mr.. Walcot, as Estabrook was very
easy, natural, and seasoned with q fine
quality of humor. The rest of the cast was
equally to be commended, and the play moved
with great ease. The Paris drawing room scene
had fine local and American flavor about it,
and when Mr., Owens, in his inimitable man
ner announced that i" these ways amt North
Ca'liny ways" ho might just as we'll have
added that they were not Paris ways either.
The waits between the acts were interminable,
and suggested the idea that the scenery was
being created, instead of being put in place.
As a whole, for people who care for drama
of the " Esmeralda" type, the performance
was highly meritorious.