"We presume that not even the author of a plot such as this, would be disposed to claim for it anything on the score of originality or invention. Had it, indeed, been designed as a burlesque upon the arrant conventionality of stage incidents in general, we should have regarded it as a palpable hit... The day has at length arrived when men demand rationalities in place of conventionalities... No such events ever happened in fact, or ever could happen, as happen in 'Fashion'... Our fault-finding is on the score of deficiency in verisimilitude- in natural art- that is to say, in art based in the natural laws of man's heart and understanding... It must be understood that we are not condemning Mrs. Mowatt's comedy in particular, but the modern drama in general."
From "The Drama: Park Theatre-- The New Comedy" in The Albion: A Journal of News, Politics, and Literature, March 29, 1845:
"To the composition, in a literary point of view, we shall confine our remarks. The language throughout is natural and colloquial, terse and pointed-- hence its great charm. To acts is actually nothing but conversation- the action of the play does not progress- and yet the interest of the audience is sustained without flagging. There is not, perhaps, much brilliancy in the dialogue, but the absence of this is sufficiently compensated by the point and solid truths conveyed throughout... The dramatic incident or action exhibits, perhaps, the unpracticed hand; the characters talk too much for modern comedy... Upon the whole, Mrs. Mowatt may lay claim to having produced the best American comedy in existence, and one that sufficiently indicates her capabilities to write on that shall rank among the first of the age."
From "Music and Theatrical World: 'Fashion' at the Park" in The New World: A Weekly Family Journal of Popular Literature, Science, Art, and News, April 5, 1845:
"It singled out American Fashion from all other Fashions that ever existed. Mrs. Mowatt has had the nerve to put that sentiment into action on the stage. She has shown the essential ridicule implied in it, and in so doing, has produced a Comedy, the leading idea of which is new to the Theatre. In holding her mirror up to the SOcial Facts as it stands before her, the authoress has, doubtless, to a considerable extent, availed herself to the resources of Caricature. But her Comedy stands in basis of Fact and never wholly loses sights of that Fact; and the Fact is new and interesting. Therefore it is that the Comedy, in spite of very serious defects in its execution- without sufficient plot- without a continuous glitter and sparkle of wit- without any single passages even, of very marked brilliancy and power- holds firmly the attention of the audiences as they hear it night after night, and is destined we doubt not, to take its place permanently on the American Stage as an acting Drama. It is a new picture of a new thing."
No comments:
Post a Comment