DESPERATE STAGES: NEW BRUNSWICK'S THEATRE IN THE 1840's. Mullaly, Edward. Fredericton. Goose Lane Editions, 1987. 113pp, paper. $9.95, ISBN 0-86492-067-9. Distributed by Goose Lane Editions, 248 Brunswick Street, Fredericton, N.B. E3B 1G9. CIP Post-secondary Reviewed by Louise Griffith Volume 16 Number 5 1988 September Desperate Stages is a carefully researched account of the interlocking lives of three men, all connected with drama, who lived in New Brunswick in the 1840s. Thomas Hill, editor of the Loyalist newspaper, was a fiery opponent of responsible government and a supporter of Tory tradition. In addition to editorials and news items, he also wrote many poems and one play. Some of these poems, as well as some contemporary illustrations, are included in the book. Henry Preston, an itinerant theatre manager and actor, produced Hill's play and incited a riot. Preston travelled about the Atlantic provinces. New York and New England producing plays with increasingly limited box office appeal. And yet he helped to create a theatrical tradition in the Maritimes upon which others, more capable and talented, were able to build. Charles Freer was an English actor who came to America to find fame and fortune. For a time, he was a member of Preston's company. All three of these men had ideals and the stubbornness to continue to follow them despite odds that would have driven wiser persons to seek a more reliable means of support. This work will be of special interest to drama students and local history buffs. Louise Griffith, Agincourt, Ont.