The Shasta courier., 1861-01-12

Some accomplished critic, who is too modest
to give his name, sends to a New York paper
the following remarkable bit of criticism the
" great tragedian's" Hamlet. 1t is powerful
specimen of ornamental literature, and will do
to keep on the ice:
FORRISTS HAMLIK.
They is some actors who are lucky, likewise
some which is unlucky, and the former is Ed
win Forrist, of Philadelphia. This man has
been fortunate from infancy, and is accounted
great in mouths of wisest century; but he is not
the actor which can play "Hdmiik." Shaks
meant to make the Prince of Denmark philos-
opher and a scholar. Forrist makes him a
roarin' lion aeekin which he may devour.
In the first part of the FIRST Ack, Mr.. Forrist
is heavy on his legs, and reminds me of Heenan.
When he sees the sperit 0fhis dead Pa, he is at
first respectable in his demeaor; but as the
scene goes on, he gets to speakin from the bot
tom of his stomik, and is like roarin' lion
seekin' which be may devour.
In Ack the two, the tragedian is more like
Hamlik, and reminds one forsably of poor Kirby
only he turns in his toes. 1t is pleasant to
see him standin by the sweet Opheiy, like the
fat boy by the woman with long hair at Bar
NUNS But then he can't be quiet long, and
soon gets cussin' and swearn' and stomping
about like o roarin' lion seekin' which he may
devour.
In the scene with the players, Mr.. Forrist is
good, and does as well Keen or Macready or
Barney Williams; but when the part comes
where he says:
Why let the strychnine dear go weep,
The heart ungallid play;
For some must dust while some must sweep,
And some 60 on bust when some may sleep
So rolls the world away
] burst out larfin, and hit my frien' such butt
in the stumik with my elbow, that his watch
! jumped clean out of his watch pockit. 1t was
for all the world like roarin' lion seekin which
he may dcyour.
This actor is not man which can read Ham
lik's soliloquies with MS much judgment as
Kirby. One would think, to hear him doing
them, that they gave him great pain in the
stumick, and was awful hard to go. Shaks
never wrote them to be spoken in such agony;
and il Forrist don't know this, he ought TO stick
to Sparfikus and Mefamoras, and leave the bird
Of Avon alone.
But it's when Forrist's HamlM comes to die
that y0u see physikle developments of loud
and sagacious charikter. I've seen horses die
several times; and once lost twenty shilngs ty
having gray mare of mine die on her way up
hill but never see anything like Forrist in
the last throws. You Can see him from any
thing and reminds person of an accomplished
Zouave il. his last agony. 1t is the death of a
roarin' lion seekin' which he may devour.
One word and am done. This great trage-
dian, this popular aktir, ought to have heard
John Philip Kcmble get off that address to the
skull
'Alas pure Yorick ! ] knew him we'll
A fellow of infinite vest, Horatio," &c.
Now, Kimble always sneezed when he came to
: Horatio," because he said that in the days of
the bird Of Avon Ho- ra- -shce-o' meant a
snseze, and Shaks put the word there as stage
direktion. It's so in Colyers edition of the
great dramytist, emended by Colyer and the bird
hisself. Mr.. Forrist needn't be ashamed to take
hint from the Kimbles, for they was infinitely
superior to him. The actor which would play
Ha'niik in intellectual style, should initiate the
philosophical OK, rather then the roarin' lion
seckin' which he may devour.