Article on slow musical and theatrical holiday season

“The current week is characterized by such a dearth of theatrical novelty as has seldom, if ever before, been reached in this city. Music as well as the drama languishes and appears to have touched the bottom in the tub of theatrical poverty. A change of programme, consisting for the most part in the revival of old plays and the reappearance of ‘old favorites,’ is the bait at some few of our theatres, with which certain of our managers hope to entice the public into the temples where it is popularly supposed that the dramatic mirror is held up to nature. This is sometimes very bad for the ‘mirror,’ and sometimes it is equally as bad for poor ‘nature.’ Either the ‘mirror’ must be very deceptive or else ‘nature’ must be very depraved and at times even hideous. Aside from this, however, the fickle public, as a general thing, object to being dosed with the same prescriptions week after week, and sometimes absolutely refuse to swallow the bills prepared by our managerial doctors, no matter how thick and tempting may be the coating of sugar. Theatre-goers sigh occasionally for a change, but this week they sigh in vain. Not a really new play of any description is offered, although at Niblo’s Garden the announcement is made of the first representation in this country this evening of a drama entitled ‘Little Em’ly,’ which is but another of the many adaptations of Mr. Dickens’ story of ‘David Copperfield’ that from time to time have flooded the stage. The other theatres indulging this week in a change of bill are Wallack’s, the Fifth Avenue and the Grand Opera House.”