The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-04-19
sMACBRTH" IN A NEW STYLE.


man, who, it viii be remembered, was Foch-
ter's tutor in his present playing language,
has been giving what he calls "Readings"
from Macbeth The Saturday ReoSeto has an
amusing criticism on the performance, from
which we make few extracts
We mast once more inquire why, If Mr..
Bellew wishes 10 act, he does not go upon
the stage in the usual way If the indeli-
bility Of his clerical orders be the obstacle,
we recommend his case to the sympathetic
consideration of Mr.. Gladstone. He seems
to be smitten with stage madness which
must graually overpower the resistance of
his reason, He read Hamlet from table,
with the assistance Of silent figures who ges-
ticulated on a stage above him. He has now
mounted to the stage and reads Mdc6eh
with the assistance only of chorus, and while
calling himself reader, he largely appropri-
ates the province Of the actor. There is no
room fer a chorus in OtheIO, but if there
were We should fear that Mr.. Bellew in his
histrionic frenzy would single out one of the
ladies who composed it, and would address
her in language which certainly ought not 10
be applied to any young person of respecta-
bility unless it is considered in her wages.
Without Intentionally selecting a "Desde-
mona" or ''Emelia," it might easily happen
that Mr. Bellew, as he turns all ways, might
direct or appear to direct, strongly personal
observations to the chastity or fidelity of a
lady who was neither a Venetian wife nor
any other questionable parsonage, but merely
a well-trained singer with good voice. Mr.
Bellev, we need not say, has neither sword
nor shield; and viewing him on the side of
art, we should calculate that he might be
doubled up by very moderate hit in what
is technically called the bread basket. Mr..
Bellew, in fact, is not as young as he was,
and has gone considerably out of training.
Yet he evidently thinks that combativeness
of aspect must in some manner be assumed
for the last scene of Macbeth, and the source
of his conception of this part of the character
would seem to be the prize ring rather than
the school Of arms. AS he utters the words
"Yet will try the last, he assumes an atti-
tude which suggests to the spectator that he
is about to try the left. And as he moves
from the desk in the centre to the side of the
stage, exclaiming, 'Lay on, Macduff," we
feel that he might properly have said, "Be-
fore my body l throw my warlke right"
since he seems to be preparing to stop blow
of ''Macduff's s" with his right and return it
with his left Mr.. Bellew at this moment
looks much more like a prize-fghter than
he does like king or general, and yet he
looks very unlike a prize-fghter indeed.
The hands, as we have said, are held some
what in the manner of the ring but
the motion of the body is rather that of
a nurse-maid carrying baby, and the legs
are not planted on the ground with that COM
bination of ightness and firmness which pro-
fessors of the noble art of self-defense desire
to see exhibited by their pupils. We would
recommend him, before he begins his pro-
vincial tour, to take few lessons in the use
of the weapon which he selects; and if that
weapon be the fist, we are able to assure him,
H. @haA
lessons in boxing are given to gentlemen by
several professors, by whom gloves and every
requisite, including mop if necessary, will
be provided.
But Mr.. Bellew reads a large part of the
speeches of 'Lady Macbeth" besides those of
her husband; and it certainly appears rather
strange that he should choose to do 80 when
he might select male characters from the
whole of Shakespeare. MIR. Bellew acts the
celebrated sleep-walking scene as if he really
intended to compete with the great actresses
who have thrilled spectators by performing
it. A lighted lamp is placed upon the table,
so that Mr.. Bellew may take it in his hand
and go off with it at the proper moment We
are tempted to inquire why Mr. Bellew does
not assume frilled night-cap for the same
occasion. He takes the lamp and moves
away with sort of gliding step which sug
gests to the spectators not so much LADY
Macbeth" as ''Mr. Pecksniff, futteringly,
strangely attired, on the top landing, and ex-
pressing desire to see ''Mrs. Todgers' idea
of a wooden leg, if quite agreeable to that
lady.
As we have already said, there is no dumb
show in Macbeth, as there was in Hamlet, but
the stage is partly occupied by the ladies and
gentlemen who are to sing Locke's music
when the time arrives, and who in the mean
while sit quite still and look straight forward.
In the next play that Mr.. Bellew takes in hand
there will be no chorus, and he will be in the
middle of the stage alone, looking as desolate
as boiled leg of mutton without trimmings.
Not that Mr.. Bellew will feel in the least de-
gree uncomfortable in solitude, but on the
contrary, we shall expect to see him improv-
ing the opportunity thus afforded by strik-
ing attitudes in all parts of the stage. For
the present he is restrained in his move
ments by the fear of tumblng over the
benches of the chorus, but when this impedi-
ment is removed we quite believe that he
dares do all that may become a man, and
much also that may not. But if he chooses
to stand up in the hearing of some scores or
hundreds of people, and state that he has
given suck, and knows how tender tbs to love
the babe that mill1s him, we can only observe
that tastes are various. 1t should be remarked
that Mr.. Bellew does not initiate the practice
of lady who, when she lately played LADY
Macbeth" pronounced the words II have
given suck" in confidential whisper, as il
she were mentioning to her husband some
thing which had been secret even from him
before. We are not without hope of seeing
him act ''Desdemona" in bed and ''Othello'
out of bed at the same moment, and indeed
it would be difficult to anticipate to which
character he would give the preference.