The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1843-08-27
TnE STATE AND Prospects OF rnE DaAMA-MA-

aihClcs On lnt recently puoiisheu i<'.-
don morning paper, number OF excellent sirlctures,
which very forciby present the chief causes OF the
present stagnstion in theatrical affairs, and-we re-
greet TO write the word-the degradation OF the
drama. We heartily concur in the views EXPIRE
sed by the writer, and believe that we will serve
''the cause" by giving them publicity here. II you
have any love for the stage, we needn't ask you to
read the article; and good friends of 'ihe pro-
tession" will find in il that which will amply repay
a thoughtful perusal Here it isl
The mob, including in the term the great and the
little vulgar, will ever be attracted TO places of
amusement TO crafty one feeling chiehy-wonder.
Whethera Kemble awe and dazzle in Coriolanus. a
Macready alright the heart in Werner, or a Ravel
and his umbrella be whirled about the stage by an
imaginary wind, the mob goes TO stare and to adj.
mlre. The educated are impeed by far different
motives and the mob-great and litle-has been
essenlng, whilst refinement has increased. No
profession requires great variety OF quallfi
cations IN order to perfection as that OF the
actor Expression, voice, figure, feeling, manner,
ana initiative powers are the attributes generally
supposed TO be essential TO him, and they certainly
embrace requisites which centre only IN few; but il
Is seldom remembered that more is necessary tor the
completion OF the consummate actor, and unfortu-
nately our actors those who have forgot en-
the necessity. Painter and sculptor are aware that
useful, dlsclpnng, and invgoratng as are the gal
leres where hang the works of their mighty prede-
cessors, they must study life and nature with their
own eyes, or be nought. The actor studies in the
theatre. and very properly, but then he limits his
points OF kemble, OF kean, OF Macready; but the
idea OF grasping the whole which they have grasp.
ed, OF tracing the substantial conception OF charac
ter that they have formed, or of examining how
they may have shaped II so to suit their respec-
tive strength, or how their own ldlosyncracies may
have operated on their view OF the character, much
less OF contrasting their execution with tide authors
intent, and, again, of comparing actor and author
known q ntfra
his Thoughts But putting out of the question that
elaborate study OF his art into which ii may be
argued that the great histron alone will enter let
the pay-goer ask himself what extent OF accomplish
ment he has observed in the players of the day.
Who are the Hamets that can handle the foil with
The ease, grace, and command OF his weapon that
the senteman-the "homo I'D anguem tactus"-
even now that the sword is disused, may be pre-
sumed TO possess? WHO are the Dukes AranZa tina,
can dance except after the fashion of tailors or of
dancing masters! Oh! bur, may be put the reoinder
question, do you go to the Hamlet ience
or the Aranza dance, or Macbeth cut six with
a Highland broadsword! Does your demand that ac-
Tors should study the principles of their art stop at
uere outside and filllgree! Not whit. There
have been Juliets OF sixty, Romeos of upwards of
seventy, who, If cid is to ye in aught believed"
have hurriedi the spectator at into the illusion
u the scene, and made him forget the actual in the
deal; and we have ourselves seen Hamlet, and
an AranZa, and Macbeth, who may have fenced
and danced, and fought to perfection, and who we
believe did so, but OF whose fencing, dancing or
lighting no man with head on his shoulders would
think tor moment, and with whom the things
were OF no consequence But lesser actors or those
who have the desire and hope to excel, cannot and
ought not TO afford to throw away an advantage 1t
is very true that
" Before great merit all objections fly
Pritchards genttel, and Garrick six feet high )"
but II Is also true that though Mrs. Pritchard could
enact the lady without being the beau ideal of the
drawing room, and Garrick the hero without being
heroic In form stature, and the audience be inse
slble to the deficiencies OF either, they would not
be overlooked In persons OF meaner talent, and
that could either have acquired on the emergency,
The one the polish, the other the command, in which
both were respectively wanting, they would have
been the more admirable for it.
when great actor occaples the stage, he takes
possession OF us at his will. But independently of
The combination OF qualities which we have stated
10 be universally acknowledged 10 be essential to the
formation OF the perfect actor, and OF the accom-.
Dlshments which at the least desidcrdtd towards
this end there are other elements not less important
and now almost, II not altogether, neglected. An
actor may be great performer, yet have many and
glazing faults; and ii to be doubted whether the
me has not arrived at which actors OF the kind,
VINO can hurry you away by particular bursts of pas
'on or OF pahos, but are grossly wanting in the ee
nents TO which we. allude, will prove less and less
attractive 10 the refined classes OF the community,
whatever may be the case with the million.
An educated person will hardly be tempted to fire.
quent the theatre, 10 make 1t his habitua and favor
mental pleasure therefrom. The pleasure derivabe
from acting by such person by no means consists
10 his being made the rec pient of certain number
OF electro shocks. Surprising the play to be familiar
TO him, he looks to the actor 10 give to its poetry
fresh charm by The music OF his recitation to sug.
sest 10 him new rains OF thought. and call forth
new phases OF character, by nice infections of voice
and dlscrmlnative accentuation of the feelings
blended IN the part. The strong passions, the lead
ing impulses OF any given creation Of the dramatic
poet, and It's general conformity with the truth of
nature, are as obvious to the well Uniformed reader
N the closet as they can possibly be made sensible
% HIM on the stage But the outlines he may trace
ne requires the actor TO fill up The form exists in
lls own mind-the colorlng must be the actors
ano, though we can expect from the accomplished
,ayer alone the light, shade and "clear -obscure"
which result from keen perception of and relish for
he poetry OF his author, yet we have right 10 de-
nand from every player who appears on the boards
d our great national theatres smooth and flowing
1ellvery We ask-who hears there, or at any the
itre, anything OF the kind
The art of speaking ,ras the first object to which
he young actors attention was directed. Ii is now
Ill but lost. Our players contrive 10 break down
wen Shakspeares lyrical verse; plastic plant, har-
nonlous, and rhythmlcal as it is, into prose. They
'rlnd rich, palpable music on squeaking, stopping
creeching hurdy-gurdy-and congratulate each |
'ther on having introduced natural manner OF |
peaklng. Now, we submit that elocuon is part |
md parcel OF the actors art and that delivering
n snch an ab upt, dslolnted manner that it becomes
lndstlnguishabe from the commonest prose, is not
'ocutlon Graceful recitation, which oughtto const.
ute one Of the charms of the STAGE be attained
by even the mediocre actor and yet is universally
elected by the players OF the day Thus source
ot pleasure derivable from the theatre is entirely
cut oil. And we may observe that the grand aim OF
the players OF old was TO please that of the modern
actors seems TO be startle and astonsh.
And what is the education our players give them
selves! With rare exceptions, not one, man or wo-
man, can go through part without betraying gross
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Of The import OF the text they
deliver, OF the modes OF the in VIII oh the play is
laid, and of he very conventonalities of the day
How few are there who dlsplay the impress of cas-
sic studies or OF polite etters-and education i'm
parts refinement easily discernable-or who even
seem 10 possess the atanments now common TO
the mddling class OF society. II an Italian phrase
or sentence of French occurs the dialogue of their
part, they are at loss. We have heard one word
pronounced differently by every actor and actress in
the same play, and not once rightly. These things
NAV annpar exceedingly trivial hut ua