New-York tribune., 1875-09-02
THE DRAMA-MUSIC.
THE DRAMA.
BOOTHS THEATER-BARRY SULLIVAN As RICH
ELIEU.

time IN Boot.s Theater The house was again crowded.
and alike In the hearty greeting with which no was re-
ceved tho honest applause with which his performance
was almost constantly followed, and the four or five re-
calls with which he complimenfcd, this tragcdian
enjoyed fresh evidences OF popular sympathy and adm
ration At the end OF the exciting which closes the
fourth act, the public Joy found expression In shr
cries. The situation is, OF course, VICTORIOUS ono;
but IL was evident, apart from tue magic OF the
situation that for the assembled multitude there was
sort Of magic in the actor He showed very riy' IN
deed upon this OCCASION two attributes that never fail
to win the people-physlcal power in voice and action
and the bluff good nature Of simplicity and virtue He
was popular Irish eccesiastc, OF known intel
ecual strength, who unbcnds among the people; anu
through this influence he wrought remarkable eject
Other external popularity of the evening there was none
"Richeleu had the advantage OF sumptuous stage
setting and In the subsidiary parts 1t was careiiy ana
rospcctaby acted. The curtain fell at few minutes
after eleven We cannot expend many words upon Mr.
suivans Interpretation OF the Cardinal, Dut nappy
It may receive adequate justice In few condehsed
comments.
It may be said, in q broadly explanatory OF inc
spirit Of what VIC say upon Mr. suivans personation
Of Rchelieu that he is deficient in this par-precsey
as lie was in Haue-Of poetry spirituality and. except
at specific points, OF real magnetism His acting lacks
glamour This take to be the condition OF his nature
and neither accident Of circumstance nor an erect OF
time lie Is great artist, but his artistic creation IS
for the most par-sructnre without light; and IT nus
resembles some vast gothic cathedral which yet to be
Illuminated. He did almost everything that any person
could sh In the acting Of RichcieU except To nre s
diversified and lofty He was in appearance I'M
pressvey picturesque He expressed, to the very Ups
Of his fingers the foxy indrecon Of willy mind, COM
mingled with thoroughly leOnine courage, force anu
weight OF character. He spoke the words with
perfect elocution. He fell into the Caruihais
vein Of humorous banter with an ease that
was spontaneous and delightful He delivered
all the notably characteristic speeches OF Rteheet-
those for instance. justice fate, the power OF the pen
glory OF youth which is superior to faiiure-wth
the cearest appreciation OF their point, ana with ihte
ecial elevation feryent vehemcnce His defiance OF
the mysterious midnight assassin was So natural III
manner as quito to redeem the extravaganza OF
this improbable and theatrical situation. He
was massive, solemn, intense. aud even terrible
in uttering the prcstly imprecation upon Bdrrada';
and he rose from that climax, To the still higher ana
more difficult OF explosive rage ana desperate,
senile Distraction which succeeds It, with noble
instinct OF artistic effect, and with judcous use OF MS
powers Thus as will rightly be inferred his Riehetie"
a. as TO FORM correct symmetrical, and effective per-
formance But hercas before the superiority is III the
execution AMI the defects in the ideal The thing that
Mr. Sullivan wishes to do upon the stage is, at all times
distinctly intended and definitely accomplished; ana thS
we take of the greatest merits in all art When
great ghs concerned, though 1t is question OF
pnion-and we are reluctantly constrained to say that,
thus far We do not "the Theban eagle" In Mr. sui
lvan There is depth in the nature OF Hamlet which
he does not to have sounded, and hight In the
character of Richelieu to which he does not seem 10
have scared The inedabe mournfulness, the holy
beauty the spiritual craze and the heart-broken desoa-
ton of the Prince OF Denmark not suggested by
him; and there is neither pathos nor grandeur In his
Rheiieu We may be In error as to the Ideal intended
by the author; but il understand him Alright, Richc-
Hem as drawn in Bulwer's play land II Will not we
SUPPOSE be conened that artist should go to history
for his model, is a figure much more grand and
beautcous as sOul than mere virtuous powerful,
willy ecclesastc could possibly bo accounted. IL in
nothing ese is need in his fahely love for Julie
and his anguish her pitia5le condition, for man
hood both heroic and tender But, deeper than this,
there is need for that profound saturaon with sadness
which inevitably appertans to the man of genius who,
in the very apex Of Is old, inrm, lonely, ami
mpered for whom the sweetness of love and the glow
and glory Of youth long passed away and who
feels In deep OF his soul the utter eyanescence
and futiy Of all this worid-cven while fixing his
almost dying grip empire and power To show, or 10
suggest all this is the farreachng soiloquy at
the beginning Of the third act the speech her father
loved me :" the sad address to old Joseph the aluson
to past love; the scne, almost doting Groom
over the endangered Julie; and above all, there
Is the implied necessity OF eleyating Richeltea
TO an awful cminence above his surroundings He Is
great man has matred through great achievements
action and he must seem when represented upon the
st,eif he is to seem NOBLE romantic pathetic and fas
cinatinc-to sequestered from the herd OF mankind
by the strange spell OF prophetic fate His character Is
IA potential as Cesars his spirit rs maenetc he has
the temperament that age, experience and condition
render beautifully sad. Tmon was not more bitterly
wise than Richeeu and Jacques was not more
rrmly humorous The grim hum0r Mr.. Sullivan
nterprets; his own temperament, We should say,
is strongly tncturcd with saturnine drOery; and he
ntcrpres likewise, the sweetness OF underlying sent
ment and the mental habit ofhumane thought and benef-
cent purpose He is au accurate astufe eloquent Var
os and heroic Rche'ieu and good in the part as an
intellectual and experienced mechancian ever was No
smooaness OF method, however, can breathe the I'M
Taught strain that sheds beauty the rose," nor halow
s subject with "the light that never was ON land or
sea-" For that last toucL-the crownng glory OF genius
-ve think we may cease to explore the acting of Mr.
Sullivan lie mounts with though and with graces which
gre the slaves OF thought; he does not vault upward on
the wings of the SOUL His art, shown in Kche'ieu.
was warmer, more human, and more nearly brilliant
than in Hamlet, He kept the ideal very to popular
apprehenson Toward the last indeed he became abso-
lutc!y ocose 1t should be said that III every
situation OF the piece no preserved
condition OF natural case, and that the several
parts were welded together 10 form consistent whole
To us the entire performance pitched upon low
key As to its recuares, tho great one was lack Of
theatrical artiAce With the text Mr.. Sullivan made
some changes notably by excising many couplets-in
yarably at by restoring at least two passages
in the last scene. These matters Of no moment
"Richelicu" will be repeated tonight
PARK THEATER.
With reference to the drama of "The Al
mighty Dollar,"-with which the Park Theatcr will be
reopened OH Saturday night by Mr. and Mrs Florence
we learn that Is comprised in four acts, and that it
will he produced with wealth OF scenery, painted by
Messrs NJ Morgan Calyo Brothers, G. Tcinman, and c.
Cubert 1t appears, also that the piece,wheh, as
before stated comes from the pen OF Mr. b. L. Woof OF