, 1875-02-25
ADJUSTMENTS. 4

After ell Bad and done, how much greater tho
intellectual enjoyment Of lenting Charlotte
Cuah,uan read the sceues from Shakespeare 10
which abe plays, than to Sec her perform In
them upon the Htage. Wanting Ill tho acces-
tosica Of persons upon tho stage, the ponp and
circumstance Of tue scereB that follow and de-
ye.op tho motive Of Tho drama; wanting aIl tho
ails that dramatic representation gives the
actrcsa, how froo IL tho imagination 1n n read.
log compared With aplay how vivid Ia tho de-
Iiueatton Of character, how diHttuct !ts out
lining hov unrestraiued the action when the
mind Of the auditor hccunes tile motor,
and tho individual conception Of character
buffers no rude shock from the
shortcomings Of tho "aupport, and gathers
only ilr,nnoss and color from tLs suggestion Of
tic reador. The fooling deorens mhon tho con-
tsast is 80 recent. Il is not long slncc Miss
Cusbman read Aconcs from i" Henry VIII, and
Il, Aer reading Infused life into, not QUEEN hu3t-
crime only, but into the King, and tho two Card
inats alao There vas there nothing to 'nnr toe
poricct harmony OF her ttacug, nothing to dis
order tho mental picture which tho imagination
had drawn before. There her rea1ing waB moro
ly summons Tor zach Of tho characters to COMO
our and speak his pioco, and those who re1nen-
ber the olfoct Of that scene as read will regret
that tile impression waa ever allowed to suffer
disbursement by tho ines1tablo inAdeqnhcy OF
less gifted and less experienced performers.
It ts III ttla that dramatic reading aurpasses
tbeatrical representation. The Imagination
grows strong by what 1t feeds on, and 4" satis-
tying intellectual feast the latter oannot compare
With tho former.
And this Ia not meant ah disrnragemont Of
tho performance At MoVickcr'a last eyouing.
when ,fias Cusin,an pIuyol QueeH Ea'5uriac
once moro. Tho performance was not certainly
AZ briliant enccosa M Il might ilasc boen. but
1t EAs equal to tho average. Tho feeling Of dis
appointment follows the descent to the average
hat fttpnf and 1Offr.
aflss Cushman'a portsaiture Ut tho haplcss Queen
waa what 1t ntwAyB has been as the pay-goor OF
to-lay .enlcknbers ~ The Bott aud mellow picture
| Of patioht wonlaulood, OF plAnioloas HuIertnE
and exalted yirtue, OF qaccnly dignity and wtfe-
| j. affection. II was married. By tho samo high
| soptiMcnt and illustrated With The aarns melting
power. But 1t vas Queen Katherine only that
tho audience snw, for tho other characters Weto o
Henry Of atr. Bock MAS not y lofty performance,
In lis euttcnyor to keep within lia yiow the
conrsor attributes OF this uxorious nlonntch. lie
bliudly omitted my other aspect OF Tie chascc-
be caricature, not upou u King oulS, but
| upon anyboIy but boor. lndeca'
descending to tho lowest form Of colloquiasst,,
lae read bis limos nlmoHt with ratoiB, aud too
Welcome pe1souago In whoso representation ho
haa won son,o credit-L''&a Morss. Now Wo
submit that there is littlo In common between
licnry TIlI., blun, u1ottous coarse II YOU "!li;
and tho pot-houRo blacknlai!or OF hIa; Bowers
horrible play. 1t showa only superficial study
Of character to fall Into any such confusion Of
ideaa to associate them. Mr. Hock bus more
thsn once hetrayed an aptitude for Htron!!
characterization: but ia Il possible !lls ssrongih
lieB ouly In tlis quartsr7 air: 1lasdc made
bravo attack upon Ccrd'nu! NoisfN and 10,
llsnd his very imperfect rendering. Of the part
could now anu then 10 disccrucd az apptec!a-
tton Of Its meaning. bn: NJ. Hsraioh Ieaalng
lines in tho matchoas soIo9ny On ambition,
aud tho spcecn to Gt.omtrfH In addition 10 this
radical fault, Mr.. 1iarlic suffered from himaelt
Ills peculiar dottnH Of wortla Which glvas atao'
cato onect to ls olocuton is mticl; sgalnst him;
and hnbita Of gesture aud attitude have fastcnod
upou lin with, It would seotn, almost hopeless
tanac.y. Ho accu,eA 70 DO trying to oxpfeas IT
tic gu!so of Richrlica TINT fsr srandcs creation
lie jiiolsey Of Shakespeare. When ho ahooa ofl
lis mapk, 10 occasionally rosc to tho dignity 0.
the character, but tho dlBplaY waa ftfu, ant
aorry, Ills reading Of tho spsach to Dromsce'
was exprossionlcss. Tho wortls fell from llt
lipv, but ho lid not fool their force, aud. thouEl
character bis actipg, in thio it, INNS. refrcshtnC
phuee, waB Iasnsntahy weak. Cardinal Cam,
,ni,H was rlAyel by BIZ. Sioriarty. Whoro diG
what VI '@'s spscisl dispsn.ssiona st Holland
MI, RaInford, and 1fr, Weston. hora Themselves
mora paoulirgly. Mrs. Frank Murdoch lad tue
cuoa fortune 10 look tho part OF AAHe loseEn'
ana played easily spa wtl, tut apparently af
Tho Misses l3ray played Agnl.a aud c'er'y, twf
0I thp QueeH's attendants, and esaayod Hona
upon tho lutte, but tbs lutte, undor tho mapaHo'
mint Of Mr.. 1iartcl,. and represented W tAs
The ffasmorIAry notes of their vo'cea whlcl
survived this il.trcatnnnt mads dscorlsn
apology. for his eseming acyerity, and 1lso
Eethor tho poor girls emerged nom tne N.eck p
which bad occurred somewhere. they Know mo-
whore or hon. 1t was ilrst performanc'