The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-04-04

NEW YoRx. March 20, Il

mhtterb noouicoi mby perhaps nonVf NO " ~
membsring IN article sent you in anticipation
of the Booth and wallack promised revival, In
which ventured to assert that despite the repeat
cd cry OF perverted public taste and superficial
education, there never has been in the worlds
history general public-mind you, general pub
lie, not specially qualified band Of professional
critics; but egain say, general pubiic-so wen
qualified a. this our nation to jadge OF all pro-
auctions Of Intellect whether In the domain Of sol
ence or Ct art. / win not 60 over that argument
again, but VIII briefly sum up my proof 10 the
diffusion OF education, the immense number OF
readers. and therefore, speaking comparatively
of ssknowersv and the accumulated experience Of
all the ages, which, reasoning by analogy must,
yes, must, result In the Improvement and elsva-
ton of humanity, II there be such condition a.
advancement or perfectibIlity in the human race.
also ventured to assert IN reference to the drama
that we should not have Q successful revival Of
shskspearian or legitimate drama, partly because
we had not 6hakspesrisn actors, and partly be-
cause no manager could afford to engage the best
Of those we had and without which II would be Inn
possible to adequately represent Shakespeare.
Ihave seen Mr.. Booth, Miss Mcvicker and Mr..
Edwin Adams do "Romeo and Juliet" We general
y prefer to sum up our Impressions Of things seen
UT Itdfu III cuMo rfu8lc HOius Ahto Ao4o toCo
real Justice but IL is convenient and, as Mercutio
says Of his wound, "'Twill serve" The epithet
here, in my poor Judgment, is {" respectable" OF
genius there is none, Of magnetic soul compelling
power that swsys men hither and thither at the
will Of the speaker, evoking passion from the
deepest recesses Of the heart tears Of sympathetic
tenderness, laughter Of buoyant mirthfuness,
there ia an absolute desrth. have somewhere
n,~~
and Juliet" is but boy and girl love story. II
such be your boys and girls, where be your men
and women, OF ell the Celebrations Of shak.
speare's wonderful inspiration. I know Of none
that surpssses "Romeo and Juliet" The out
pouring Of the great master passion. which, by
reason OF ts universal influence, commands the
instructive sympathy and interest of the spectator
| in measure obscures the, in other respects,
splendid endowments Of the chief personsges in
the drama. In the first place In this drama,
Shakespeare has touched closely on the great old
moral law of Nemesis, the miseries and msfortunes
entsied on the children by the follies and oenses
of their ancestors. Not only in the grand tragic
denouement, the deaths of the unfortunate lovers,
but in the slaughter Of Mercutio, Of Tybat and Of
Paris, there is o march Of events towards the
inevitable climax which resembles the ter
1 r1Dle NeuRehICt OF hQ Oucuutu Ccity, OutrtBcO
by the perverseness and iniquity OF human
power and pride, and making them work
out their own doom. Romeo himself IL almost
| an epitome OF excellence. That he was gentle
man by nature as well as birth. all his acts and
thoughts bespesk that be was literally educated,
we see by bis ability to read letter which his
less instructed friends were obliged to pass to him.
That he was man at arms is proved by his VIC
IT. L n
Paris. That he had moral bravery il shown by
his refusal to fight his hereditary enemy, though
in so doing be provoked the sneers Of his thought
less friends. That he was good companion and
most loveable. is shown in the manly affection Of
Benvolio and Mercutio, and in his patient and
cheerful acceptance Of Mercutos merry railleries
on his deep preoccupation. That he was man
of honor is shown by his conduct to Juliet, whose
passion, youth and inexperience placed her at his
mercy. That he was 90 worthy gentleman" is
testified by the Cspulst himself. the head of the
rival house, and also by the tender regard of Friar
Laurence, who, himself philosopher and observer
of men and OF nature, noted the rare promise and
intellectual vigor of bis young friend. That he
was poet, deeply imbued with all the spirit of
beauty in natures works, is told throughout the
play, while his divine charity is shown In the depth
of his sflction by his exquisite remembrance OF
the poor apothecsry, and by the memorable senti-
ment, "Ipsy thy poverty and not thy WILL" and
the consolation he gives the poor, mean-souled
creature:
/ sell thee poison, creature; thou hast sold me
Farewell Buy food and get thyself in flesh"
That he was the favored Of nature in youth,
grace, beauty, needs no comment.
mstchless piece Of perfection, He is q gentle
man In his performance-no small praise, seeing
how exceeding rare this Is on the stage. De is
quite at ease. does not rant strut, play to
the house. In fact both he and Miss Mcvicker
have too much of the repose Of We're de We're.
Their love-makDg is studied, elaborated, too fn-
ished. The art that conceals art has not been
reached. Il is hard to believe that Q passion
which stirs the fountain of life In Its very depth
can be 80 methodicalIy and deliberately bresthsd.
There is no mincing, no expectation. The con-
summste elocution would be admirable in the
readiDg-desk or lecture-room. The apprehension
by finely cultivated intellect Of the great poets
intention Is there, without the intimate penetrating
faith and feeling which IL s the artists peculiarly
and privilege to possess, and to shed forth his
auditory. The difference between the elocution-
LIST ana Inc orator 10, tnat the one KNOWS now 20
say 1t and the other says It. Great breadth and
vieor of style and minuteness Of finish are but
seldom united. / can veryiwell believe that Mr..
Booth should make an excellent Richeieu.
Richelieu. both IN history and In
the drams, is concentrated, intellectual.
somewhat sententious. / cannot imagine him a.
Claude Melnotte. II he 10 formal and precse he
is free from peculiarly he has not she mouth
| ing which made Nscready % dissgreeabie and
| 80 Macreadyish. II Romeo had been always
cool and phlegmatc and had not been stirred into
| generous rage by the murder Of Mercutio.
"under his arm" or plunged in despair BY the
| decree of Punishment, his measured love making
would have been consistent. As II was, Mr..
| Booths best parts are the frey assault on
| Tybalt, and the tomb scene in which his love,
his despair and his determined self destruction
rise TO patbos. The mode in which be makes
an end-raising Juliet from the coffin, after he
has taken the fatal draught, staggering out of
the tomb with her In his arms, 81 Il 70 die with
her were bliss supreme. and then falling prone
TO earth with her dear corpse across him-is Q
splendid conception. Very dificult Of perfor-
nance and wonderfully wen done. But doubt
Tribe warranted By 6hakspesrs, for Romeo
| coucl1dp9 hig Affecting oDoeck