Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1888-08-25
A LEGAL WRECK.
The New Play by Gillette, the Com
nectHeuE PLAYWRIGHT.

The New Play by Gillette, the Com
nectleut Playwright.
Iattended the opening of what is called the
preliminary season at the Madison Square
Theater on Tuesday night. On Monday
morning the theater was closed for rehears-
ais. The play was ga. Legal Wreck" by
William Gillette Mr.. Gillette is very
clever man, not only as an actor, but as an
author. He is a brother of Mrs. Lille
Warner of Hartford, who is well known as a
contributor to the magazines. She is a sis
term law of Mrs. Charles Dudley Warner.
So Mr.. Gillette has always been more or less
in literary atmosphere. His family did not
recognize the stage as one OF the professions,
therefore rather looked with disfavor on his
adopting the stage, but he long ago proved
future Mr.. Gillette is clever character
actor and he writes delightful plays, some
times. 1.-THE Professor" and "Held by the
Enemy" were of this class, but "a Legal
Wreck" his last production, while it
shows the individuality of the author, is
not by any means up to his former standing.
We cannot always expect to do our best and
Mr. Gillette is not at his best in ga Legal
Wreck" It is the most unreal of anything
he has ever written and therefore the least
artistic. The story begins with the home OF
an old captain, the ex-mate of his vessel, a
hulking son of the captain and pretty young
girl compose the family. The young girl is
far more refined than those around her. She
was left with the old captain in her infancy
by her father just before he committed sui
eide. The real name Of this heroine is I'M
known to the good captain who loves her,
and has sent her to school where
she made the acquaintance of
LODI yha hear to
turns out to be her sister There is some
thing incongruous in making this heroine
living alone in the house with three men,
and Mr.. Gillette would have done better to
have 'fMrs. Dunks," character old woman's
part, who figures as neighbor, to have been
an inmate Of the captains house as the house,
keeper, thus giving reason for her appear
ing in the play at all, and freeing the hero
inc from being alone with only men in the
house. There is lover of the young girl,
whose life is saved by the captains ne'er-do-
we'll son, who as q reward compels the hero
inc to pledge herself in marriage. OF
course it all comes out right in the end, the
real lovers come together and the mother
finds her daughter. The real leading part
of the play is young lawyer, who is also in
love with the heroine, but by his legal ad-
vice to the different characters finally is
euchered out of his own opportunities, and
is, as far as love making goes, a fwreck." /
buAAh IAo SAbAo q very Au4s4SaOAuS Onc1 Au0 81
did many In the audience near me. Most
everyone thought that "the legal wreck"
would be man who lost position, and every
thing else in waiting for some great estate to
be settled and growing from childhood to old
age unable to perform any life work; because
always waiting for the case to be settled that
would enrich him, until the years slipped by
and his life was spent, leaving him ga legal
wreck" Now young "Mr. Merriam" the
lawyer, was only wrecked in love affairs,
through his legal advice it is true, but
he takes it philosophically, and the inn
preston the audience is that ne will come
ont all right after all. The part of the law
yer was hristling with good lines, 80 good that
I suspect Mr.. Gillette wrote the part for him
self. The play met with much applause, but
it was rather the acting than the play. A Sc
rious, it seems to me, is to let the audience
know that the captains son is not dead be-
fore the captain knows it, because the audi
ence is rather inclined to laugh at the sorrow
displayed by the old captain, knowing as it
does that it is all of no there is really no
cause for grief. This faulty construction Mr..
Gillette is clever enough to see and change
Springfield Union.