New-York tribune., 1873-06-16
THE DRAMA.
BOOTHS THEATER.
EDWIN BOOTH RETIREs PROM MlSAGEMESr-GLaScy
AT THE LAST SEASON.


his direction. has been fully written In these coumns
that only brief additional chapter Is needed b make IL
complete. This will be furnished in glance al the In
Cidents OF the Just completed n has been no
rOd Of peculiar interest u stretches from the latb =,
August Is72 the 18Th Of June is73 and It comprs
3O4 dramatic representations In which the leading par
have been sustained by O the best actors OF tia
age. Mr.. James W. WalIack was the first star. Hsa,
peared the 10Th OF August and remained tl the M
OF September, actin iMqids in "The Bells"-whs1v,s
given IS times. Mr. and Mrs Dion Boucicant and ~.
shel Barry came next appearing on the 231 Of sapte
Der and remaining til November 10. "Arrahls.
Pogue" played 80 times, and % p.rforn.
ances were given Of Kerry" and "Jcsse Brown,
Miss Adelaide Nelson making her first aTpearne.
on tho American stage acted here from NOyenbafB
70 December H. Fourteen performances Of "Rjueo
and Juliet" given; 0yo Of As You Like IT, a,d
seven OF "The Lady Of Lyons" Mr. james ". Waua,k
acted Mere1itio and Jacques. Tie Ro0eo Mr Jo
seph Wheelock. AT two OF the Saturday m0ruiHgpor.
fornances during Miss Nelson's engagement tL. l.iy
did not act and "The Stranger" was presented with
Mr.. James W. Wallack The Stranger. and Miss Bella
Pateman Hrs. Halter, On the 10Th Of December ME
John Broughams play, on tho story OF Jane Dare,
called the Lily Of France" was represented with N.s
Helen Temple as tho heroine, and Mr. James ". Walak
as Talbot Earl Of Shrewsbury This piece, owmgfo
tho nadequacy Of Miss Temple, acted on.y seven
tmcs and was withdrawn on DecemberA. MIS- mps
has since been, elsewhere, quite successful u ps
drama. From the 23d 10 the 28th Of December Mr
James w. Wallack acted Henry DuHbqr-4s AZ
pearance on the latter date, being the last
that he ever made upon tho stage. TIE
death Of this fne actor and noble geutemau-
an incident still fresh in the pubc rec,lcenon-
occurred on the Path OF May, in the present year Oa
December 30 Mr. Edwin Booth appeared, and Won a
great success In the character OF Richard Ill., Hs
gagement lasted till the 1st OF February 1873 psroI
Of five weeks Orchard Ill" was played Is times;
'Brutus. OF the Fall OF TarqWn 70 times; and .Ira
performances were given Of "Don Cesar dc Ealu"
" Much Ado About Nothing" and The Lady Of LYJns'
Dr. W j. Florence succeeded Mr.. Booth, beginning on
the 81 of February and ending the l5,n oi March
Tnis engagement comprised % performances Of "T.s
Ticket-OELeave Man" and IA Of "NO Tl1r.ug are."
Slr. Florence was seen. and much admired, .s -
BIierly and as Jules Obearei-er. Mr. Dion BJlecal..
then returned TO this stage and made one OF the most
Brilliant and permanent successes Of his life IN his pag
OF Daddy O'Dowd." Tas piece was acted ~ uIosi
and !. performances were given OF "Arrahna PJguc'
and Kerry" Mr. Shie Barry participated in ali =
these representa- tons On the 18th OF May Ms Nelson
elected her re-eutrance here, and, for the nr-i
tIus in America, personated amy RoJS1rt 10
Sir. HIdays drama entitled. "Amy Roc
sart" was acted 81 times and Miss hoilfOH's
engagomcnt terminated with three performance %
Rosaind IN " As you Like It." Atthe morning perform
ance on the 18th OF June, illness preventing the appear
ance OF Miss Nelson The Lady Of Lyons" was given
with Mr.. Neil Warner as claude and Miss Pdtem.n &C
Pauline. On Saturday night tho l4th inst-Hheu. 20
the presence OF very numerous audience Mis- Nelson
acted Rosalind and said farewell to the New York pub
Hcr sOthern appeared Hugh de Brass, fl tie farce
OF Re gular FIX" and, by his ucrdroerY and tXqI
site art greatly con trbuted 10 the brilancy OF ths
closing performance. 1t will be that this last
dramatic year at Booths Theater has offered bot
good pieces and that best available artists have been
procured as The hits werein the order Of their
occurrence-Mr Wallacks Matthias, Mr.. Barry's Rc'ae
Feeny Mr. BOucicau It's KERN Mrs. Bouccaul's JesS,
Br0v, Miss Nelson's Juliet, Mr.. Booths Richard and
Lucius Brufus, Mr.. FlOrences Bob Brieiy Nj. BCucl
caults Daddy O'Dotod and Miss Nelson's An1y r. bsarf
II will be observed that the number OF SldA elI
performances was ~. The policy Of Mr. BOOTH Vlca
he first opened his theater-on the 30 OF February l
and for some time afterward, marked 0y lofty aRd
laboriOus ambition To this he sacrificed great d'll o.
time, and toll and money. To him the public is Indebted
for the best Shakespearcan that have eyc
presented on the American stage We doubt, Indeed, Z
bis reylyas OF Romeo and Juliet" O.belo."" Ham
| let" " The Winters Tale" Julius Cesar" Richard
H." have ever been surpassed In any country thls
public Mr. Booth IS indebted for such suppH 30 he
ought to have received He has not indeed, been per-
mitted actually to fail His four dramatic year viJl
all their ups and downs, have, the whole, been safely
prosperous His last season. are informed hn- beeu
financially one OF the most Esucceesfu eujoye - any
manager. But viewed in unbroken retrospect the Imu
neraOn OF these years OF effort not 20 De- coEe
with the eudcayor, the ambition the r aad -
worry OF conducting shakespearean thcater; and NJ
Booth, at all events determines to abandon th1nke
task and relieve bis mind OF wcarisOme burden Es
will hencorWard devote himself entirely to that ar Ia
acting which he has demonstrated his greatness aa1
won his fame. There many persons who thl-E they
could have conducted Booths Theater with greater sz
and TO better results. 1t will probably content Nj.
Booth 70 reflect that he has succeeded in lOuud'' hs
agnfHp in IL un Ia
adorned some OF the greatest Of plays witt sp!enl0F
beftng their spirit and value that he has Pc nteI
for the enlightenment and pleasure OF his ccl.auol
several nterpretatonsO OF Shakespcaean ch1.-. nLch
other actor has equaled that MS l4Oors have ta
to the study Of Shakespeare a zest and imia -
among thoughtful people; that he has dyce much &c
exalt the stage and nothing 10 degrade 10 ana that
both as manager and actor, he has set example Of
devotion to principle and taste which Is aesnoUi
edged and respected, throughout the country wherever
intelligence and refinement prevail. lie u..-at d0unt
less continue in the management Oi h5 tl.-.cI alk
the certainty OF fair degree OF good fortune 'tHb
by no means certain that the fire anu elastic. .ae
actors mind would not be deadened br the care al
fret that are incidental TO the manager CI III tms
view of the subject we think that the public les -
Mr. Booth Is to congratulated his retirement irct
painful tedious and harasslng Office, aud ms 4olcil
nation hencefOrth to live for his art alone
Booths Theater, will, for time, remain c07-d "
Junius Booth, Its new manager, has taken possess
and entered upon It's duties. He a yote. tL DO. eAe-
rence Of the stage and Of the caprcss OF llhu. i'i
and he Is known TO take a sensible pruj'n s,.tS'
humorous view OF both. His character combines .
elements OF popularity-not the least Of N.ch a'o Gu
ergy, patience, and goodhumor. IL Is not ahclI ''a
that he Will "lay out" with unStinted Lorauy % iea'o
New.York with the presence Of fine art pa arts 'ha'
praises and neglects but do not doubt be Ni' 2W
o liberal alert and tasteful manager and i.hinl! or.
form all the work that il rests vita mn 20 d' io IN
sustapipg the presle and lie rank " The noble t3s