The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-09-06
ofthis actor Miss Wynn says =

FEBEUARY 10, 1851 saw last night
MacICady ia King Lear, aud little expected, in
the present degraded state of the stage to
see any performance that would give me such
pleasure. First ct all, IL is Shake spcare's Iear;'
not a word is added 10 the teXt the painfully fne
catastrophe is acred; and the play, Ia the regular
theatre phrase, well got up, excepting in tae fe-
male parts, which were almost rs il-dreggcd az
hey were tCteu. CnnuOt conceive q better model
for PALMER of Lear than MaCr-aly exhibited
iu face, figure dress, ana apparent aye. The later
sec ms 70 me the leading point ot his representa-
tlOu Of lie chars cttr, in which he substitutes
The imGGcllty OF age for insanity, which | have
lithtTu considered rs the leading feature of
LtaT The more / think he more / AN uCu d
10 thiuk that tIlS was tue intcLttCn of tue poet;
at the same time, must own that 10 has as far as
dramatic iiCcJ 10 concerned, some objections.
The cutSe, the apI cal 20 the elements when
ono las been used TO dislike us q rant, appeared
tame ano Ineffective partly, I believe, because
so 'aly 10 the p.ay had not entered fully
into the conception Of the actor; bur / still
think, upon retrospect chat both, especially rhe
curse, might have been mad0 20 tell with siugu-
lar elect II repeated Ia o trcmulOEs and very
solemn manutr. I hope 10 Judge of this ere
long on second view. ! felt almost as if
had never read, certainly never Been, that
finest of all scenes-thnt on the heath--so much
was i delighted with the effect produced by
the Fool (noW reinstated for the first time for
many years) The artless affection, shreWdness
archness displayed by Miss Horton, TIE sweet
ness Of the snatches Of song, seemed like the
drop Of comfort infused into the bitter cup of
the poor old king. They made me feel that
the commentators who assert that, when in the
last sad scene he says, And my poor fool Is
hanged he cannot mean 10 allude 10 tho boy,
had never seen it so acted. Much as / admire
the strict adherence TO the text, must say that
enc omission quite new to ue pleased me very
much. When Door blind 'GlOster, fancying him
self on the edge of the cliff, says, Now, fellow,
fare thee Well instead Of falling down, he Is
interrupted by the arrival of Lear and you
are spared tue absurdty Of persuading a
man whom you have seen falling from his
own height, that he tumbled down a preci-
pice. In the battle there was one novelty
which think, from greater distance than the
box In which we we're, might have great effect
The scene was distant view of a battle or
rather Of heaps Of slain; when the challenge is
given. a eiiaaap clos Is Immediately formed by
nalisade OF spears aud battle-aXes. The last
scene is almost too painful; ! felt 1t would have
been quite, Il 'Cordelia' had not been such q de-
estable snub-nosed creature. ] suppose It would
be high treason against Shakespeare TO alter the
catastrophe, and 20 give il what might be called
German character, but / could not
help wishing the representation 20 conclude
Wien Lear says
h'she tlvesi n II beso
Hi NJ chance that does redeem ell forrowa
lhAt ever have felt.
NAPOLEON ON A VISIT.
mere IS sketch Of domestic life IN q palace.