The New York herald., 1869-04-25
TREACR.CA..

Edwin Booth has again submitted his towering
reputation by a protracted SERIES OF brilliant
provincial engagements and tangled comblnatIOL
OF romantic Incidents to the severe test OF coldl
critical but discriminating and impartial audiences.
upon this occasion Mr.. Booth with the undaunted
Courage and soaring ambition characteristic OF his
fiery race, selected Othelo to Try the full temper
OF MS hstronic powers. With the frankest feeling Of
Kindness towards Mr. Booth, and an earnest desire
to aid him In his splendid Shakspearian crusade,
candor and the infexibe duty Of journalist forces
us to write that brilliant and deserving Mr..
Booths managerial services have been TO the stage
which he 30 tenderly cultivates and brilliantly
adorns, as an actor he falls thus far sadly
below his illustrious predecessors, Forrest, the
elder Booth Macready and Edmund Kean.
This comparison would be scarcely just except that
Mr.. Booths partlsans and friends injudciously
claim so much for their idol tnat he can only be
accepted at their valuation and assayed accord
ingly
The audience which Mr.. Booth found awaiting him
when the grand curtain rose majesticaly in the
proscenium arch was massed compliment to his
popularity and would have gladdened the heart OF
the most famous of earths children who hunger for
public recognition. There were editors. who
snatched an hour from their desks for Shaks
pearan revel; grave judges, odorous OF parchment
and proprety, and actors who had seen the noble
Moor stalk and rant on many stages for nearly half
a century, and wld-eyed Bohemians, whose faces
were sicklied over with the pale cast Of thought,
book beer and strong tobacco. There were also a
large sprinkng Of amateur shakspearians spectacu-
lar and buresque managers and the rest OF thehouse
was packed with the more refined and cultivated 4
dwellers in the gardens Of Japoncadom, most Of
whom confess to languid interest in Shakespeare
and a mad idolatry for Edwin Booth.
In the face OF tins dettanti and fashionable assem-
blage Mr. Booth gave the worst Othello have ever
seen outside OF an amateur performance. Even the
lamented Mexican Buchanan, who has been driven
by metropolitan scorn to wander the sterile face
OF New England in gloomy quest OF precarious au-
diences is king compared to Mr.. Booth as Othello
The lamented McKean mas at least dignity passion,
Stature and force and without these fundams tai
requisites 1t Is hopeless to attempt 0theo, one OF
the most exacting characters which has enlanated
from the subtle brain OF Shakespeare. In all the gor
geous cluster OF Italian novests who gave
light and radiance to the sixteenth century one
shone forth first and unequalled Tor wealth of
imagination and richness OF fancy-Glraldi Cintio--
whose wonderful delineatiOn OF the big, unbrded
nature of the Moor when brought into contact with
the quick subtle, electric character OF the italian
gave 10 Shakespeare thought for the wondrous tra
gedy OF "Othelion which for Its worldly knowledge
its human sympathy, It's nicely OF art and its exact
portrature Of characterize universally true yet 50
holds the highest place among mis- immortal crea-
tions In Othello he gives us the picture OF q
brave. generous man, to whom the sun In darkening
has brought 1erce passions and affections but round
whom to compensate for her scars she has thrown
soderly grace and ease and air OF gentle dignity.
While still unstung he revcls and gambos IN the light
OF his affections; but when the poisoned arrow
clcaves the air not the tiger when IL feels It's agonz.
ing touch springs into more terrible attitude OF
ferceness than Othelo when wounded In that great
love which swallows up his heart: To htly repre-,
sent the savage chivary AMI noble attributes Oh
| such a character requires noble men, strong py
| steal power aud certainly warm nature, which Mr'
Booth does not possess though he has CERTAIN eiso
grace and even quiet dignity at times which pease,s
and sometimes makes this forgotten No enort " .. W. ~,
however can picture big child OF NATURE ,a se ,ar
Moor II the natural power " nne ,nes its noyer al
like Iago for instance, which draws l.s pVwv, We az
most purely from the BRAIN can uc ~ ~ s oy " H.
but ono ike Othello which gathers lts Ire rom the
heart can only be mastered e. oy power OF ieel-
snnato aends whose power OF evil Ia in their
,yeaKness but they fall when they venture to per-
sonate 40 noble aud faulty child OF nature as
Othcllo whose weakness lies IN his unconsciousness
cf evil wnen Mr.. Booth appears his incapacity 70