The New York herald., 1871-12-16

IL
Hall In concert.
Edwin B0Ofh as Claude Neinosff.
1t Is cold nature that can look on unmoved ar
the touching picture OF human passions which
Bnlwer Lytton has so ably ana artistlcaliy drawn
his Lady OF Lyons.n The author has rendered his
piece almost independent OF the actor whose made
quacy may mar but cannot spoil its beauty. These
lie In the strength and naturalness OF the situations
ana the purity and elevation OF thought winch runs
through the dialogue We have it presented
under all circumstances, endangered by tne mouth
Ing OF the ranter ana chilled Dy art OF the actors but
no want OF understanding the player could deprive
II OF Its power to charm. 1t demands at the hands OF
the actor that quality which Is least often found
among the Observation-Disclosures. 10 worth,ly
portray the chief character or the piece requires that
the stage should be forgotten aud that the actor
should walk and talk al men do In everyday life
when moved by passions as Intense as teSse which
he en- deavors to simulate. For it must be remem-
Dered that love and pride have survived the days
when Bonaparte went to Italy, and that men are
moved by the same motives OF hope and love and
anger and jealousy In the society in whicn move
and live, and that all these passions are felt
and expressed without tne Intervention Of
the SOCK ana DusKln. human passion ~
not garment belonging to some particular age
that men must needs throw themselves Into un-
them. In tragedy. when treating OF the classic or
heroic ages, certain license Is allowed, and We are
uOJ NJ Ill buOckeu 10 see Tile heroes Oh u pa6t ago
deliver themselves IN manner That would seem
intensely ridiculous In one OI our acquantances but
@ our ro OWN we are Won TO S more exapnr an
like 10 sec the actor keep close possible to tho
excepted form Of procedure IN the ordinary AFFAIRS T
Bonaparte IN the spirit IN which he acts Macbeth
would very likely be laughed at for his reward:
Kept this fact before fore his MS mind % with sum
sas sn
tragic hamlet. He fOrgats the Danish Princes ex-
cellent advice and saws the arr too much. and
movement winch recalls so strongly memories Of
itinerant players. In his lmpersonatlon OF tho
nothing OF the simple force that would certainly be
found In such q man as Claude Menotlc. Ciaude's
interview with his mother, where man nigh, be
expected 10 be easy and NATURAL and even gushing.
was only histrlonic. It was an effort, aud visible
into the depth OF tragedy. and missed Ihe force
aud sympathy OF enthusiasm which unuertea
al this peroa lis fun a Of e ana nope, ana
JOY and ANIMATION 1T his triumph over the otner VII
INV other and greater successes; but Mr. Iooths
|. rendering deprives him Of an the sunshine, and
IS e as e oo & s stage
In the character As presented Tor 1t 10 please u.s. In
the sesOna ac the same fault was vs9e II HIS & aSt
IornaIItJ. Every gesture was carefully studied, bus
which could proiitaOiy have repiaood some Of the
art. Il - Just possible 70 have too much Of
carried too anq in ns scene with Ike ws
there was not enough emotion. As he pictured the
progress ana rejection OF his love there In his
voice neither the fire OF passion nor the bitterness
Of resentment and YET 1t was sucn q scene as might
well maze tremulOus the voice OF the lovcr. But III
this, rs In every etner scene, ell was sacrnced To
the tragic muse. We cannot look upon the repre.
sentaion success; the quality OF nafuraness Ia
so important in drama That no mere excellence Of
reading or polish OF action replace H. ana this
sssentis! was absent from Mr.. Booths Claude Mel.
hottie. 80 = sa. - -. :
Nothing out the good quality OF the pisy saved u
FROM tile utter lncapaciy of the other actors. Mr..
Robert Pateman presented US with the picture OF
Cockney snOb as the nearest approach 10 nis con-
ceptlOn OF French fop, treating US en- pdssdlc
to llttlc OF the dialect Of HOundsdftcn. Mr.. VII.
sons Beauseant was heavy anu wanting In polsn,
and, we might add, IN proper Understanding oil ms
roie. dis picture of the French nobleman was, ccr-
tainly, highly amusing Notwithstanding ms some
what tragic manner, to any one with . sense
or the ridiculous. Mr. FenAo seemed to
have some sympathy with his part, but
AZ times was little vulgar. Miss Bella Pateman
acled ner part gracefully, but Is evidently lnuencAl
to q little heaviness by contact with Mr. Booth.
Neither her voice nor her facial expression IL suil-
cientiy sympathetic, for though she moro than once
gave evidence OF compromising the eject to be
sought, failed fully 70 realize H. In Tie meet
ing with her father her efforts were completely
marred by the acting OF Mr.. Rooney, whose Mons.
Deschappelles comes not into the regions Qf crti-
clsm. =, se- Z =. Z" -. ~. -. ~
sssif. Booth viii appear as Claude Melno,to IN the
matinee performance to-day.