Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-01-24
BOOTH AS RICHARD.
The Latest Piece Of Theatrical
Gossip from the East.
Boston Cor. of The chicago tribune

Boston Cor. OF the Chicago Tribune.l
There is one bit of dramatic and lite
rary gossip which would reach you from
New York in due time, but which may
properly be forestalled in letter from
Boston. Those of your readers who
saw Edwin Booth as Richard III, during
his recent visit to Chicago-whO heard
him say:
See how my sword weeps fer the poor Kings
death"
and saw him, with malignant ferocity
admirably counterfeited, stab the pros
trate form of King Henry again and
again, who heard him in the last act
Farley with Richmond before the des-
perate fight, and say:
=" I hate thee, Harry, for thy blood of Lansas
ter"
and so forth, will never enjoy those
points again. Mr.. Booth, with the open
ing of his new theater in New York, will
turn over new leaf in his production
Of Richard Ill" He will discard
almost altogether the Cibber version,
which has held the stage for a century
or more, in which Garrick and Cooke
and Kean and his own father won their
greatest triumphs-in which he himself
has achieved some of his best successes
on the stage-and will restore, as far as
possible, the taste of the time, making
some abbreviation necessary, the tragedy
as Shakespeare wrote it. Mr.. Booth has
been for some time contemplating this
innovation, which requires no slight
courage and the taste of high scholar
ship. He has had printed at Hurd 4
Houghton's press, at Cambridge, for the
use of himself aud his company, the
play as he purposes'to produce it. 1t is
from examination of this copy that / am
able to describe to you something of the
character and extent of the changes.
The multitude familiar with the tragedy
as it is done on the stage will hardly re-
cognize the transformed version. Many
new characters appear. many disappear.
King Henry the Sixth is not seen at all
King Edward the Fourth has long
scene. Clarence figures still more ex-
tensiyely, aud has long and remarkable
interview with his brother Gloucester,
and another with the murderers who
drown him in the Malmsay butt, which
will ma ke the part as desirable a one,
from the actors point of view, as Rich
ard himself Queen Margaret is re-
stored, and becomes a parsonage Of the
first Importance The action begins
with Richards great sOliloquy:
Now IS he winter Of our discomfort"
The wooiug scene with Lady Anne,
which speedily follows, in the same act, |
is materially modified; so is the inter-
view with the precoeIous, sarcastic little |
Duke of York the cruel scene of Rich |
ard with his desPised wife is eliminated;
even
" OF with his heads so much for Bueking-
ham
is missing with the rest. But all these |
elisions make room for great many |
new scenes, new speeches, which the ge- |
Mus Of Mr. Booth can hardly fail to |
make equally effective The enterprise !
of substituting this version of Richard |
III for that which has so long been cur
rent and has become standard, must be |
regarded as au experiment but when |
under such auspices as Ed
win has at command, it will be at least a |
most interesting if not an entirely sue
eesstul one.