, 1866-11-05

Traits Of the Boston Publ{c-The ANTI
ctratsonn of Hi%tor1-The Audience
The keceptIon-Personat Appearance
oEttte eActrees-The Tragedy or Medea-
The Hub In UnHgOnted Euthustasm.
[tron Our Own Con-; spondcpr.l
Bos7os, October 80 1861
Boston is exceedingly vain in regard to the
critical discrimination Of its public, as we'll
in regard TO the stage as to literature, music
and painting, and very anxious to have 1t
understood that the verdict OF New York has
no influence upon Its judgments. Indeed,
like the proycrbia1 Irish martinez who stood
up 20 straisht he leaned over backwards,
Boston Is SO determined not to be advised by
its metropolitan nelghbor to like anything,
that il Is often prcjuIiccd ngai.ist an orator.
IN artist or q buuk, merely because New
York has declared strongly in his OF its favor
Thus the somewhat exaggerated enthusiasm
Of the newspapers in New York, al! follow
ing according to the manner Of each the
tulsonlc lcad OF the subsidized Htt1ld, over
Madame Rfstorf, tended to promote skep-
tfcism here in regard to her, and IN inclina-
tion among those WHO aspire to lead the
taste Of the. public TO shake their heads
solemnly, and say, LET us be careful how we
commit ourselves; there Is u deal OF hum
bug Ia the world; we must wait nnd scc.''
Curiosity triumphed over prejudice, how
ever, SO tar that there was d very large aud
brilliant audience to do honor to the tlrst an
pearance OF the Italian tragediennc, on Mon.
day evening. The receipts, at the price OF
s:-p and - Tor each seat in the lower part Of
the house, and 81 and lilly ccnts for admis-
sion to the plebian upper tiers, must have
been greater than those Of any evening at
the little theatre at which Ristori appeared
IN New York. The house was not full, some
three hundred Of the less eligible places in
The dress circle, which here Is the
lower cutlery, being empty, and the cheaper
portions being very thfnly tenantcd; but
only Edwin Booth and Maggie Mitchell, Of
American stars, can fill such vast expa1lse
ut Ordinary prices, and neither Of them could
draw such an assembly at the advanced rates.
The audience was brilliant in costume, a
large majority OF the adles wearing rich
silks and delicate opera capcs, and fully one
fourth dispensing with the bonnet and au-
rearing in the fnpnmerabfe modern eccen-
/ tricities Of coitfure 1t was brilliant. too, IN
other respects thiekly studded with literary.
political and social notabilities, and il.
fused with an air Of refinement and
culture such as Boston claims can be found
found only at the Hub, Its Intelligence.
however, was not Of Quite so hi.
ard as to include knowledge & tie ian.
guage in which tho play was 10 be given, for
nearly every auditor was armed with
libretto, In spite Of the fact that the plot Of
the tragedy selected vas familiar to every
theatlc-Eoer.
The curtain rose upon q group Of the
minor characters, and considerable portion
Of the first act passed without the entrance
Of the one whom all had conc to see. The
audience listened attentively, however, and
sEewarlcd the displays of talent of the lesser
actors with moderate and jndlcious applause.
At last Medca appeared on the canvas
rocks at the rear Of the stage, bearing and
leading her two children and then came au
outburst Of welcoming applause, to be re-
newed still more, generally aud heartily
when she descended 10 the boards and came
forward to the footfights, gracefully and
sedately bowfng her response to the greeting.
Madam Ristori is a large woman, Of I'M
posing presence, although the qualities Of
her figure were only limited at in the costume
which she wore as Medea-a dress designed,
It is said, by Arg schatfer for her. use in the
robe Of red, dotted and trimmed with
black, gathered only ut the wrist, and with
flowing sleeves, revealing occasionally the
arm her head covered with thick mass of
short black ringlcts, and ornanepiGd only By
her full age, not only In her face, where no
attempt Is made to disguise or concellit, but
in her hands and nrIns, which while large
are by no means plump. Her face Is not
beautiful, and eau hardly have been striking
and expressive in every feature. The nose
is aquiipe, the check bones prominent.
the teeth good, the lips thin aud mobile,
the complexion clear and transparent, the
brow broad, aud the eyes dark, changeablc
and full Of expression. Every attitude and
might be II study for q sculptor But her
yoirc is the finest Of Ristori's natural gifts
sweet, musical, flexible, never iuaudibie and
never hnrsh, penetrating without m effort
to every part Of the immense theatre, and
expressing every phase Of passion with such
dciicacy Of distinction that the attentive
listener, watching also the transitions Of her
couutenancc and the admirable, yet sccin.
ing1y unstudied gestures, needs no librctto to
know what the foreign actress is saving,
her opening piece, 1t Is fair to infer that she
considers 1t the best Of her repertoire for show
ing the compass and character Of her powers.
1t Is n stormy tragedy, similar in tone and
sentiment to the oFera Of Norma" and
tral part Tie passion Of jealousy, mingled
with maternal love, is-as musicians say
the motive" Of the whole. The rage Of
the injured wife struggles with the tender
ness Of tie devoted mother, until at last i
her children to be revenged for her h,ls-
bands Eailllrssness. The most telling single
point Us Ristosi phys it, is in the first net
where the betrayed one, asked what she will
do 10 the traitor who hns deserted her, COM
pares herself, to leopard and with magni.
cent tone and gesture depicts the swirl fury
of her revenge. 4 more womanly and na-
tural stroke OF feeling is in later scene,
here IT. the full torrent Of her lofty wrath,
declaring her del tcrminatton to clay her RIVAL,
her children and herselfto punish the crime
of her husband, a touch Of the chitd's hand
transforms the aycneer into the mother, and
calls forth an outburst of Wild. intense atiec-
tion. Co.,.
But you will have discovered By this time
TINT the first pause after the witnessing Of
such psrf1rnlnncc as that Of RistOrf is not a