New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-03-13

bud
T,eatrcal MANAGERS for the most part, only too
aAv 70 catch aud to follow that sordid view Of their
calling which makes IT, through greed Of gain, pander
IN ignorance and folly They know that money can
,,oSt ALWAYS he made ont Of the captrap OF
opsafon melodrama the vicious indoicacy Of bare
,c,a5 spectacIc: ana, when the higher drama falls
,onv Of them are quite too apt 20 drop ncontinenty
backward and wa0w in these oxpcdients OF prospe!'
That the higher drama shall not fail, Therefore Is inc
need OF society less than the need OF the
ecrs and in order that II may not fail all goou eo
made its behalf ought, we have said 10 DC hot WIN
tnd acceptance and not with chilling severity faSe
mood never fosters anythng but sympathetic ICcoSni
zion OF merit even when merit exists ohl III UESh'
may do great deal Of good and cannot possibly 90 any
1arm ,,,., -,
80 have approached the performance of our critical
duty toward dramatic enterprises that have passed De-
oath our review That feeling together with sense OF
be cvanescence and comparative nothingness OF the
boe business Of the stage have made us tolerant OF
,or rlenislcs and OF the shortcomings OF welnten-
tinod erdcavor 1t is only in the presence Of unds
,sod and offensive greed, grossly pretentious in
.,nc4ncc or utterly shameless vice. or conceit grown
~ in LONG. permitted swagGer. that we have felt il
3f 70 resort the open severity OF satire and de
,nreiaon treat the stage any other basis than
This would he assault it, every day in the week, with
iectons 70 petty defects with discomfort at that
condition of folly and weakness which Providence per
wits 10 SO many OF its creatures.
II e. therefore in kindly no less than in frosty mood
that we revert 10 Mr. Booths revival of "Much ADO
rhe enterprise warrants the fully as it invites the
other The motive Of it is worthy and noble Mr.
Booth has cd TO give TO OF the most brilliant come
dies in literature an entirely adequate setting and Illus
r3on In that endCavOr ne has partly succeeded. As
theatrical Pageant his revival Of "Much Ado" is lit
orally superb. Many Of the resources OF the
most magnificent stage in the country have been
Drought into use, and have been handled with taste
.ffgYt tho raat
that have been set FOR this comedhe street in front Of
Ieonatos house the garden the ballroom, the midnight
square, and the Illuminated church-ve recall only sin
gle bemish. That bcmish is. the prominence of white
statues and rectangular forms in the garden These
We think, should be replaced by tme-wOrD brOnze',
which would mpart to the picture at once richer and
softer effect in form and in color. and would likewise
preserve the requisite atmosphere of antiquity. 1t is
OF the chief beauties Of Shakespeares design, in this
comedy that he-apparently-iutended TO make
his portrayal Of the springtmc OF love, and
hope and JOYOUS activity, all the bright fragrant
sand luxuraut By relieving it against background OF
shat settled repoSc which old state OF society nvara
bly, expresses even its most ordinary adjuncts THIS
seubtc purpose worth considering The ivy never
gorOusly green when it CLEANS against the rough
and frOwning granite. Flowers are never so beautiful
when they bloom amid ruins. And young love has
the tender and melting sweetness and pahos that
halow its life among associations Of the ancient and the
past.
Much the purpose of the poet was worth consider
Eng In this matter of the scenery-wherein have
eliminated, II has been sudiousy and sympatheticaly
obeyed-it was far greatly worth considering in
the matter of the acting. When, however we come TO
regard the revival in the light Of dramatic representa-
Sion speedily convinced that in this respect,
piratiOn has somewhat Outrun ability. Two love
stOres-as reader needs be remindedarc told in
Much ADO" One OF them is all glitter and clash, rat
lie and scintiatou aspery and mischief the other is
Io1{y of fret
by . cruel sorrow, Int irradiated ct last by
justice aud happiness There is no need that We
should dwell upon tue wonderful skill with which, while
framing these stories in the local circumstances of real
life Shakespeare has made them representative for all
time; upon the beautiful symmetry Of form with
which he has set them forth both language and
60 action. These are matters Of knowledge, TO
those who know the great poet at all and If we glance
them here IL is only because they suggest the obvious
difficulties that confront the players who would under
take TO represent this comedy. Those difficulties are
such as neither arfce stageexperence can over
come Most of the persons in "Much Ado" are repre-
sentative types or characters and both the persons
and the scenes are, it were, held suspended
I'm that delicate atmosphere of exaggoration
which appertains to pure comedy. Exact and
thorough aptitude for these personalities wide knowl
edge OF human nature singular and unusual elegance or
manners and ripe training in the fine and subtle art OF
comedy -actng-Which assumes 70 reproduce the fra
GRANGE Of the flower less than its therefore,
indspensably necessary TO artists who would embody
such creations as Benedick and Beatrice, CiGdi0 and
Hero Don Pedro and Don John, and the immortal Dog
Jer Ordinary talent and skill will not suffice in this
eEirence. Great talent, even, if il be not of GER
tain kind, will prove abortive here. Unless,
an othor words. "Nuch Ado" he played by per
sons who fully in sympathy with it, fully competent
It, fully at home in it, fully masters OF its gtterng
spirit and of their art the comedy will be dropped
1nto the quiet pool of the commonplace 1t will be
champagne indeed but il will be champagne. after the
sry bubbles have departed and left the golden exara
cor in vapd reposc This is what is, acted at Booths
Theater.
The reason this result is implied in what have
stated With precisely three exceptions, the important
parts comedy committed for portrayal to per
sons whO-COnsttuonay otherwise, by lack OF natu-
aptitude by lack art-are untitled TO their ade
quate Interpretation. The exceptions Don Pedro An
tonic and Verges. Mr.. Lawrence Barrett personates
Don Pero. Ii is not very difficult CHARACTER TO repre-
cont providing always that the representative of 1t hap
pens to be, by nature, gentleman, and, by art,
.knfu dclineator Mr. Barrett is both; and therefore
he satisfies the conditions of the part, alike with refer
% spirit and 10 form Don Pedro is prince in
blood less than in breeding, and the actor who
would ombOdy this ideal must somewhat cOndescend
when mngling with the amatory Vaccinations and mis-
CfhevOus pranks whch-thOugh, chemically speaking
they hold great joys and weighty destnies
in solution as for the most part tres do in this world
constitute the substance Of this comedy Mr. Barrett
docs this, with gentle gravity and serious sweet
that in exact accordance with the
quality Of the character and that in themselves
very charming HIS performance, Of course
should not be designated extraordinary. It IS
however little thing thoroughly well done, and little
thing well done is better than q great thing manged
The sort Of commentator ought TO be rendered
the AHto) Of nr D. C. Anderson and to the VergeS Of
M. Robert Paonian The wrath OF the fOrmer,-in his
strong scenc- finely tempered The senilty Of the
tterlt up with its one CLEAN avariceis completely