New-York tribune., 1870-11-30
THE DRAMA.


have the credit for IT. sweet-scented and elegant
hypocrisy is better than the smell Of burnt birthstone.
Messrs. Jarrett and Palmer brought out Hamlet"
Monday night, at Nblos Garden" The Rapparee" hav-
ing proved failure, and The Black Crook not being
ready for present performance. Even by violent
stretch OF the imagination scarcely suppose these
gentlemen to be in overwhelming sympathy with Shake
speare and the legitimate drama Nevertheless, they
happen Just now to be engaged in good work and ao
oordngy we are not inclined TO withhold from their
enterprise the commen6atiOn TO which good work
whatever be Its motiyeis always entitled They have
done wei to produce Hamlet" They might have
done better TO produce something ese-from the same
rlch treasurehouse of dramatic beautysnce there is
not very lively demand for Hamlets at the moment.
Stn, Hamlet appeals TO the intellect and that appeal
honest and decent Very little however was done for
the traeedy-exeept by the claQue; but this
useful suxar force was lively and industrious Scarcely
anything said, by anybody, that not received
with rapture. Perhaps, though the good natured public
cid IT, The supposton Is charitable. Playgoers do,
sometimes exhibit more kindness than Upon this
trivial point we need not linger. Let to
Hecubs. Mr.. Walter Montgomery appeared as Hamlet
He had before the local stage. Mark An
tony as Claude MelnOte, and as Macbeth; and he
was well known TO be actor Of positive ability No
one however, who had studied his acting and through
that medium had perceived the constitution of his mind
and the quality of his temperament could possibly have
anticipated that he would play Hamlet particularly we'll
lie has that he is essentially sangune and active,
and that nothing in his nature is sympathetic with either
repose detection, or madness. The Hamlet that he
deneated was pretty and fnical.' He looked exceed
ingy we'll He generally correct, often elegant and
sometimes touching In the scene with Ophea, and in
the closet scene with the Queen he showed genuine
emotion and his tones and then really beau
Sful These are obvious situations, and 1t would De
surprising indeed II an actor Of ability and eXpe-
rience were 10 let them pass altogether unimproved
But it is not in these situations that we look for
f.Nal alu
coping with Hamet 1t in the ghOstscenes that the
great artist must declare himself. Hamlet is haunted
man. and he is partially II not wholly crazed by super
natural soliciting" And this the actor who would per
senate Shakespeare mournful and awful creation must
make perfectly clear. Mr.. Montgomery was as hard as
Hint in the ghost During the first OF them he
turned altogether away from the spirit TO talk with the
men that held him back. Mr.. Fechter, we remember.
committed the egregious and indefensible folly.
And when the Ghost announced his identity and his
rand, Mr.. Montgomery's Hamlet was scarcely dis
<urbed than q summer brook under a south wind Per
haps there all requisite feeling of his business" in
Mr.. Montgomery's mind. We only here say
that he did not plant that feeling in the
souls Of his auditors In brief, this personatCn was
deeply defective, in lacking the imaginative spirit Of
Shakespeare's ideal and also in lacking symmetry of
form Not only the identity destitute of pahos and
Of the solemn grandeur OF that rremediabe suffering
which skaters great mind and wrecks a noble soul ;
81 was also obscure 1t had no precision roundness
no consist ncy 1t was not one man, clearly conceived
and definitely delneated but it was medley of various
aspects OF different men, succeeding the other-ab
ruptly-and without transition Beyond this point, we
hnk il is useless TO GO. Every who plays Hamlet
a scarcey entitled essay the character-life
being short and Hamlets numerous. We do not deny
70 lr. Montgomery the possession OF unusual talents
There were several fine points in his Hamlet
But the soul Of the character seemed wanting, and
the execution Of his ideal seemed very uneven and
accordingly we cannot record for him real success in
this effort II we could do let us add it would be
creat pleasure; for we believe Mr. Montgomery TO be
sincere in his professionTurnng from the Hamlet there
"a little 10 tempt remark Mr.. Shewen played the
Ghost; and we have seen ghost that scented
.he morning air with greater satisfaction-slDce
Il took him happily OFF Of the scene. As TO the
-xords-he spoke them very much as he were
-.ctng a passage from railway guide. Mrs
,scott-siddOns appeared Ophelia. She is beautiful
women but she cannot act this part This lady's
tda Of by-plsy pose and look pretty Nature suf
noes her here. But identification with character is
another thing We take the liberty OF suggesting that
Cpleiq Is something more, Shakespeare has define
sted her than a nonentity with slanting back. Mrs
seott-siddons let add, should not try 10 sing-at
least in public She is infinitely sweet and pleasing, we
dare say as parlorsinger; but art has its limitations
One Of the telling features OF Mondays performance
was Nj Levick's Cldudus The actor has much to do
though before he Will reproduce that character as a
whole The prayer-scene is not enough In that MI
Ieyick il good. But-has he sufficiently thought OF
the restf Mr. Mark Smith played Polonius
but not with his usual truth. Why should
Polon,us bully OpheliG, in that parting scene
with La>yk.s3 Nothing but stage tradition gives
rant for that procedure this representa-
tion OF shskespeare's most Intellectual and sublime
tragedy wa conventional and commonplace. One fea
tlre, though, deserves TO be excepted. Mr.. Vining
Boxerswho enacted the First redigger-presented
a trpe sbaiespeerean picture. But for two defects
indeed his Grare-dig0er perfectly good he
r,aae an too old and his humOr lacked in the element
of richness This persOnatOn however, was the most
c,mpete and satisfactory work OF the entire perform
apee and itshowed Mr. BOEers to he an artist.
4. VIC take leave Of this subject, sentiment Of
roSret fo this choice of skakespearean open
ing once more becomes conspicuous. Anything
but Haolet "-unless Hamlet" be done superbly !
Facetious allusiOn ia made, in the comedy Of
d" school TO the ancient patriot Belisarius, who
rendered great services 10 his country, and whom
his country rewarded by depriving him Of his hOnors
aud putting out his eyes. The illustration Is apt-ths
world being habtuany unGateful and unjust to its
benefactOrs. Those persons who render 1t the
greatest benefits must, rule, expect from 1t the
smallest returns They who ascend TO noun
tain-tOys" said Byron, "wil find the lOftest
peaks clad in clouds and snow" To triumph is to
suffer and this true in tie experience Of the heroes
OF fiction is in the experience Of the heroes Of fact
Beiisarus Jared badly; but Hdmiet.-for exampe,-has
Jared The former bereft Of properties dgnes,
and eyesght could die and escape from his troubles
But the latter is immortal. and the persecution OF him
forever As he Is delicate in nature and prncey
in bearing persons assume 70 represent him who
born TO be tOwn-criers venders OF fish. AS he is
the glass OF fashion and the mold OF FORM" In
diUduab frequently depict him WHO look like
sturdy and prosperous butchers. As he Is
said TO be little short p the wind all the fat
The stage hungry and thirsty till they get his
suit of sables. Now and then a female with a
uA Irovu LODI of he fsao