The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-05-04
DALY's GRAND OPERA HOUSE.


speare is lauded and mciodrana derided that the
Swan OF Avon swan In the most placid OF mill
streams, whereas there never lived dramatist
who showed 80 great mastery OF effects"
There Is not play Of his holding the stage that is
not in the trucst sense a sensational and Shak-
speare is acted not because OF his poetry, but be-
cause OF his knowledge Of situations and how to
command the interest OF an audience. Hamlet
the nOblest Of all plays, is full of sensation.
Murder most foul and unnatural precedes it,
ghost stalks abroad In the first act there Is MUIR
der again in the third act, mad scene and
drowning in the fourth, unlimited poisoning and
stabbng In the fifth act. What more sensational
than Othello's smothering OF Desdemona9 What
more thoroughly melodramatic than the tragedy of
Macbeth ?" What more opposed TO nature than
Midsummer Nights Dreamn and the Tempest ~
And are Orchard the Third" and "king Lcarn pas
tora poems ? When Shakespeare forgets his effects
he becomes poet merely, and his plays, like those
OF Ben J0nson and others, are read not acted.
The theatre demands situations first, language
secondly. The difference between Shakespeare
and the highest order OF sensational dra-
matist is, that one has great genius
and the other great clevcrness. one is a
poet as well as playwright, and the other is
merely playwright. One ennobles his plot by the
beauty OF his verse, the other belltles it by the
vulgarity Of his dialogue. One endows his meanest
characters with intellect far beyond what each
types possess in real life, the other gives his
heroes nothing but SITUATIONS" The greater in
cludes the less, but the less does not include the
greater. IT. then, Shakespeare be good authority,
melodrama is thoroughly legitimate. The sensa-
ti0nal actor is he who produces sensation. An
audience cannot be excited without being thrilled.
1t cannot be thrilled without being made to feel.
An actor cannot make others feel without feel
s~n..
sessing the divine spark called genius.
1t is quite possible to be a good
melodramat,c actor and not be able TO
properly interpret Shakespeare; but the actor who
takes modern melodrama. ana, lifting it out OF
its absurdity, raises 1t to ideal height stands as
an actor very near where Shakespeare stands as a
dramatist II an actor makes the impossible APP
pear real he has the imagination OF q poet and
gives evidence OF greater ability than II he were
personating an every day hero
For this reason he Is mistaken who fancies that
anything less than greatness produces Fechter's
erect in Monte Cristo.n 1t would be as
absurd to deny Ristori's genius in Sister
Teresa, in Elizabeth and In Marie An.
toinette. mrs. Sddons was quite as
great in Mrs. Beverly and Isabella as IN
Lady Macbeth and Queen Katherine, yet no one,
we apprehend, win say that the poetry is equal,
Fechter in the meodramas Of 'sThe Dukes Motto"
"Corsican Brothers" and his own version OF
Monte Cristo." 1t requires most natural acting
to create reality under the ribs OF improbability
When brought out in London, several years ago,
Fechter's Monte Criston ran for one hundred
nights. 1t was deservedy successful, as It Is the
work Of clever playwright. Ignoring the popular
taste for pageantry, Fechter puts aside the won
drous cave OF Monte Cristo, which plays so promi-
nent part in the published drama,
gives but passing mention to the gorgeous
Princess Haidee, introduces comparatively few
characters tells but one OF the many stories that
make up the romance tells his story decisively,
and has not hesitated to take liberties with the
original plot for the sake OF dramatic effect Thus,
for example, instead of being villefort's father,
Noirtier becomes his half-brother, by which change
the dramatist without vistings Of conscience,
render vilefort doubly tfeacheroas towaru- Noir-
tier. Mercedes does not marry Fernand until
eighteen years AFTER the disappearance OF Edmund
Dantes. Albert de Morcerf encounters Dantes dis
guised as an Able, at roadside nn instead OF
meeting him in Rome as the Count OF Monte Cristo
The youths life is saved by Dantes in Africa not in
Rome, and all of Dantes' enemies come to most
dramatic grief before the final moment that wit
nesses the triumph OF long suffering virtue in the
union OF Mercedes, Dantes and their son. These
are few Of many transformations in old friends
features. The entire first act is q condensation OF
Dumas two first chapters. The drama Is no worse
in dialogue than the "Corsican Brothers. Occa-
siOna slips OF phraseolOgy attest its French origin
slips palpabe as to render their retention more
than strange. The plot is good, but, oddly
enough, Fechter has actually failed to make
his own hero as all pervading as his audiences
desire. Were all actors clever the spectator
would be content with the prolonged absence
Of the principal character, but when subordinate
parts are indifferently portrayed that absence
gives rise to dissatisfaction In the first and sec
ond acts OF "Monte Cristo" we catch glmpses Of
Fechter-nothing more-and the contrast between
his mercural acting and the imperturbable heavi-
ness Of his coadutors creates surprise that grad
ually succumbs to WEAKNESS. 1t has been said
that the dialogue is too long, in reality the greater
part of its length consists IN its delivery. Were
every character sustained with the necessary spirit
and were the e'ur dctes shortened, the drama
would terminate at eleven o'clock. Famii-
arity with the text ought soon to lessen
q ttresome evil, and If Fechter will cleo
trify his conlJreres as he does his audiences
the entire performance will be worthy OF admira-
ton. At present the high art Of Monte Criston is
found in the perfection OF stage details the beauty
Of its scenery and the consummate acting OF its
author.
In the first act Fechter is every inch a sailor; in
the second, his prison ''make-upn is admirable.
The dungeon scene, however, is marred by the
creaky boots OF the guard and the intoerable slow.
ness with which Faria tells his story. The music OF
those soes has grown fainter since the first night,
but 1t still ofends sensitive ears and Able Faria
still drags his slow length along. In the third act
Fechter's disguise as able is most artistic, and
his acting is worthy OF his dress; but
it Is not until the fourth act that he
gives himself an opportunity for the display
OF his best genius. In the garb Of the Count OF
Monte Crsto he is the perfection OF manner and
neat acting. No actor can personate high comedy
unless he have the instincts OF gentleman. A
comedian cannot strut cannot "take steps," he
must bear himself with the ease peculiar to good
breeding. dress coat is terrible ordeal, and he
who wears 1t triumphantly is q rara auts. Fechter
has maatered ifs black anQlea His int ryieW with