Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1872-09-13
lActreeses Who Have Performed
Shakspeas els Male Characters.

Dnakspeose's MHie Cnafactefe.
! From New York Paper.J -
| 1t lis curious fact that all of Shak
speRre' s hcroines, from Juliet to Beatrice
were originally acted by boys, or mer
1 whose beauty of face and person bort
traces of efeminacy. At the times hi
plays were produced women were un
known upon the stage unless, perhaps
in France, where more license was given
for the actors to do as they pleased, and
consequently, more Judgment evinced
in giving the plays an appropriate inter
probation, which men in female parts
certainly could not do decently. But
with the introduction of women tothe
stage public opinion underwent com.
plete change, and the "boy actresses,
in a remarkably short time, found their
occupation gone, and more than that;
tortheir feminine rivals not only usurped
their profession, but have time and again
assumed the characters originally in
tended for lordly men" to act. Many
Of the old comedy writers have thus
found impersonators OF their male char
acters, especially those of youthful and
gallant description, in quarter they
least expected and never intended,
and the women actors have in
several cases invested the masculine
parts they have assumed with dash
and spirit which not only gained them
the applause OF discreet critics, but cap.
tivated the hearts of the more suscepti-
Bile Of their own sex Peg Wellington is
perhaps, the most remarkable instance
of the latter quality of stage attractive
ness, as stage traditions point to several
cases IN which her Sir Harry Wildair
and Lothario won the admiration and
affections Of thoseof her own sex. We
do not find, however, that the male
characters Of Shakespeare, except those
similar to Sebastian" in 4. Twelfth
Night, were attempted by the female sex
until the assumption, by Mrs. w Webb. at
Coyent Garden Theater, London, in
1888, of the character of Falstaff. The
only remarkable thing about this per
formance, which has been handed down
in dramatic history, is not her interpre-
tation of the jovial old knight, but the
fact that her natural corpulency was
such that she was enabled to ell the
clothing Of the redoubtable hero without
any Of that padding generally so neces-
sary an auxiliary with those who
assume the part. Mrs. Glover, the
celebrated English actress, on one
occasion acted Hamlet, " which,
in fact has found many female
interpreters, including Mrs. Shaw, Misc
Champion and Miss Marriott, we'll known
actresses in their day on the New York
stage. Romeo has also found many
female impersonators, among them being
Charlotte Cushman, Mrs. Shaw and Mrs.
Colman Pope, all of whom have per-
formed the character in this city. The
more vigorous characters, however, have
been but rarely essayed, for beyond
certain point woman's strength is made
quate to the personation of man force
of character and depth of passion. Even
in such parts, however, Shakespeare has
received female Interpretation, for we
find that early in the present century a
Mrs. Bsttersby acted the character of
/" Macbeth for her benefit at the old
PARK Theator; that Mrs. Baldwin. in
1923, acted "Marc Anthony" In Julius
Caesar; and more recently Miss Cush. |
man performed Cardinal Wolsey" 10 |
Henry VIII with considerable agility. |
Now comes another actress, Mrs. Mac |
ready, enalous Of gaining the metropol-
itan Endorsement Of her unique imper-
sonation of Shylock, in the Merchant
OF Venice.