New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-11-02
THE DRAMA.
BOOTHS THEATER. o..
cUALOTTE CUsHMAN AS MEG MERRIIIEs.

Another great crowd assembled in Booths
Theater on Saturday night When Charlotte Cushman'
for the first time this farewell engagement acted Meg
Merriies Her imaginative and her physical frenzy at
tain eest SCOPE and their lotest stature IN THIS
Of her mind, the instincts OF
her emotion the massive and tumultuous pictorial
tendencies of her physical constitution feel no letters
here Her flight is not upward to difficult Shakes
pearean ideal hut downward In one s"oop'
upon fact OF personality and state Of existence tnat
lie beneath her powers The result creation that mas
the wild sweep OF the tempest the p'azc
Of the lightning, and both tho vigor ana the
majesty Of poetic delirium. 1t is not. indeed her
greatest performance because the character Is neither
30 lofty nor 80 complex that Of Queen Katharine or
that Of Lady Macbeth but 1t 10 the above all Others
that wholly reveals the distinctive Individuality Oh tne
actress-the magnetic quality. commingling power
pathos romantic grandeur exquisite tenderness vast
acquaintance with grief and vaster power TO endure
and to command-that puts within her grasp the royal
and the easy OF the universal human heart hc
membrance of Charlotte Cushman in the time to come,
will probably associate her name more Intimately
with this part than with any other that she has ever
played 1t not the art. but the character behind the
art that cOnquers the homage OF mankind ana taxes s
place among the perpetulties Of history.
1t is difficult to write calmly of q parsonage 80 grand
and thrilling. 1t would idle to write the worn words
of description the faded phrases OF compliment MISS
Cushman acted Meg MerTes upon this occasion IN sucn
way as make forget that we had seen IL peiore'
and feel only that we were now seeing IL TOT tho nrS'
time. In glory Of her youth she never was more
powerful than when. upon this memorable n'ght' ehe
burst into the gloomy woodland and stood TRANSPORTED
before us-a living Of frenzied suspense ana
regal misery. Her figure lowered; her very soul
seemed to diate; years of suffering were writ
ten on her cOuntenance; world OF love
and Of prophetic hope blazed from her eyes;
every muscle OF her body seemed haroeheu
into MARBLE by the tremendous tension OF excitement
under which leapt into the character her presence
was literally inspired. and, when she SPOKE tne name
less quality of anguish and pathos in her voice thrilled
every chord OF every heart in the vast assembage that
saw this wonder and heard this music. Genius In the
OF acting do more than done oy Charot'e
Cushman in that supreme moment. At the emo Oh 'ne
scene the stormy applause OF multitude exciteo oe-
yond all limits Of discretion almost shook tie OudlDg
till the actress back upon the stage 10 iook ono
moment upon her triumph calm with her smile TINS
raging sea of admiration In very long experience Vi
such matters have seen no effect paralel Win tns
MEG Mer7iies-as we said before, In wiring upon
this familiar subject-s In one way, unique oharac'er
among tragic parts Id massed ana the actress
must spring at once into the whole identity. Three
scenes succeed but they do no moro Tor the
part than is done the Threshold The DEATH ndeeo
is very awful but 1t only reiteraes an ehact OF terror
and pity already created. The moment OF HdHeTdeh'
discontinue permits an eloquent attitude Vi huoe
DO wer and fantastic mpressivenoss, ana the moueh W
the poor gypsys human weakness and sef-pity-whrren
she begs that desolated home may Do re'but ana
herself remembered. and darkly aud wildly speaks OF
the coming back Of the deadaOws suggestions OF the
misery of age aud Of the awful abstraction OF an
imaginative mind striving to keep itself In pose AMIDST
partial derum and these have power upon the heart'
But Meo Merrilies Is never Meg MeTr1iies than
IN her first encounter with Harry beT"am
in the forest and greater parsonage, In tue I'M
VIII
over hun the cradesong of his race This Is
finished work its inception, and consummate IN 'ne
BIRTH" The entire character ana summari1eo eApei'
ence OF one human being shown at ndsh frehzeo
Imagination, wavering reason, ana hopeless anu rco
diless physical misery, stand revealed in an Instant
A few later touches modify the picture; ana we TO-
member q noble natured and tender woman
crushed by affection. crazed by the compulsory
knowledge OF bloody deed. sequestered Dy
lonely communinR with the haunting mysteries Oh
nature, worn by famine and hardship, but royal In
innate WILL president with that second sight whch suen
misery has more than once been known 10 orine' anu
faithful through all things to one love and one duty. IL
this personaity that Charlotte Cushman thrills with
her fiery soul and makes the incarnation of fantastic
splendOr.
"Guy Mannering" was carefully and credtably set
upon the stage Booths Theater The piece written
in stiff and angular STYLE and is one OF the plays that
REQUIRE excellent acting IN all their parts to redeem
wrote II, was, believe, one OF the reviewers VINO
broke the heart Of John Keats. II an odd contrast
that the poetry and the prose OF Terry now
present "Guy ManneriDg" was better done on BOOTHS
stage when revived for Mrs. Emma WaeI-an actress
of fine ability and accompishments-in the winter OF
1869: and again. when produced for Miss Cushman her
SELF In October The present cast is not altogether
a good one Mr.. Wbeateigh would be better In Dom'n~
Summon than heis in Ddndie DnmOnt. and Mr. Edwin
sheppard would be better Dand,e DnnOnt than he Is
IN Dominic Sampson. Mr.. Warde is conventional 10
Henry Berram. and ne cannot sing the music OF inc
part which is quite important-since the piece Is
given as melodrama Miss Bianchard over
dressed Julia Nannering acted in nonchalant man
ner and proved vocaly unequal to the dfcult music OF
the duet in the second Miss Louise Henderson Will
be easier in Lucy Bertram after little use She sang
neatly and sweety. Mr. Sheppard, evidently CAREFUL
Jealous practced actor made his first essay at the
quaint tender Dominic, and got through without
total wreck-whch is saying good deal But the part
oueht not TO be- In ever slight degree. buresqued
In "The Winds Whistle Cold" and "Choueh and Crow"
Miss Julia Davidson sang with notable skill and sweet.
ness and with true Of character and surround
machinery Of Scotch patrol and miscellaneous dance
This was the cast:
Meg Meprie. Charlotte Cushnap Franco. Little
Col Ch.s Rockwell JOCK Jabos Boton
Dominie First u hogan
C. Wbe6tleigh Sergeant g. u Iorrens
Hsn,v Fred b. Kitty Blanchard
lie Lucy Louise Henderson
Bsils John Weaver Flora Annie K Bowler
SIis, Co.sor K Collier Mrs McCandsh Mary Wells
Gshr, T. Rebecca. Julia Davidson