Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-05-11
"THE IMMORTAL sHALEs.p

A Sunday journal, week or two ago,
speaking of the performances of some
new actor whose name has escaped us,
says: His motions and his voice re-
minded us Of the immortal Shalcs." We
never hear his name mentioned without
bursting into an Involuntary laugh. Bos-
ton is fono Of jokes, but this was one of
the richest ever concocted in that CITY.
ShaleS was half witted, ungainly cub,
with tolerablY good memory for the
acquisition of his parts" and be was
persuaded by some wags 10 60 upon the
stage. lchabod Crane was a Count
DOrsay in comparison with his figure.
lis legs were long and crooked, his gait
Undesirable; he had retrcating forehead
and chm, and the most meaningless, lack
lustre eyes we ever saw on the stage or
off it. He was the butt of Boston for
nearly two weeks, filling the fremont
Theatre, by his perSonation of the crook
cd back Richard the Third" to reple-
ton, night after night. Never was such
obsireperouS laughter and applause ever
heard within Its walls! There was a
wreath thrown to him one night from the
gallery that would have been a treasure
to a green grocer. 1t was made upon a
hay band, wound round stiff hoop about
three feet In diameter. and was composed
of large cabbages, white and red, long
parsnips, carrots, turnips, mammoth DO
tatoes, and red peppers-all very hand
somely contrasted. If the wreath had
hit him, it would have crushed him to
the stage!
We saw it afterwards, when the great
actor came 10 fulfill New York engage
mont, IN the Office of the Astor House
and it was a NEST effective advertisement
| for him.
Before coming hither, he took " ben
eft" in Boston. The house was crowded
in every part. A "service of plate"
(made of sheet iron, was to be presented
to him, after the performance, by q COM
mittee, of which Col. Greene, of the BoS-
ton Morning Post, was chairman, and
who was to make the presentation in the
uniform Of an old continentaler but he
backed out, and a substitute was OBJ.
tanned. ShaleS stood in the middle of
the stage, not far from the foot-hghts,
holding at arms length the massive
service" bowling, and trying to look his
gratitude, when down from above came
five or six paper bags, full of -four, which
covered him all over, leaving him (" as
white as miller" But there he stood,
bowling till the curtain fell.
One terribly stormy night in March
We walked a mile to hear Shales play
Richard, at the National Theatre. Su h
a performance! Pen cannot depict it !,
His stage walk who that ever saw it
can ever forget it Such gestures, such
solemn gestures, of limbs and features,
except in monkey, We never saw before.
He was encored in the death fi.ht with
Richmond six times, until tired nature
could hold out no longer. He was killed
in different position every time, and
died all over the stage! :" What q death
gurgle was his Oh! it was too rich, !,
We laughed until we were too hoarse to
make laughter vocal and one old thea
tre-goer and good theatrical critic in the
pit, who was nearer to the workings"
of that matchless face, actually fell from
his seat in spasm of cschination. "Im-
mortal Shales h' "-Yes, indeed We
would, 60 farther this night to see his
comical tragedy than any live comedian
We ever saw, except "poor Power" or
Harry Placide. He was literally him
self alone'-the Shales !-hnickerbocker
Magazine.
/ nrI is worse TO deal with An ass