The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-04-16
TO THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD.

To THE EDlTOk OF THE HERALD
With friend from Washington, who had come to Go
than flying visit, to escape the air of politics and
confinement in Congress- paid visit to the Broadway
theatre to Forrest We had both seen him before in
his leading characters.
We found the house so much crowded as to make it
difficult to obtain seats This theatre as metropolitan
establishment should be four times large. The ar
rangement of seats is bad and the ventilation of the
house
The play our visit-the 9Th nst.-was the oMer-
chant Of Venice with Mr.. Forrest Shylock. large
proportion of the audience usual Forests nights
composed of the hardy mass middle class of cti
zens, with large sprnkling of transient visiters.
We must be permitted to say that Forests peculiar
line of acting does not embrace the characteristics Of
Shyock. To win the entire appreciation of audience
it is not enough to exhibit good acting, but also carry
its feelings aud sentiments with him. manifested in the
characteristics of the part assumed. The sympathy ex
cited by the Jew in the earlier stages of the play when
he aludes forcby to the of his Sect is all
lost at later period when every movement is converted
into unreasonable and unappeasabe revenge and when
defeated in this object the revival of his natural avarce
and cowardice manifested in his willingness to retire. if
he could only obtain the principal of his bond without
interest," destroyed the last vesge of sympathy in his
favor.
The world has not yet produced any tragedian alike
great in all characters.
Mr.. Forrest is what would term hero actor. While
he certainly fell below himself in parts of Shylock
and acted his character in Others yet
his in other characters suited to
his genius of acting To hero acting he is in every re-
spect admirably fitted To fine, full well poised and
modulaed voice. he unites q remarkably well formed
wSs when Exhibited Is the nronsr asa %e
hero or warrior convey to the minds eye the very
image Of the hero His walk, look, action and words
appeal to all as the attributes Of hero.
The noble sacrifice of life for ones friends country
can be felt and acted by Forrest in way to carry whole
masses Of spectators with him BY storm This he has
Brutus and in the play Of Damon and Pythias In these
characters he has living rival and he should stick to
hem and not seek fame in others unsued his acting
The Jewish dress of Shylock concealed his personal
figure and bearing His voice and emphasis were good
but in using them in the more vehement scenes their
wonted hero expression occasionally gained the mastery
and overstepped their bounds There some charac-
tiers which Mr.. Forrest should act, and Others
Richard the Third.
1t has beensaid that Richard died with the elder Kean
and Macbeth with Cooper Had a play been produced
with Wallace or Bruce for hero it would have been
the thing for Forrest for could have made
better Wallace or Bruce than himself had shlk.
speare written play with Caractacus, the ancient Br
fish hero its principal character it would have suited
Forrest. This bold chief after battling against the Ro
man power for nine years. under Claudius Cesar,
finally with his wife and children led captive in chains
through the streets of Rome yet unsubdued he boldly
defed the Romans to do their worst How wen Forrest
made before the proud Emperor Caudus seated on his
tribune, as follows
Had the measure Of my success been answerable to
the dignity Of birth and to the greatness Of profess
sions had now entered this city, not prisoner but
as friend; nor would you have disdained an alliance
with sprung like myself from ustrious ancestors
and the ruler of many nations Ny present condition is
rs glorious to you as 1t is humiating to myself But
Yesterday and possessed men, horses and riches
Can you wonder that did not tamely surrender then
II YOU Romans aspire to universal dominion does it fol-
low that all must be slavesS Had / submitted to
you without struggle neither my own fall nor your
successes would have been so ilustrious. And now
should you resolve to put me to death, my story will
soon be forgotten. Preserve me- and my name shall live
eternal instance of your clemencyn
Caudius struck with the noble speech and bearing Of
bis prisoner ordered the chains which bound him and
his family to be instantly removed 1t is said by Greek
author Zonares and repeated Tacitus that
on witnessing the spendor and size of Rome exclaimed
Scan Romans the possessors of all this magnifcence
covet our British hovelsp'- [Tacitus xii. cap $40
The heroes Of DR.. Birds Indian plays godsends
for Forrest for besides their heroic character they
had originality and at introduced him to renown
actor Next to Metamora, there is character bet
ter suited to Forests acting, than Roa in "Pizarro"
He exceeds all the Roas have seen and in 1t is
without rival In this and similar characters he has
gathered his Aurels associated with which his name
will descend to the future.