The Sun.
London, England, 1861-03-21 00:00:00

PRINCESS'S THEATRE.

The curiosity of the play-going public was last evening
gratified by the appearance of Mr. Fechter in the character
of Hamlet, the theatre on the occasion being filled by an
overflowing audience. It had been for some time expected,
from the great talent of the distinguished artiste, that a
thoroughly new version of the part would be given, and we
are bound to say the expectations were realized to the very
letter. Mr. Fechter's Hamlet differs entirely from all' its
predecessors, his idea evidently being to give a perfect
original conception of the part, and at the outset we must
remark, a more natural or unaffected performance we have
never witnessed.

It would occupy too much space to enter into minute de-
tail of the whole performance, and we, therefore, on the
present occasion merely intend pointing out some of the
parts that created the most delight and surprise. The first
soliloquy of importance, " Oh, that this too solid flesh
would melt," was delivered with infinite care —not in that
stagy style that for years has been accepted as the true ver-
sion—not in that mouthing and pedantic manner that of
late has passed current for great acting—but in a calm, re-
flective, and natural mood, that powerfully portrayed the
deep suffering the prince was labouring under for the loss
of his royal parent. The interview with the ghost was
another most marvellous rendering of the part, although
we must honestly confess we cannot quite subscribe to the
manner in which he declaimed the well known line—.
" Oh, my prophetic soul!—my uncle!"
The strong emphasis laid on the word " my" sounded too
discordant, or perhaps, we might say, too new to please us.
The next very striking portion of the tragedy was the first
scene in the third act, in which the soliloquy, " To be, or
not to be," &c., occurs, and the deep meditative tone in
which it was delivered was intensely affecting. Then,
again, in the same scene the interview with Ophelia was
another triumph of high art. Never have we seen any.
thing that can for an instant be compared to the superb
acting of Mr. Fechter on the discovery that Ophelia,
too, like others, joins in the stratagem to discover the cause
of his melancholy. The effect was so telling that unani-
mous applause burst from all parts of the house. The
play scene, of course, was magnificently given, and
another powerful effect was produced in the fourth
scene of the same act—Hamlet's interview with
his mother. In the opening scene of the fifth
"a churchyard"—a word of praise must here be said for
the artist who painted, and the stage manager who ar-
ranged, so admirable a scene—Mr. Fechter's acting was
nature itself; the easy manner in which the colloquy with
the gravedigger was given was the theme of admiration and
applause. Nothing certainly could be more natural than
the position he assumed—sitting on the edge of one of the
gravestones while eonverging with the old man. The last
scene, like all its predecessors, was a perfect triumph, and
the curtain descended amidst the.most rapturous applause.
Of course, a general call arose for Mr. Feehter, and on his
appearance the cheering became universal. To those who
wish to witness a perfectly new Hamlet—new in the moat
extended sense of the term—a great treat is in store, for
*nest certainly Mr. Fechter's Hamlet differs as much from
the old conventional stage Hamlet, as that character does
from the usual one of Richard the Third.