New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-01-07
RosIyA FOXES IN"THE SILTER SHIELD

Comedy. in rs scrlouS phases, often requires pas
sion and sentiment and comedy. in all it, phases,
Quir, manner distinction. elegance and rcpose. stick
tragedy said David Garrck 10 ambitious novice,
" FOR comedy j, serious business For Miss Rosina
voies, for an other performers. Nature has e,tab
lisAed nncAiblc limitations. There IS more scnti
mcnt actre,, than there Is I'm stewed prne
and Of distinguished manner she is completely de-
ncicnt \ wise instinct 10 the fitness Of things
would therefore counsel. IN this instance. the most
steadfnst adherence 10 burl"que farce. In these,
Miss VolcS IS delightful. Her personality btimS
with mrth Her eyes sparkle and her lips trcmble
with suppressed mischief and her whole 1.-THE unduat
ing, vital figure teens with frUhc. In the part that
she tried to play last night She SIMPLY iettered
aud constrained. 80 that beyond dcmure aspect and
occasional fri-kurs, SHE nowhere seemed herself or
rather she everywhere seemed herself In clogs. II
was one Of the Jokes OF ARENAS Ward that his pianist
could readily excel Thdlberg-becauSe lies could play
with mittcns II is jest 20 hear Of; II would not
bc droll To see.
The re entrance Of Miss Nokes. which made in
the presence Of Is many persons could he crowded
into the Madison square Theatre, nevertheless
viewed with eager interest and hailed with many cN
pre- sions Of public satisfaction. she Is n MNoHie
and a fayorte can do wrong. The piece that she
produced Is n three act comedy written by Mr.. sidney
Grundy and called The silver shield because 1t
teachc, that every picture every posture Of affairs
i'm lie has two SIDE, The proposition Will readily be
conceded But triteness In morals l. not simplicity,
any more than il Is In art. AZ what period In his
life Mr. Grindy wrote this composition Is not known.
Conjecture seems warranted in a>crbng II 10 period
II extreme youth. Its writer certainly had not lived
To learn that wherever there Is love there Is unerlng
intuition {, pecia'K in Lovers not pared
in the way in which this author separates Potter and
Alma and no Nlfe-unless a verable smpleton-wOuld
privly leave her husband because she had CHANGED
lind among his literary papers an apparent loveletter
10 another woman. The logic Of the piece is false the
situations are forced and artificial, the incidents are
linl,y. IL would be wasting time TO anayze such a
childish fabric OF theatrical caprice. Alma Blake the
actress, and Tom Potter, an artist, have sepa-
seUuent venia error made by Alma. sew
eral wears later they meet and reconciled
,-havng incidentally been the cause OF various
cntang elements and cross purposes In the home and
family ~ an English knight Sir Humphrey Chetwynd
\ theatrical manager, who is caricature and a mild
nsinIne clergyman. DR.. DozeN most admirably and
amusingly played ley Felix Norris. who Is still an
other chilcaturc forced into the serious story I'm
order To elicit mirth from contrast of the VivacioiS
actrc,, with the absurd par>On. The Undiscovered
rXDrdicnt Of fun welcomed with all the kindness
due 10 an old friend. and Miss NokeS. whcedlmg the
sanctmonou, little preacher and decorating his angular
anatomy with yellow roses. fingers In memory the
brightest picture In the piece telling bit OF sent
ment was given by Miss Emily Hancher. ard an
amiable cynh mpeNOnated with some denote
ments Of depth and Significance by Mr.. Courtenay
Thorpe THE silver shield" may be called pretty
pay-but Miss Rosina NOkes needs broader field than
that of pretness, and her potential resources but
family developed In "A work which. however erroneous
aud however weak, certainly requires comedy treat
ment for It's adequate Illustration