OCR Text |
Show "Kip Van 'Winkle. "Mr. Kobert MeWade presented his Torsion of this I popular drama last night before a very ; I fine audience. In his dramatization of irving's strange legend Mr, MeWade ' apparently follows the plot of the author au-thor more closely than does Mr. Houeieault, and at the same time ad-hears ad-hears with considerable fidelity to the language employed by Irving. IJouei-cault's IJouei-cault's 'H'ip," which is tliat of Mr. , JclTerou, Mr. Homo and all others i save Mr. MeWade, is a rollicking . (lortnan of tho modern school, the school of Kmmct and Murphy, while tho "Kip" of Mr. MeWade is a veritable veri-table Anglicised Hollander, such as Irving created. Tho stately language of the period of tho legend is retained and the effect of this is to carry tho listener back to tho days of knee-breeches knee-breeches and bag-wigs, to the manifest advantage of the piece. The anachronism anachron-ism of coupling modern idioms and expressions ex-pressions with the superstitions of the Catskiil mountains at the period of which Irving wrote, is well avoided in Mr. MeWadc's dramatization, and it is needless tosay that this conception is fully carried out in the impersonation impersona-tion of tho principal character. The great feature of the piece, as rendered by this actor, is the representation represen-tation of the old man, and here we think it safe to say he excels even Mr. Jefferson who linked his name imper-ishably imper-ishably with the part. Mr. Mc Wade is a line artist, and presents a multitude of original points throughout tho play, many of which aro very effective- and mirth-provoking. To sonic of theso we shall allude hereafter; Por the present we havo only spaco to commend the piece and the actor. Those who fail to witness this performance perform-ance will miss a rare treat. |