New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-01-24
NIBLOS THEATRE.

TIE part Of FalstaH demands primarily vast
physical size-much fat--plepitudnous oi'y drcfsy.
The not unfrequent slluson to tie fct in the plays
where Sir John figures ss the central figure, and
indeed the almost exact textral measurement gwen,
would convey tue impression that the weight OF the
knight WAS not far from four or five hundred, per-
haps or the plus side of either number. All actors
whom we remember have therefore "to stuff" for
the character: hence there is drawback from the
s,au for all stufng is unreal that no player can
depor himself in every particular as TO convey the
impression uniformly that he is only carrying biz
own weight Beyond this there is another objection:
the face cannot be stuffed TIE hills OF at round
the eyes; the vast overhspging cheeks the
pondulous double chin; tie prze-oX-like neck,
these all are wanting. When the stage
has an actor large enough for Bdrnum 10
exhibit in citizens clothes then shall have been made
the first step toward complete representative Of The
character. la default Of this when dtsire to zee
the richest impersonated Shakespearoan humor-an
OVERLOOKING bounteousness Of the comic spirit with
ont rival up 10 the time Of the creation OF Sam.
Weer-we shall have to accept a nan who has he
talent to undertake the part subject TO these exenu-
atoms, an yet afford pleasure. In tbs latter way
Mr. Hsckett relatively succeeds. Nature has been
kiad in giving him fine stalwaT! form, without the
drag Of too much flesh and 30 he has TO pad up TO
about two hundred and fifty ideal pounds extra. As
such be is the beet falstaf on the sage. London
eyen with the local memories to guide the actor has
no such representative Of the part. very large
audience at Niblos Theatre greeted hr. Hacket
with applause and showed appreciation OF hr elao-
crate performance.
We wish we could speak unquAlfedly Of the nc
tors Of talent there who did the serious tragedy par
but they appeared 10 have fallen back into the sough
Of old Vaccinations. As evidences OF what de-
chalmers can arrive at by turning their backs on ma
ture it was highly interesting IL deserved eonsid
Grafton "a phenomenon. God made man upright,
but LIE has sought out strange inventions. Among
the strangest il the suppostion that tragedy, or the
impassioned expression Of the highest elements Of
our being demands the most damnable Alterations Of
voice, 20 that the words which are delivered in
proper manner during the three hours Of the play
may be remembered easily from their fewness. II
we imagine two very hungry dogs over a bone, 1t
gives an idea Of the heroic gutteral Of rage
which forms large staple Of stage tragedy
If we imagine the excited fre-engine director
with the brazen trumpet TO his mouth insPriting in
large artifcially hollow tones, his men TO 80 ahead
Of all competitors We veanoher phase Of theatrical
heroic enunciation. These two extremes I'LL up
chiefly the measure Of the cock and-buskn dscourses
Why cannot On actor with the education and taste 70
read, remember and pronounce rs regards accentua'
ton the words of Shakespeare, take as motto
" Homo Sum-" ETC., and not consider anything
human alien to him. and under tina, belief speak as II
be were human VIVA, do these internal old bo'es
Of stage tradition mean by obtrudng their vlcousnees
and vulgsrity upon the common sense OF the PERIOD
which has driven out the coossa and hamboyant
in painting the aimless and driyeliDg in music, the
bloa,edly impossible aud romantic in the novel the
Iurdy satanic in the theological discourse, while all
society demands that Ant varied In its phenomena 40
IL appeals 10 the ear or TO the eye yet single IN It's
birth and eenesic should be freed from b. dramatic
deforIntyl Let an actor suppose he were rec'ting
his own words in public discourse, would he grow
Ike hyena or below Ike bull, to depict anger OF
exutaioni What, wha, does il all mean, this tragic
inbumanity Of expression Cannot 1t be re-
formedi IL it not possible for the be,ter-educated
members Of the profession TO agree, II amply IN the
way Of experiment, 20 surrender their clershed
Of distempered utterance, and speak
as becomes men Men, too. of kpighily, kingly po-
siton, who certainly were not wild Orsons without
the accents Of humanity
Were actors to try this on the stage the public
would welcome the change, and the deuded devotees
TO present unreal elocuion, would wonder why they
ever adopted the false in vocal expression any more
than dstorting their limbs with humps or their faces
with bloches, by way Of confirming physical beauty
and nsunng public admiration.