New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-04-17


lin with the past tba. wa should be carried away 10
mag ina,ios 10 HE Thrscisn home, where hi, youag
baIbsrisDs were all at play. 49, Byron va. when ne
gszed the ma bic eihgy Of the Dyin, G. adj scr
Bus our native ras eceD never loses hirusef ia bis
part his voice, his set on, his gait aid hs manoers
are slways tho same, whether personsting the an.
tique Rornsn the Venetian Moor, the willy Richeieu
or the Epflsb monarch. We never for a mo nAut
lose sight OF Mr. Forrest becsu-e be never lo-es light
OF himself His entrance in tina fret act Of Jack Caie
pm cely, like that in The fis, act Of toe sistor
and as precisely the ssme sceuery-aa Eliz .bst,an
country residence-is used in both pisces the change
OF cr1sS is not sufficient 10 make US forget the
iran Ia the actor. Spsrtscus the Tnracisn brsuy ht
in chairs to Rome is 80 wholly differs mt ca.r. ter
IRON Aylmere the English peasant, returning from
Italy to bis home that even though they are both re-
pieseitd ny the same person they ougb, not to be
suggestive OF each other; yet Mr. Forrest lacks the
power Identifying himsef wi,h the part hs ia play
ing aud never forgets That he is Forrest 1t ia many
yesrs since we first saw hiu when boy in the char
acter OF Oshelio, and were completely ab.oro ed
by his vohemeDce, mis- passion, his bury visor, his
soDorous voice ard bis uaply proportions five had
never setD him again, We might have thought bin
the geatest OF actors, and the onlS possible
ator Of the creations of Skakspere. Bd, ia that
one part, we had Been all there Was OF the &C.
tor. II was rot Forrest playing Otnelo, but
Forrest playing Forrest II torjsurs perdriz;
the only change was in the dressing. How differ
eI lily greet actor affects bs audience. He Identifies
bimseh with bis parts, aud is Richard, or Leaf or
Cesar, rs the csse may be- Burioa is los comed
ian be is called Tooalts, Cept-iu Cutie,
Auinsdeb Sleek, and be is CO npstey identified
with thCse Characters that those who haze him
in such parts never thiLk Of hin Burton YET
he sppeays in now part entirely different from aDy
OF the low COMEDY characters with which ne has
Identified hi self and he is 30 longer the hyppcft
cal and kDavish Sleek, nor tho goo!-hesrted,
plain spoken Cutie, nor tic drunken T,cdles
but desperate villain, Richard Pride;
the beaItlels ruiian viii out touch Of remcrse in
bis nature and with but faint rps'k Of humanity in
bic bosom, which is frightened into life by the pres
eucc Of his child When Garrick played sbol Drug
get people forgot that he had ever been Hamlet, and
in Lear they longer remembered him as the Lying
Valet or the revengeful ShIlock Yet Garrick had
none of the edva tagGs OF stume which arc eojoJed
by the actors of cur dsy; he played Hamlet and
julius Caesar ia a court dress, and produced all his
effects upon his audience by the sheer power of his
imag naton, which wrought the changes 10 his looks,
bis action, and the tones of bis vo,cs that made
them forget the man Gan,ok and feel them.
selves 10 the preeeDOe Of Hamlet the Dane, or the
antique Roman. Let Mr. Forrest try tho experiment
fplayirg bis ordinary dress and you could at tell
whether re porsonating Hamlet or Jack Csie.
In tho second act Of the Gladiator We must award
him the praise Of performing in q most admir- ale
manner in the sword combat with his Gallo ad-
versary, end tho audience testified their relish Of
the fight, ard his DsuD9r Of tbrusting his sTord
into the booy OF his fallen foe, by vocferous ep.
plause The interest OF the play, IN fact, ter
inmates with the eesOnd meeting with his brother
and the revolt of tbs az istors and after this anti
climax it drives rather heavily to the dose. The
sutbor had plenty of room for the exercise OF h's
invention. for history has given bnt mocger outline
Of the events which the drama ia founded but he
has not improved bis opportuntesto good purpose,
and feel the necessity for more fitting sctioa cad
more natural motives. While listening to all tho tus
species ebout freS dom and The appeal Of the en-
shaved barberans II the dormant love Of personal
liberty yet existing in their b. SONS, wo could not
but wish that the author had Chosen h- theme little
nearer home and have given us q drans founsed
upon events 10 nearly akia TO the scenes which
we're 80 nperiecty represented that they would
have appeaed with terrific power to tho hearts OF an
American sudieIce. lie had oaly to call his hero
Teuseaint instead of Spartacus, {, give hi COM
rLxion no. darker than Oshoios, and, ius cad OF
| Rome change the scene 10 ST. Domingo, and s tha'
is essential in the dialogue might remain unchanged
Toussain. was in truth, greater hero than Sparta
Gus His history contains more of the clemens OF ro-
nance; HE fate was tragic his nature not less
noble. nor bis love Of freedom less sincere aud II
the furnished complexion of Otheuo can DC ehdared
by our audiences, ard Ethiopian niD0treis nighpy
amuss our citizens why should not Toassin' ana MS
dark companions be put upon our stage to utter no"'e
sentiments about the love of freedom as well as saw
age Thrscians and antique Romans!
As Mr. Forrest has been so long connected WIN tne
Bre Tbeater, aud exercises 80 great an 'nuu
snce over lite fortunes, we wonder that he mas 10.
caused a change to be made in the MI" en- scene OF
the pieces in which he Plays In the first ac' OF inc
Gladiator where it is intended to Represent street IN
ancient Rome the side scenes exhibit the arcui'
.eetue Of the 18th Century with the winged non vi
ST. MARKS one OF the wings while on the iii tnere
is a view Of distant church seepe; the sexf scene
is the interior OF modern drswing-r room, with
French window, and the third is pretty view OF an
Elizabehan country house. which changes TO the In
terror Of the Coliseum, the side wings Of which are
parts of modern ecclesiastcal ediAce. II such in
copgrutes and soecsms satisfy the aesthetic require
m.nts of a New-York audience how little csuse the
actor has to value himself upon the applause which
he receives from such easily gra,ifed judges.
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