, 1872-12-17

| develop the role, and to discover in il
possibilities which had been usually over
looked by those who had preceded him il
| its assumption. is not the least among Mr. Bar
rett's elements Of renown- It is no difficult mat
! ter now, after having had its strong points mad.
| plain, to recognize in Cassixs one Of the mos
| powerful, if not the greatest, characters in th'
! play. It is 3 distinctive creation, the like O.
| which Shakespeare has not given us elsewhere
| More than all others among the stern Roman
| patriots by which Cesar was surrounded, hi
| noted and feared grim, uncomproaising Cassius
! OF whom he says:
Yet, If my nn1ne were liable to fear,
do not know the man should avoid
So soon as that spare Ca.sius. He reads much.
Quits through the deeds Of men; be loves no p1sys
As thou dost, Antony he hears no music;
Seldom he smiles; and smiles in such sort
As If he Knocked himself, and scorned his spirit
That could be moV'd to smile ut anything.
Such men as be be never Ut hearts ease
When they behold greater than themselves;
And therefore tire they Tc1y dangerous.
No ordinary sort Of man merited such de-.
ecription OF as this, which CGssius gives Of him.
self:
We're common laugher, or did uso
To stale with ordinary oaths my love
70 every new protester Il you know
4ha h1 20 sMn on men, and bug %
That profess myself In bonqueting
To all the rout, then hold me dangerous
Truly nan who "looks quite through the
deods Of men," for, having looked through
Cesar, and found in him no kingler stuff than
that Of which himself vas made, he set him
down unworthy to rule Rome, and 60 conspired
against him. 4 shrewd and accurate Judge Of
human nature, he distrusted Marc Antony. ad-
vising his death and protesting against per-
mitting him to deliver the funeral
Grafton. A brave and able General, an
"elder" and t'botter" soldier than Brutt.s,
predicting the disaster which soon befel. Ger
tain1y no character in this or any other play is
worthier Of the genius OF fine actor All tho
praise that has been written and spoken Of Mr.
Barrett's Cassius is more than deserved. He
brings to the role thorough earnestness, vi1ile
gree Of dramatic power and effect. Individ-
uality is sunk out Of eight. It is not
Barrett, but Cassius, that fills the eye So true
ia this that at times the most electric bursts Of
magnetism fail to bring hearty applause, be-
cause the beho1der forgets that it is acting which
he secs, and 30 neglects to applaud the actor.
The biting irony Of his opening analysis Of
tus to tho conspiracy; bis gathering Impotence
and rage, all pictured without . word Of speech,
which bursts forth in fearful fury at Antonys
wail1ng over the corpse Of Cesar; the picture
Of mingled lore, and grief, and wounded pride,
and insulted honor in tie quarrel scene With
Brntus, criminating in that splendid spasm Of
agony: "Thero is my dagger, and here my
naked brsast !" and then his melting sorrow at
the news Of Portia's, death-theee are
Rs Tnre the 2oudton brilliant II breaggR as
vigu, in consistency and power, it is an imper-
sonltion well worthy of the warm commentator
Of great critic, who said Of it that since the
da's Of Charles Kemble, considered the greatest
-+n4t,-
pat has been seen upon the English or Amer
icn stage" Concerning the splendid manner
il which Julius Cnsar y is put upon the stage.
nd OF the support by the company, VIC shall
peak at length hereafter.
M'v1cKEn's THEATRE.
Miss Coombs commenced the third week Of
her engagement at McVicker's Theatre1ast even
ingin "1,he Lady Of Lyons" playing to not
very full house-not 30 full, indeed, as tho mer-
The play, which has not been put on the
Clau1 Melno0e in tho same theatre
nearlt two years ago, is familiar to- every !
theatn-goer. and one a. that has gsnera9y, ,a suc
audieces. Miss Coombs, in her impersoaation I
Of Pmline, did much toward raising her in the
opinio Of q Chicago audience, which her
eort dang t9e nndaas eaTer EsTt
did sh appear to advantage in the third act,
wherupbraiding Claude for his deception. Her
partag with claude, too, was an opportunity
Of thich she made the best. So pleased were
theaudience that at the end Of both acts
ehf WAS called before the curtain. Mr.
O'eiu as Claude appeared to greater
Advantage then he has done for some time, both
aahe peasant and tho Prince. He played with
mre care and more real feeling last evening
TIM usual, and the audience, not the gallery,
recognized it, retaining their manifestations OF
pprova1 till after the curtain fell. Mrs Post us
pe IVidow Melnotte exhibited two or three
ouches of nature that found an echo
n many unsophisticated hearts, but she
relapsod into unIaeaning gestures.
slr. flanagan was, ns usual, excellent. His
igure and manner are especially adapted to the
ole of Colonel Dumas, and he played the part
With spirit His " business" too, shows study.
llr. Power. as Beauseant, had something to do,
'ut WAS apparently unconscious Of the fact He
7as one Of the imperfections in tho PEesen-
mother WAS h1r. Grey, as Deschapenes.
IL. Barron IS CLAUS, for some occult purpose
Yose single eye-glass. and Airs. stoneau pro-