New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-04-10
was bo'n - high
'isrr bui' deth in tie cr's top,


ness. Cbbers RchsId is rutiisn monster,
who delights in numbering for thu MURDERS
sake. Sbaksperes Richard is villain giant;
Cbber's is giant villain. The one, hgh-bred n-
telleetual devl-the other, vulgar, low bred ogre.
Cbbet's misdeeds kno hat re 81 artists if
obliged to use his text always endeavor to preserve
tie spirit with which Shakspere clothes HE CHI .racter
But if Colley Cibber has hacked and harro wed a1d
scared the text of Sh,kspere, Mr. Forreit, to make
amends for the mutlation of the play, determines t.
unmutilate the beros person. He unshrinks Rich
ards arD uobunches bis back, equalizes his legs
barmoDizes his proportions aud when swinging his
Forrest srms bearing straight and unoaded his For
rest back, throwing out his strong knit Forrest mbs
and glory ing in hs fine Forrest proportions, absolute
ly, With GOODNESS Of audscy which has never been
surpassed, thu. describes hicself with his osn For
rest mouth:
"Wly love forwore me IN my mothers womb
And for ehood not real 10 his soft laws,
He did corrupt fral Nature With brib.
To SHRINK my ann up lie a shrub
Tonsks en- epviou, mountain on my bisk,
To shape my legs of an unequal size
10 dispoportion ne 10 every part"
BY what law, human or divine, Is this aud scous
fantasy authorized Why, every child in the aui-
ieDce must be struck with the ludcrous idea of a
vigorous well proportional villain, with the mien
complaints about his deformiiy. Taus the whole
play is damned the very motive which was the
spring of Richards wickedness, his defornity, b5ng
kept out OF sight, and the auden 20 inveg,ed into
forming wholly erroucvu, idea Of Saakspere's
creation. Mr. Forreste imnolation Of the intellectual
conception is still less pardonsble. Richard is
always intellectual. 1t lie this intellect which makes
his hypocrisy 70 consumma'e and effective; and il il
tbis consummate by pocrsy which secures success ID
bis schemes. lie is at tunes the hero, lover, states
man. buffoon, wit peni'ent, or hardened sinner, as
bis bumor or the occsson Of the hour suggests ME-.
Forrest cannot compass this versatility.
When Mr.. Forrest entered on the stage, we never
btte)d him tas Mr. Mr. Forrest the man look half
becomiDely as in the splendid attire Of Richard. He
had sll the air of dashDg, courtly wsg, out on some
gay Don Juan adventure. Aud yet he pleasantly tells
us that heis
80 lame and unbelievable
That dogs BAH at ne, as halt by them"
When he stabs Henry, the horror OF tss act so
crudely Introduced by Cbber, is lowered by Mr.
Forest TO butcherike operation, which be executes
with droR waggery in order to work upoa tho worst
PARSONS Of an audience, and whom he has secured
the souebt-for cheer he returns again TO the de-
body end Justly pupges his sword in again slyly
quoting with the blade, Just as hans man would to
please the crowd who cheered his execution,
draw the cord sgsin round the neck Of the
strape ulated man and sport with it, to win ano-
ther shout Row can any lover Of nature or OF art
lend HE sanction to such low "trick Of trade. "
His wooipg of sdy Anne, too was perfect carlo 4
ture. The defermed Richard Of Shskspsres con.
ception naturally feels misgivinss Of success,
from bis deformty and il is this misgiviog which
gives effect to ks savage burst Of exultstion at hi,
triumph But the good-lookng rascal Richard of
Mr.. FORESTS conception never has from the start,
the smallest doubt and is confident Of that
be does not address himself so much TO Lady Anne
az to the audience with kind Of air as if TO say,
"Am not doing il well :" But even in the sinula-
ton of emotion, he entirely fails. The convulsive
sgony of eye with which Mr.. Forrest eaieavors to
support the artice, conveys not the faintes idea Of
emotion. AID, al the close of the successful wooing
Ds.ead Of burst of triumphant exultaton, we have
an explosion OF coarse passion. Again. when Back
iDgbam DsDus.ss the possibility of Lord HastDgs's
unwiE.pgness to become a tool Of Richards designs,
Rcharo immediate decision on his murder is m-
PEELED entirely by h.s ambition, and bis de.ermn alton
20 irsmp.e on al vic cross his path; but when Mr..
fSrrest criss out Csop Off his head, there is TIA s.
in his cir ard manner which gives complete per.
version Of the character. by making Richard rejoi,e
In murSer for nrrdes sate-avi thu,, as Throughout
the whole play, presenting The idea Of a man am1i-
tious TO commit murder, ins.e sd q man com hitting
murder for ambitions sake. In TIE second scene of
the third act when Richard usss all his NEST canning
arts of Hypocrisy, aud puts the ca raster OF self
sacrificing, viruous man, doing sll nc 20 serve hiIa
te'f, bat
"Tose've tby,eL my CO.sr.7
Mr. Forrest convert, the subtle smo5il 'ness w1ieh
ought to characterize his every word aud ook In this
scene into blunt display Of silly ssrcasms.. 10 the
dream scene the beautiful dramatic effect is entirely
lost in Mr. Forests rude rendering, and Ia burly
radiance he filings around bis air. when be Ell elsins
" Soft, twas but dream" Of such sing slariy
bureeque nature that the audience was left in eubt
nom what Expiration it was drawn. In the las, s5t
MI FORFEIT was least Objectionable his great pig VI
Cal powers being in his favor when the effect depend
tolely upon tt cir dbplsy.
On the whole Richard is but one more aided
to the garpg proofs Mr. Forrest a. already given Of
bic inability rightly to conceive or person IT., the ere
atoms Of Sbatsperes genius. Melodram, i. IN, trus
field, and wbtn be abandons it be ia untrue To n. N
self, III tue TO nature and untrue to his ausjenc,
whom be seIds away with fake notion of the co., :,
cepops and cf arsceIs Of the most wondrous seniu,
Of any Ian or age.