New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-06-18
THE DRAMA.
BOOTH'S TIL A 7 Z X.
skIvfNI Az KING SAUL.


He brings to the work attribute that Is
TO ia grandeur OF form and its affecting eympathy OF
sprit His towering ply sque presents with Impressive
accuracy, the Hebrew monarch, chosen Oh "ou' VIM
WAS lifted head and shoulders above the people
His splendid gination, his tremulous sebsiohy lis
kpowI ledge OF suffering, his enormous skill In de-
pictng 1t, his great resources of voice, his
yigor and fneness OF action, his exceptional
commngling of laracness and gentlehess-an
these combine In this extraordinary performance,
to give magnificent reality to one OF the suDmes con
ceptons in literature. BY his personation OF saul sal
VIM has added new and an immortal inquire 10 tne
stage-Pantheon OF kings and heroes. There we're but
hundreds present last night. at Booths Theaer
where should have been thousands; but It's ad
vent-brilantly made. and hailed with great enthusi-
asm-marks the beginning Of thea trical life In
form another this new monarch Will continue W
reign on tie ngshspeaking stage. He has long oeeh
present in literature he now takes his pace-Dy
power of slvnis fine conquest and bright example-in
our practical dramatic art.
Alters tragedy OF saul" was written In l7S2S
when the naughty peuous. and passionate poet WAS
years old. and at the suggestion OF the countess Oh
Albany, whom he loved. He had suffered bereaVe-
ment at the time, and he was in deep grief Inc
Countess 1t is said. sought 10 console him by readng
the Bible and when they upon the narrative OF
Saul the idea OF the tragedy was struck out between
them. The work was written with vigorous impulse
and very rapidly and the author has left In his famous
statement that none OF bis tragedies
cost him 50 little labor saul is in five acts, and con-
ains 567 nesOf that Italian rersi sco, which CORE
spends the blank OF the English language Inc
scene is laid in the camp of Saus army Blk persons
are introduced, namely. Saul. jonathan. David.
Michel Abner and Achlmelech. The time sup
posed to be occupied by the acton-or rather by the
sufering-o OF the play Is single day, the last In the
Kings life Act First is devoted to preparatory explain
atoms conveyed in warnings to David, by Jonathan his
friend and Michel his wife. Act Second presents tue
distracted monarch. who knows that God has orsaken
him and that death is at hand In speech OF terrible
intensity aud thrillsg power he relates to Abner the
story the apparon OF Samuel and the doom that the
ghost has spoken. His children humor and soothe tho
broken old man. and finally succeed In softening MS
mind toward David-whOm at once he loves, breads,
and hates the appointed instrument OF his desruc
ton and successor to his crown Act Third shows
David playing upon the harp before Saul,
and chanting his deeds in the service and
defense of Israe-so that he Gains the agonized de-
lirium OF the haunted king and wins his blessing but
at last boastful word makes dscord in the musics
charm and Saul is suddenly reused into CHASTITY fury
Acts Fourth and Fifth deal with the wild caprces and
maddening agones Of the frenzied father; the ever
varying phenomena Of his mental disease; the on
saught of the Phstines the killing OF his sons the
frequent recurrence before his minds OF the shade
of the dead prophet and. finally. his suicidal DEATH
IL s in form, strictly classical tragedy, MASSIVE,
grand, and majestically simple aud Dazes from end
to end with the fire Of a sublime imagination.
Ardent lovers of italian literature fond Of ranking
"Sau" with Lear" The claim Is natural but 1t Is
valid In "Learnot 10 speak Of its profound rev.
Citations of universal human nature and its vast phoso
ply OF human life-there is a tremendous scope Of
action. through which mental condition and experience
are dramatically revealed and there Is the deepest
deep OF pah0s, because the highest hight OF afflicted
| goodness. In saul" there is simply,-up0n a lin
tied canvas without aduDcts, without the suggestion
Of resources without the relief OF even niournful
humor and with narrative rather than q dramatic
background the portralture Of condition; audi be-
cause the man displayed is neither so noble nor so
human the pIthos surchargng tho work is neither so
narrowing tender Yet the two works are akin
in majesty Of IDEAL In the terrible topic Of mental dis
ease that skaters king, and In the atmosphere OF
desolaon that trails after them like funeral pail and
| it is not wonder that Alferis Saul" should be
deemed the greatest tragedy ever originated IN the
italian language. 1t attains superb hight-for it
keeps equal with the severe simplicity OF the
Bible narrative whereon it is founded 1t depicts the
condition OF imaginative mind, q stately
and robust character, arrogant. fiery
| spirit, afectioDate heart, and, altogether,
| royal and regay poised nature, that have
first been undermined by aud the consciousness OF
sn and then crazed by contact with the spirit world
and by nameess dread Of the impending anger OF
offended God. 1t would be difficult to conceive Of
distractng and pteous state Awe and
round this august sufferer and make him both holy aud
dreadful. In his person and his condition, these
visible to the imaginative mind, he combines all the
elements that impress and thrill He is Of physi-
cal stature. which time has not bent, and Of great
beauty Of face which grefs have ravaged but de-
stroyed. He Is valiant and bloody warrior and dan
ger to radate from his presence. He is mag
unanimous king and loving father and he softens by
generosity and wins by genteness. He Is maniac,
haunted by specters and scourged with whip OF
pioDs and his redeyed fury makes all space hell and
skaters silence with the shrieks Of the damned He Is
human SOUL burdened with the rghtful consciousness
Of the Almghtys wrath, and poised IN torment on the
precipce that ovcrhangs the OZARK and sorm-b
ocean OF eternity. His human weakness Is
afrighted by CHASTITY visions and by all man
ner of indefinite horrors. against which his
vain struggles do but mako more piteous his
awful condition. The CLEANS Of calm that fall upon his
tortured heart only light up abyss Of msery-a vault
Of darkness peOpled by demons He is already cut of
from among the living, by the doom of inevitable fate
and while we pity him we fear him. His coming seems
attended with monstrous shapes: he difuses DISCO
nance his voice is cry Of anguish wall OF desoa-
ton; his existence Is tempest there can be no relief
for him DEATH and the death that ends him comes
like the blessing of tears to the scorched eyeds OF
Stunning misery. That is the Saul of the Bible and Of
Alheris tragedy; and that is the Saul whom savini
embodies 1t is colossal monument Of human suffer
ing that the actor presents and look upon
without being awed, and chastened, and lifted above
the common level Of this world.
The applause for this performance was prodigous-
Salvln and Piamonti being called several times and
salvin himself separately summoned with great enthu.
siasm The piece is done in one scene. This was the
cast
saul Ton m.'o s.lvin Davd."......A CoousIlo
Jopsthan. Fabric Abner. Pearo
.sgnora hamont Achimelech Piccinini
OBITUARY.