Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1817-09-04
DRURY LANE.

has CHOSEN 10 lmitdtc, luz W d Soi 'o'"
exteut We are persuaded that he has
initiated Mr.. Kean. There is some
thing daring in this wrestle oftalent,
particularly as one of the parties has
been tried and found to be powerful
creature. From what We saw 90
Thursday evening, We are convinced
that Mr.. Booth is clever young man
AS young men go that he will be
an acquisition to the new school OF
olaying, and may do much towards
showing that there ought to be but
little difference between the parties
before the lamps and behind them ;
and that Mr.. Kean is one OF those
fine and fiery spirits. that stands as
il were upon the heart of nature, and
controls its pulsation. MIR. Kean's
Othello, on this occasion, was one OF
the must surprising achievements,
that genius ever perfected. We will
venture 10 assert that there was never
n grander and more pathetic piece OF
acting on the English stage of course
on no other stage. He seemed to
feel he was put on the race, like a
blood horse, and to take pleasure in
the struggle, and justifable pride
in the success Of his endeavors. Mr..
Booth was matched to run against
him; at least We know that many
rersous had made the knack Of Mr..
Booth an argument against the senu-
inc talen. of Mr.. Kean : but kean
beat his antagonist hollow. He play
cd Othollo from his very soul. and he
sent the ferceness and misery of the
Nicer into the hearts of all his hear
ers. Kean played himself into state
IF absolute exhaustion, more than
once. His face was a mirror to his
heart and all its shades Of terror &
susniciou fitted over it like Banquo's
shadows. Mr.. Kean's style Of acting
is of the same quality with Lord By
ron's style Of poetry it is magni6-
Gently ferocious when in state Of vi
olent extraordinarily pathetic
in unexpected passages, and mysteri-
ously attractive in general. In Ber-
tram (Maturin's tragedy he was the
Corsair himself ; the same furious pi-
rate, the same terrific lover. the same
outcast at heart from all his kindred
and kind, with the like broken for
tune and bewildered hopes, and with
a similarity in projects, daring deeds,
aud vithered feelings. Kean's Ber-
tram, though direct nonentity in the
way Of morals or pure high-minded-
ness, was fine bold picture of an
ardent and wariike nature, wrecked
on the storm of its own feelings, and
wandering about on the shore of the
world, desOlate, and proad and savage
hating the earth and trusting not
the heavens pursuing man with the
ferceness ofa tiger and boarding up
in his bosom the remains of h,s shat-
tered passion, like a miser. Bertram.
like all the heroes of Lord Byron's
tales. would be despised and hooted
from our presence, if he had not a
mystery in his air that hetokened
mental superiority over his kind and
a certain fitness Of personal courage.
Mr.. Kean has always played Otheilo
with a beautiful earnestness-but on
the other evening, he seemed to feel
his fame aatched at by stranger
hand, and the consequence was, that
he put forth all his energies and a.
rose on the wings of genius like an ca
gle above his opponent. Who shall
not say that Mr.. Kean is not man
of the fullest genius .! He makes the
breath of glory real" There was
no art Cor if there was. We could moi
discern it) no feebleness, except from
excess Of exertion, and then such an
exhaustion is the perfection of agita-
ted feeling no uumeaning turbulence
in bis representation of Othello 4: he
trusted himself to the power of his en-
thusiasm, and it did not rbetray him
Otbello is Of oil Others the character
for Kean. Ii is pregnant with bursts
Of the deepest pathos and the widest
passion. 1t is full of gnsto. What.
in English Poetry. for certain gran
deur Of characteristic feeling, can go
beyond that sudden tbonsbtof dcsola-
ton in Othello, when he finds that
Desdemena's faithfulness has stricken
down all love of glory and the world.