Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-01-05
FECnTER, THE TRAGEDIAN.

Mr.. Charles Fechter, the tragedIan,
arrived in New York on Friday, by the
German steamer Marie. He was accom-
panied by Miss Leclercq, a London actress
of established reputation. Mr.. Fechter
will make his debut in America at Niblo's
Garden, on the 10th instant, and will play
an engagement of one hundred nights.
During the season Hamlet will be pro-
duced, and the New York public will be
enabled TO compare his famous persona
ton of the leading role with that of our
most popular American tragedian. Two
great Hamlets-Booth's and Fechter's-at
the same time, viii create a real sensation
in the theatrical world of New York.
As fletcher is destined to be the sensa-
ton of the next few months, we con-
dense from the New York World a
sketch of him. He is about forty-fiye
years of age; was born in London, Of Ger
man and French parents, but was taken
TO the continent in carly childhood He
was brought up as a sculptor. He made
his theatrical debut in lie Mari de la
Teurc, at the Sale Molierc, Paris,
dingy and tawdry hole indeed. Before he
was twenty-five years old, he had held
leading position, in more than one of the
first-Class Paris theatres, and had especi-
ally distinguished himself by the creation
of several light comedy characters at the
vaudeville His earliest popularity was
gained by the performance of parts like
''Thc Bachelor of Arts" After varied,
but still increasing success, he went to
London in 1860, where he first appeared
as Rug Bias.
His first performance marked the begin
ming of a revolution in English theatrical
taste. The HamlctS and lagos of the
day were overlaid with the long accumu-
lated rubbish of the greenroom End prop
ertyTOOm-meTe bundles Of habits handed
down from generation TO generation of
players. 1t can readily be seen then that
Mr.. Fechter's advent created the most pro-
found interest, for he brought with him
the bOldest innovations. Tha! French
man should presume TO improve upon the
English Hamlet was astounding in itself
But improve upon it he did TO the amaze
ment of consery alive England, and only
because he chose to play it as he under
tool it and not as habit prescribed it.
sHis very entrance in the part created an
entirely new impression, for he indicated
Hdmlef8 Scandinavian nationality by
faxen hair, and carried to perfection an
assumption Of dreamy meditation, which
it was hardly possible to associate with a
dark complexion. He showed at once
that he deemed the meditative clement in
HdmlcfS character essential His an
swers seemed to come from man CON
tinuaIly and unwillingly awakened from
an abstraction, into which he was as con-
tinually relapsing. This predOminance
given to the meditativc element, invested
the soliloquies with a remarkable charac-
ter. The mere fact of playing Hamlet
in q yellow wig was a desecra-
ion in their eyes, and the delivery
OF Shakspeare's text in a collOquial man
ner, instead of with a. vast amount of
stilted mouthing and energumenetic rant,
an equally objectionable sin. And then
in the graveyard scene, instead Of lectur-
ing Horatio bolt upright and skull in
hand, like a professor Of anatomy, he
actually sat down, carelessly and natural
ly, upon tombstone.
His leading characters are Hamlet,
Eogo, CdUdc MelHotte, OJareigCr in No
Thoroughfare, and RUy Bias. 1t is in
this last character that he makes his first
appearance in America.