New-York tribune., 1868-03-03
MRS. hENBLES CORIOLANgs

| IL
knew a. well farmers and poetical people that i.
was the second day of March, and that March. Al.
manacly speaking is the first month of SPRING. and
he knew also, that Spring is generally understood I,
mean yioets crocuses4 4swallows, tliaws, and other
delicaces, and certainly has connection whateves
| with snow-storms of unnecessary depth, bowling
winds, and impossible street-cr0ssngs. WheD there
FORE this person treated to the storm of yesterday
he knew that he flying in the face of proprety,
| and with the eyes Of a whole virtuous population
upon him. il was impossible that he should not have
had some qaams Aud he had Three times. al
least in the Of the day, ho relaxed his grue-
some yisage to that extent that the optimists who
a week or so ago declared the Winters back
broken. expressed confident belief that it was
going 10 clear, and three times he could not mako UP
his mind to do what expected OF him. and didnt
clear, accordingly Still. he did nothing well after
early dawn The worst Of his il-behavior was In ths
night, when honest folks were abed and asleep. But
when the world was fairly awake he FILTERED, He
tried to snow more but it was only weak iniita-
ton. Many persons of an innocent turn mistook
it for snow blowing off the roof Then he tried to
hail. but there was no bang in il. IL was merely
rain little too much done. So. at last. he let bis
better nature have free play and just at sunset by
sweet miracle he wove out of the dreary gray car
pet Of bright blue and laced it with flying wreaths
sunken sun the friendly steady sparkle Of the even
ing star.
For one we were 80 glad of clear night for Mrs
Kemble's sake, that we forgave the clerk tho
weather all his evil Deeds and thought only Of how
to mako the best of them Aud il was soon PLAIN
that many beside ourselves were rejoicing in ths
change for that remarkable Hall. called Steinway.
was quickly filled up with an audience such as in tbs
old times used TO listen to Mrs. Kemble-the old
time when we had few unpretending halls
Stuyvesant Dodworth's, Irving-that were NOT
odiously ugly and illproportioned, and that
built with reference to the useful science
Of acoustics if such science there be, and. IL not
then with some lucky accidental acoustic hits that
enabled people who went to hear to hear II there
be anywhere in any country town In New England.
a more miseraby illadapted hall than this much
trumpeted Stenway for any of the purposes to
which such a hall is put any hail ugier, moro
uncouth, moro disproportioned, cheaper, meaner-
we don't want TO know where il is.
But, Mrs Kemble enters, and straghtway it makes
no earthly matter what manner Of place it il we are
in. In the middle of the platform is set an ample
table. with the readers chair. and crimson curtain
is hung screen-wise in the The old fashion OF
doing things little changed the books, that used
to be brought in ten minutes before the reading be-
gan, are now upon the table from the first, and
we are sorry to see. or think we see. that
they have been rebound. The volumes are
those that Mrs. Siddons used to own
and read from. and the portions that Mrs. Kemble
confines herself to arc marked on the margin in pen
Gil by the very hand of the greatest of English
actresses.
Mrs. Kemble was dressed last night more plainly
than we ever saw her in public. Her attire wsa
plain black silk, high-necked. longsleeyed, little
ruff of lace about the throat, white gloves. and.
on her head, as old. ornament but her own
abundant hair, plainly parted and tied in knot be-
hind in the simplest TASTE and with reference
to any existing fashion than that ofhe Venus of Mile
herself Mrs. Kemble always had in the old times
stately sumptuous style of attire that to younges
eyes had much TO do with the charm Of her reading
It is test of her sustained power and unimpaired
performance that the plain black silk little
thought of after the first five minutes LAST
night as the ugly hall that held and
her spells. Beside, if private thought might
be allowed to obtrude, the black dress meant sad
experiences since the evening when size read Henry
V. so lordly on St. Georges Day, with the table
bed of flowers, and the blue baldric OF the order
across her velvet robe. The fair reader il not the
same as then. death has been busy in her ranks Of
friends eyes that lighted at her coming are darkenedi
and we to whom she reads, not the same people;
q deep experience has sobered and saddened us.
clouds have dimmed little, her sun and ours.
But age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her
infinite variety. On her first entrance II was plain
that something of the elasticity of former years wa
gone--the walk graceful as ever, but it was
more stately, deliberate. We missed the pleas
ant entering SMILE the smile that lighted and
warmed the house and made turning on the gas
work of supererogatou. Bat. smiles do not come at
will and we were glad to the face at
ALL When tho voice we saw that all was thers
that worked the old enchantment, the same sweet
ness the same strength, the same power To COM
pass the whole range from the peoples shout 90 the
young wifes pleading cry. from the old mothers
agony of lamentation and rebuke and yearuing "a
the proud soldiers trumpet of defying scorn.
II there be any marked change that We notice in
Mrs Kembles power it is that 1t is rpeT fuller more
mature. Her voice has mellowed, and her style has
mellowed as well. Doubtless she can do many things
now that she could not do before. in carrying out
her conception of the characters and we be-
lieve that added study-and Mrs. Remble IA
always sudent-has given greater value TO her con-
ception Surely it would be difficult to imagine this
play of Coriolanus conceived with greater power or
with greater unity, or set before us with iirmer
more artistic hand. Mrs. Kemble held her large
audience to the very close and though there was not
much applause with hand or foot, there was thsf
gracious silence of approval TO which no doubt hes
recognizing heart said. Hail!
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