New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-03-13
THE DRAMA-MUSlC.
TILE NEW LYCEUM PLAY.

In .be Iyceum Theatre last night. anu III preSeii's
Of = numerous and brlllan; audience Pa! ,a'.'
Am Ideal Husband" written by MI O ",
had its first representation In America - wa W.
produced and well acted. and II was S"i.'e"'tS W.
o.o,,ad =, warrant the anticipation that II Will
have a brief run The Literature Oh nc S'"se "''
,,oI ,o,hiro hi, any OF MIR. Wides endeaVorS'
AVID this drama is no less himsy ana ephemerdi IMAM
IFS predecessors. There IS however, q" "uu"N'
r,r stories OF amatory and seh"-poht'"i 'n'ls"'
and for smart" and more or less ii-pleu diN' an"
- .,o, audience IAN Ideal HUSBAND may prove
.ar,norarilv acceptable Mr.. Wildes plays however
, ,,,,v over and this smoke wreath Will van
az, 'h rho rest There is no sodity to Mr.. Oscar
Wilde. -, -. - =, ;,,i
,tod in n few sentences. well-meahihS
and respected man has. once in his life, done
wrong action \ mschevous woman possesses
,-o,,I,ica of his misdeed. and. by way Of cocrcng
him 10 40 another wrong action, she threatens 10
reveal her knowledge, and to diShonor him pe1ore
the world. unless he complies with her demahuS'
J;ut the mschievous woman is herself In danger
Of exposure and gnominy. because she has commit
,od Il theft and because knowledge and proof OF
ber rllilt are possessed by cool schemer who IS
the friend of her victim She strikes her blow, ana
she succeeds in shattering wife's ideal OF nus
hands exalted character: but. at the last she is
compelled to compromise,-buying her own saieY
nv surrender of discriminating evidence against the
the story the dramatist has devised one enectlVe
situation by means of a moss-grown device, 10
which ne seems especially attached and 10 "hi'"
IN his plays ne almost invariably resor's-t"e Wv
vice of concealing a woman in mans iods"e'
I'D Cbi,ern is n clever and prosperous states
man in London He is happily marrleu' anu as
wife believes him to be the soul Oh no'o 49,
Cbiltern however has sold a state secret 10 pa'oi
Arnheim a stock specuator. for mucn no"e!, "''
upon the gains of that transaction mas redIeu t"e
u,r,,o..,-. of his fortune Mrs Cheveley lady VINO
has lived much on the Continent. has oOtaihe"
,o,,r written by Lord Chiltern which is the record
and proof Of his crime and Mrs. CheVeey' IN
order TO force Lord Chiltern TO favor scheme III
which she is interested, but 10 which ne Is opposeu'
threatens to expose his shameful action, unless ne
ohavs her orders At first Lord Chiltern succumps,
hut later he determines to do right, to defy his
enemy and to endure the disgrace of an exposure
Mrs Cheyeley comes to Lord Chilterns nome pu'
being rem fed by Lady Chiltern, declares LORD
Chitern's infamy to his astonlshec ana Illuminated
wife and therein exemphhcs the operation OF fe-
male spite and malice Lady Chiltern beseeches
her husband 10 deny the charge of dishonor,-to
lie IN her rather than 10 say it is true.-but that
appeal he cannot answer
Lord and Lady Chiltern have a friend. Lord
C;oring in whom each of them confdes. Chitern
has confessed to Goring the crime of selling the
State secret and TO Goring he now repairs for aid
and counsel. Lady Chiltern also turns toward
Gorng-writng TO him. to announce her coming in
terms that might be misconstrued to her detr1ment
Mrs. Cheveley likewise seeks the habitation OF the
all-powerful Goring, and happens TO arrive there
and TO be concealed in 1.-The next room. precisely
while Chiltern and Goring are in conference Cor
ing has been expecting, not Mrs. Cheveley bat
Lady Chiltern. Startled by noise in The next
room" Chtern looks into it, and there beholds
Mrs Cheveey, his deadly foe. Goring. who does
his wife there and tries to offer explanation.
Cniltern will not listen but PUSHES away in rag
hyG ax,alax hon a e
sues between her and Gofing A bracelet the gift
Of Goring to one Lady Berkshire. has been lost
Goring, into whose possess.5n it has come. clasps
peculiar HRHn and Mrs GheVeiey cannot the
bracelet.-not knowing the secret of the spring
her 10 surrender Chlterns compromising letter
Without that document is ntma'fd she cannot
sesses herself OF Lady Chterns compromising let
Nothing esseai to ~ the pay results from
this eHpedien and when Goring has PLAYED MTs
barter the relations of the various parties ad-
Gf Of hGnq
is destroyed; male scamp and a female
5sf to the nHa the Caring is
THIS t structure Is wreat hed all over with that pert
and which evidently he supposes 10 be wit Lon
don society society is said to consist of besgtifqi IDIOTS
LONDON society are probably derived more from
Pm9 h than from any other auarter Il love talk
1T is the only thing know anything about In
authors mind comes strongly forth in this
production-the attitude OF the half-baked juvenile
cynic, who knows that all women vicious and
all men corrupt, and consequently goes about with
his eye peeled and his ever-ready sheer in good
working order.
The cast with which AN Ideal Husband was
@ at she M SHOWED mse
suited 10 the character OF Goring-being bland.
easy. and courteously combative-and Miss Isabel
Irvings girike impetuosty proved agreeable in
the character OF Lady Chiltern.