The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-04-10
die "rigid and compressed styIe Of edmund Kean.


had mo intellectual comprehension of what
was about" had closely watched the perform
ance OF Mr. kean, and had brought from ii only the
most vulgar and obvious points, certain physics Al
auls,ile'-sonnd was substituted for sense-Th,sn a
tender word occurred, il was spoken tenderly-
where fierce word, tiercely. MIR, Forrest seemed
beyond control All he said and did, was said and
done mechanically" Now this last sentence
would apply Justly 10 but one man that ever walked
the stage, and that man is Macready. In closing
this violent and absurd attackabsurd bee tusc its
purpose was defeated by its apparent malignty-
MI Forster Iesuiically remarks: "We have spo-
ken thus OF Mr. Forrest with much regret, because
we had been led TO expect better things of him, and
u is always more grateful task to praise than to
blame. But 1t is duty we owe to truth, Ito Ma
cready he means,) to write what we have written,
and the rather as we see the exaggerated tone Of
praise (aye there's the rukD assumed by our daily
contemporaries .. -..'.f.4I H II I... ..
MIR. Forster would have added to this, had he
uttered his thoughts; sand we have spoken thus
OF Mr. Forrest, for that he has had the temerity to
place himself smgly and alone against the comb N
ca talent OF our English stage-Mr. Macrcady
Mr. Charles kemblc, and Mr.. VandenhoH, who
are now acting at Covent Garden Theatre ut re-
dqced prices from those charged at Drnry Lane,
where Mr.. Forrest is playing, and yet the people
throng The avenues TO see this Yankee, whilst my
benches" 90. Nj
My success at Drury Lane Theatre worked Mr..
Forster INTO such fury that his rawlings were at
last noticed by several of his contemporaries. The
following is cut from the London Constitutional
Of Wednesday, November 9th, 1896 who its au-
NOR Is never knew; but 1t Is curious to observe
how fully and completely some of my charges
against Mr.. Macready are corroborated and by an
English witness too.
From the London Constitutional, November Q, 1886
THE EXAMINER AND MIR. FORREST.
An evening journal has placed in just and perspi-
light some of the oblauities of criticism with
which Mr. Forrest has been assaulted In selecting the
Examiner, our contemporary has fixed assailant
fho Of
who have joined in the discrcdtable warfare. The
writer in tho Examiner is not critic but cavillor-
tho very antipodes Of Leigh Hunt who found good in
every thng" lie s of tho genus nifabIetho horsc-hy
OF the drama. The theatrical writer in the Era
nineT-(wherefore no longer so ?)--took with him. to
ms task, philosophy and sentiments tho present mis-
anthropy and dstrust. One sought out and gathered
sweets and rendered them still more sweet; tho other
hunts after bcmshes. and strives to make them repu
siye. The critic would have appreciated and sympa-
thiscd with the high dramatic genius Of Mr.. Forrest
the cavillcr unable to grasp and comprehend beaut
fu whole incapable of measuring but by seconds and
sylables scizes on single defect real assumed aud
swels it out by prejudice and acerbity, until 1t be-
comes as monstrous rs his conceit. Each after
his nature. But we are keeping readers from tho
enjoyment We have experienced in porusal of tho
comments Of our contemporary
Mr.. Forrest repeated his performance of Lear last
night but, rs we noticed his first appearance in this
character at some length Saturday, to the
subject only for the purpose Of answering some obec
tons urged against Mr. Forrest by a Sunday contem
porary who boldly asserts that his Lear is little at
all, removed above the level Of common place Our
contemporary is often just in his theatrical notices.
giving reason for the faith that is in him." but in
in the present instance he appears to writo in head
that an American actor should claim arstrato rank
in his profession and bear away the nnlm from Ma
cready And, as if also he DESTROYS to show how
completely he is in the right, and tho rest of the play
going world in the wrong In their estimate of Mr. For
rest Now dislike this pcrverse, crochctty spirit
in criticism and have yet learn that cecentricty il
discrimination. or prejudice profoundncss Our con
temporary begins his objcctng Mr. Forrest that he
played Lear. rs :" foolish, fond old man. Well and
this general conception the character is the right
in what other wav vould I,a .. "a,
royal dotard who rave AWAY kinvdoms in r.tnrr for
foolish speeches and banisbed nm o1J AMI tr;d fin
for merely daring to show his Observation-Disclosures, 81
walton of mind and sentiment aro not tho cha
rncterstics of Lear misery Il IL tre taLos hn, at 81
himself and for time lifts him into The world or ina
gination but we find him in tho pauses of the mental
The ROYAL dotard: the creatnre Of conyontenaI
all aver and no more to be onsdered loft or intc
lecua parsonage for the sublime analogy Of his sor
rows as our contemporary subimey pbTsses II than
the Duke of Wellington il To he consdrred nm Orator
because no once delivered an elooucnt and
speech on the horrors of civil war that took tba
and the country equally by SURPRISE Again our con-
temporary insists that Mr. Enrrnst,s sorrovs 10 -
issue out of great breach in nature y and assume
privilege of prcternaturul graneur,,-in other words
that they are not unnatural enough not suHciantiv
stted or unntelligibe like the objection Witch
yiegeu a yery original objection trn,v ami an. h.
pily calculated To- distnrI what pbiios"mhu Sn ap
delighted to call the :. fitness of things.D
The critic goes on to observe that Mr. ouos
ton to Goneril s.Arc You INV daughter ~ which hv
the way was one of the finest points in hi.
should have had a "hdeous and dream III snmnJ ,,
What quaint captious hypercriticism is thisS How
was the actor to convey he notion of n dream hv .
sound? Was he to do it through the medium Of a
snore or show that he could make his voice ahideo"
by roaring like a Westphalia bullock A traycdian
who should adopt the critics suggestion in this ms
sage instead of delivering Tho interroyatorv in t"o
Of distrust and heartfelt bitterness womb verv sonn
have leave to absent himself from Tho hoards 81 o.,
English theatre But the thing il mnossible and wa
have George Coleman : word for IT, that $50 wv
what i'm possible cant be
And never, never comes to pass"
Mr. Forrest" adds our contemporary, "threw him
self on his knees for the delivery of the with fine
effect But he should have thrown his head completely
back instead OF thrusting it forward" Now this Is
sheer, undilutcd drvel Lear not Ia king garge
for sore throat, but imprccatng curse lie was in
the attitude OF deep impassoned prayer asking from
the Deity that which he felt assured would be granted
to his invocation Had no thrown his head com plete
y back'-we saw nothing Of tbc burcsouo G,,,Iro IL
yyouId h, ga nj a., sucL az tt.,,I - nsu.o no
.;,, Nv :" suoh IN ,tuue.ne would most I'M
q"cSton'piy 1t ms age ana with MS physical weak
avc ms occiput against the mother earth
ne .srrlple lmprecanon pursues our contemporary,
n md