The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-07-02
F 0 R E IG N
CHARLES KEAN'S NEW DRAMATIC SPECTA

[ From The london T lines. .Lune 14l


On Saturday night Mr.. and Mrs. Charles Kean
took their annual benefit at the Princess Theatre
ana ana sgnalized the event by such ''revival of the
merchant of Nenice,'' that one of the commonest
cons. IN the dramatic repertory Of London,
/ bM erted, as il by magic, into something that
/ nianSN Ner Deen seen before. Mr.. Charles Kean
f,bSrIo ms accustomed part, Shylock, Mrs
/ tia. hnt man nan her well known character, Por-
- ~ nIeNertheess the whole manner of car
tirni Dm nar, ,'e business business of the stage
sao,'5od ~ ina, uaC even the familiar situations
int " nave been regarded from a fresh
point OF view. Nor was the novnltv obtoinod
by means ofa departure from ShatoSnnaro 0n tba
contrary Shakespeare was approached moro closely
than usual, inasmuch as the Princes Of Nnrocoo
ana Arragon, omitted from the ordinary acting YER
sion OF the play, restored Saturday tn tbeir
position as competitors for the hand of portia :
Indeed whereas tn tory of Portia and her caskets
has hitherto seemed only subordinate to that mart
OF the action in which Shylock and Antonio are the
chief figures, full justice is done to the whole
OF the plot as designed by the author, and thus A
play that has hitherto been attractive solely on ac
count OF certain isolated scenes is now interesting
from beginning to end. In elaborate decoration the
Merehant Of Venice is surpassed by of the
famous revlvals" at the Princess Theatre, but it
has this advantage, that the story is rather euci
dated than entangled by the ornamental accessories
that are so lberaly introduced.
In the first place, by employing every possible
accessory OF scenery and costume, Mr.. Kean has
rendered the work thoroughly Venitian in its as
pect Ilctures OF Wondrous beauty, executed by
result OF archaeological research perpetuallv keep
the peculiarlties of Venice as exhibited on the
place OF St Mark, on the Canals, on the Rialto
and IN the Hall OF Justice before the eyes of the
spectator. Superadded to the interest of the dra-
ma Is that produced by the representation of a
complete series of the 'Ebeauties of Venice and
even those scenes that the least interesting as
far as action is concerned become so many local il
luStratiOns.
However, we have already observed this ex-
tehslve series OF pictures by no means encumbers
the play: The very arrangements that render the
aspect OF the stage thoroughly Venetian also give
variety and new significance to the business of the
scene This is particularly the case in the second
act, which is likely to make as great a sensation as
the famous "episode" in "Richard !" " as a master
piece of historical illustration, while at the same
time it is marked by a novel and ingenious method
OF earring on the part ofthe story which comprises
the meeting OF Launcelot Gobbo with his father,
and the elopement of Jessca. The whole of the
action belonging to this portion of the plot takes
place in the front Of Shylocks house without any
exhibition of the interior, but, then, Shylock's
house stands near bridge placed across a canal
with an arch wide enough to allow the passage of
gondoa filled with living occupants.
Thus when GobbO comes to see his son he is forced
to descend the bridge, and the eebeness displayed
by Mr. Meadows in the course of this achievement
comes in as a new contrast to the robust humor of
Mr.. Harley, who is playing Launcelot in the fore
ground. Bassanio and the others when, during this
act, they make their appearance on the stage in
yarlably enter by means of gOndolas, which regu-
]
complete novelty In the way of grouping is OBJ
tanned. Jessica, already endued with extra inter
est from the circumstance that she was played on
Saturday by Mrs. kean sniece, Miss Chapman, who
perfect novice to the stage, performed the char
acter in most pleasing and intelligent manner
! gained additional sympathy from the scene amid
which she placed. We are accustomed to see
Jessca in very ordinary sort ofroom and at a very
ordinary sort OF window and she makes no very
great impression.
But now the fragile form of the delicate though
not prescriptions damsel appears among the Wild
erness of bridges and canals. and she acquires pic
| turesque value. Lorenzo when he would abcost her
must mount the steps of bridge and stand in the
! fashion of medieval troubadour; and when he
would carry her off he must deposit her safely in
gOndOla, which affords much more effective plan
| of escape than mere off at the wing. The in
! PRODUCTION OF thrOng of Carnival maskers, who
after the fight of Jessica, occupy the stage with
| their noisy dances and reves, may perhaps offend
| some rigid ShaEespearans who simply hear of it.
Those who see it will at once forgive the innovation
on account of the living picture which is its bril-
liant consequence The edge of the canal the bridp-
es in the fore and back ground, thronged with
joyous Bacchanalians of the sixteenth century, the
stream itself is covered with gondoas variousy u-
minated; and altogether effect is produced of Il
kind totally unknown to the London playgoer.
The "liall OF the Senator's in which Antono's
trial takes place, is arranged n totally prn-
/ cple, and the genius Of the manager in making
use of his masses and in forming pictures to height
en- the dramatic interest of the situation, is dis
! pldleu 10 u most remarkable degree. The s~ena-
tors, who act Judges all visiblv sympathise with
/ the incidents that take place before them. They
shrink with horror when the jew whets his knife to
/ cut the flesh from Antonio; they murmur approba-
ton when the disguised Portia apOstrOphzes mercy
! The feartuness of Antonios position was never
thoroughly exhibited till now. According to the
old plan he stepped somewhat aside to unbutton his
waistcoat with display of forttude that might
suffice for an encounter with dentist. Now, he is
! torcbly held back by the jai0r that Shylock may
take his abominable forfeit; the Jew makes rush
at him. and even the audience forgetting the story
| for moment, cannot avoid a sensation of uneasi-
ness.
| The scenes that take place at Belmont, the sup
| posed residence of POrtia admirably con
trlved, with regard not only to beauty but to dra-
matte purpose, that, we have before limited. they
scarcely yield in interest to the rest of the play
saloon more eXqusitey perfect than that in which
the caskets are exhibited for choice could not have
been devised had an architect been employed in lieu
OF a scenC-painter to give reality to the picture
The lady herself too, gains considerably by the re
storation of the luckless sutOrs from Morocco and
Arragon. Mrs. kean's acting in the trial scene
her delivery of the speech mercy the benevolent
sOlicitude she evnces even for the vindictivc jew
and the vvacity with which she sustains the last
act, are already well known; but the state of sus-
pense in which she is placed when she hopes that
Bassanios predecessors will not win the prize, af-
fords opportunity for depicting the finest sha-
dings of emotion of which she avails herself to the
/ utmost.
The attitude of thankfulness into which she and
.
| Morocco has wrongly selected the golden casket
and the group that is formed round the lady 5
throne while ''Te me where is fancy bred" is sung,
and BassaDo is pondering on the objects offered to
his gaze are, in point of fact living pictures that
might be advantageOusly copied for the illustra-
/ tions of the pay-book. As for the "Avenue to
Portals house" which occupies the stage during the
fifth act, it is of the most beautiful moon-lit
within the walls of a theatre
Here again, the necessity of ascending and descend
ing flight of steps imposed on the characters i'm
parts variety to the action and gives new life to the
business of the situations Indeed all particulars
being taken into consideration may venture to
declare that the Merchant of Venice is Mr.. Kean's
! crowning achievement.
The fine acting of Mr.. Kean Shylock, the in
tensity of his rage, the quickness of his eye the
depth of his pathos, and the conception prevalent
! throughout that the jew is a wronged man, and,
! therefore entitled to some degree of sympathy in
spite of his vndictiveness is already known to the
/ public. We would observe, however, that on Sat
urday far from being outshOne by the briliancy of
! the surrounding decorations, the Jew remained as
! conspicuous the most fastidious Shakespearian
could desire. With respect to the other characters
we may briefly say, that Mr.. Ryder's Bassanio
| somewhat on n large scale, is distinguished by
frank, manly bearing, that the pathetic lines of
Antonio are spoken with genuine feeling by Mr..
| Graham; that the 'nothings' of Gratiano ut
tered with pleasant foppery by Mr.. w. Lacy; that
the Nerissa of Miss Leclercq is sprightly, though
not altogether devoid of afectation; and that the
mild, ladylike performance of Jessca by Miss Chap
man promises valuable addition to the Princess
company.
! As for the Launcelot Gobbo of Mr.. Harley, and
the old Gobbo of Mr.. Meadows, they fine relics
of the full-colored style of comic representation
that the 'Faudatur temporis aet-in this particular
not unreasonably - lamentS with other pecu-
arites of those palmy days of histrionic art when
even the subordinate characters of long list,
could be sufficiently well acted to merit an elaborate
| description. For the manner in which every per
sonage, from the humblest supernumerarv upward
| isImade conducive to the purpose of the whole the
manager cannot be too highly commended. In the
art of employing every available resource to work
out a conception Mr.. kean has perhaps never been
equaled.