Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-10-30
n. WMITMORE,
Publisher and Proprietor.
The Melancholy Dane WIthOut Vel
VET

In0 m MeIAucnOly name WllnOHt vel
vet.
New York world.l
Hamlet" is to be produced without
velvet The manager under whose su.
pervlsion Mr.. Edwin Booth will, on Mem
day night, present the unveveted Dane,
makes boastful mention of this fact in
advance.
His own words are: "AH effort will
be made to have the costumes hstori-
cally correct. At all events velvet,
which was not known in Hamlets days,
and which has been persistently used in
other productions of the play, will be
discarded"
Stage costumery is attracting some
attention just now, and it is worth re
marking that all attempts Of the mana
gers to be chastely appropriate and his
torlcaly correct in the dressing OF the
players, are confined to those plays
which depend the least upon costumes.
Why Hamlet" Of all plays the vaguest
in its reference TO time, should be accou-
tered with such rigid historical nicely,
we never could understand
Ii velvet is not 10 be worn by Mr.
Booth because it was not worn in Ham
let's day, we presume the manager has
found out what Hamlet's day was. We
trust he will let us know. If this state
NJ snt means anything, it means that the
Dane is to be dressed only in such ma
terials as were worn in his day. Oh
course, to be historically correct, 0phe.
liza and the Queen will be attired with
similar simplicity ard exactness, in gown
and kirtle. Hitherto all attempts to re-
produce the semi-barbsrous costumes Of
the Danes upon our stage have rested at
the supers. Ophelia, whether upon the
dramatic or operate boards, has never
been q willing agent in the historical
proceeding. Aud here for once we are
compelled to commend her.
1t has been pointed out again snC
again that historical accuracy in Ham
let - is not only impossible but undesira
BILE. 1t is play which deals not with I
race or period, but with the souls O
men. Every attempt to accompany il
with the realiam OF the tenth century
has been made rdienloHs by the impos
sibiity of carrying it out. Doubtless
Kemble. TO whom we are ind6hted fo
the traditional back velvet Vandykt
dress and diamond shoe buckles, anC
who wore the garter below bis knee anC
the blue ribbon OF Edward the Third OF
his breast, violated the sense pf proprl
ETY. much less than Mr. Booth, Wit
dresses in serge And woolIen and silk
talks the psychology of the sixteenth
century and fights With the French ra
pier of the seventeenth.
Stage costumery, which has outgtowl
all reasonable limits in its extravaganza
can be much better improved than b.
taking the velvet out of Hamlet.
SbakspeOre's plays have acquired a Gel
tain arbitrary color aud cut IN this mat
ter OF dress that do not disturb the spirl
Of the plot or impair the ebar$cteriza
ton. But there are plays in which We
vet and satin ale made to do part OF tn
actors work, aud this we regard as
piece of eliroRtery not to be forgiven
When we come to consider those socet.
pieces id which the iemals player
change their costly dresses in every &C
and the play house il made an advertise
ment for the moiiste- plays 10 tac
which are deliberately written COR II
milliner and the importer-there seem
to be plenty of room for the exercise {
good taste and historical accuracy will
out going back to the tenth century.