New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-11-27
Julius Caesar mt the st. Charles.

Julius Caesar mt the st. Charles.
| On Friday night, Shakcspeares play Of
| Julius Cesar" was performed, for the
| benefit of Mr.. Lawrence Barrett, to a house
literally crowded. In the parquette, the
dress circle the upper galleries. there was
hardly a vacant seat, and the performance,
as whole, was worthy of the large audi
ence. OF course, there were inperfectiOns,
| for that is the condition of every human
effort. But we do not believe there was an
| intelligent individual in the house who did
not appreciate the merits of the grand old
tragedy all the more for the renderings OF
the principal characters, as cast on Friday
evening, and above all, the conceptions of AIr.
Barrett as Caius Cassius If there was any
dissatisfaction, it must have arisen from the
abridgement Of the play by leaving out
several scenes and parts Of scenes. But
this would show, only more fully, how much
the audience appreciated the play in all the
conceptions and renderings of the perform
ance. Throughout and more particularly in
theaearlier portions, the acting OF Cassius
was such as must have delighted the most
critical taste; and We doubt whether the
elocution of the part, as Mr.. Barrett rem
dered it, was ever exceeded. II we were to
select one scene as superior, where all was
excellent, it would be the scene where Cas-
sins gradually and cautiously opens his
mind to Brutus and unfolds to him the
plan, already formed, for Kidding the Roman
aristocracy of the too dominant and popular
| Cesar.
| In Mr. Barrett's dclineatiOn the audience
| can not fail to observe the ground work Of
| the patriotism of CdssiuS-a strong per-
sOnal jealousy of the growing greatness OF
| Caesar, and his predOminance in the State,
| disguised as opposition 70 tyranny and ha-
tired of despotisn.. We can not resist the
idea that, like many modern aspirants for
public greatness, if Cassi,ss had been re-
ceived into Cosar's inner cOunsels, his hatred
of despotism would have vanished. In Mr..
Barretts impersonation OF the character
each point of the ant hOr's idea is brought
out in the most admirable manner.
Mr. Albaugh is better Mark ARtOny
than Mercutio, and rendered his part with
effect: but, il the speech over the body OF
Caesar. he seemed unconscious that the line
several times occurring, land Brutus is an
honorable man. is simply sheer, for he
speaks it as if it were commentator. We
can not take any other exception to the
performance OF Mr.. Albaugh, which, all in
all. was very creditable, although we think
such parts as Marx -4atony are not his forte.
In facial proportions Mr.. Fleming is not
the beau ideal of the magnificent, ancient
Roman: yet it is but justice to say that his
performance Of Julius CGsDr was excellent
throughout. The same can be said 1--WE
mean the excellencc) of the BrutuS Of Mr..
Norton, and the Casea of Mr.. Davis, was as
perfect specimen Of good acting as we
ever witnessed. The part of Calphmnia
affords little~cope for good acting, but Anna
Morris made the most OF what little there is.
We have no other knowledge Of the man.
ner and customs of the Roman people, than
that derived from the tradition of history.
But surely, in the palmy days Of old Rome,
when I" Girls Romaaus sun,,' was passport
all over the known world, the Roman citi-
Zens were not such butfOons as Mr.. Quin-
lans acting suppOSeS.
With no disposition to be unduly ccnso-
rious, we enter our protest against such al
terations, additions to, and transpGsitions
of the text, as occurred on Friday night.
4 single instance, selected from many, will
show our meaning. In Mark -1HtOnyS
speech over the dead body of Cesar, this
line occurs: Oh, what fall was there,
my countrymen Now, why in the name
of folly, is the rythm and euphony vitiated
by Transporting the words SO as to read,
.Oh, my countrymen, what a fall was
there :" We ''pause for reply"