Charlatan

     No mention of music. “…The vehicle of introduction was a play ‘by an American author,’ in a prologue and three acts, entitled ‘The Charlatan,’ which is founded on the life and adventures of the noted adventurer Cagliostro. The ‘author is a well-known gentleman of this City, and we presume he would not thoroughly indorse the pretentious claims and assertions of the less careful programme. The ‘Charlatan’ is not new in plot, incident of language. It is either a free translation of a French play of that name, or a simple arrangement from a novel of the same title published, if we remember correctly, in or about the year 1838. The compiler or translator is entitled to whatever cleverness there may be found in the arrangement for the stage, if indeed the arrangement is not taken from the French play. We fail to see why a translator or adapter cannot be content with the credit, literary and pecuniary, that follows the successful production of a translated or adapted play, and we never could understand the morality of programme writers and advertising agents who sanctioned the making of statements utterly at variance with the truth. . .The ‘Charlatan’ has many elements of success. It needs to be pruned of certain French freedoms that are distasteful to the sever morality of American and English audiences, and certain matter that in its present form must present themselves offensively might easily be toned down to the orthodox average of American usage without injuring the saliency of the play a whit. The audiences on Monday and Tuesday nights were surprisingly large, and we are sincerely glad that prosperity accompanies the maiden effort of the unannounced but well-known ‘author.’”

     “Winter Garden.—‘The Charlatan’ having had a successful run of three nights, is withdrawn, in consequence of complications with which the public have nothing to do. The play as given is susceptible of great improvement.”