The New York herald., 1876-03-05

OF actor in far that his whole aim is directed at
presenting natural life, and only natural life upon
the stage and during his at the Lyceum he has
carefully avoided attempting relieve himself OF any
portion OF the responsibilities OF his profession by
deavoring to shield his acting within the himsy gauze
curtain OF stage accessory Few tragedans have
earned reputation in shorter time than Mr. Irving,
and still fewer have deserved it. Step by step he has
mounted the ladder not without hating and
casona threatening fall but always with steady per
severance and high minded motive in view which have
length earned for him ioothold on the top
most rungs the leading tragic actor of the day in
London. 1t remains stn to be Seen whether this
PROUD position be called permanent
A sHAKEsPEARIAS suRFEIr
For many weeks past indeed before Mr. Irving's
mpersonation OF the character OF Macbeth had been
presented to the public II had been known that the
third shakespearan revival at the Lyceum was TO be
the performance OF othello " the character of tho
Moor being assigned to Mr. Irving. Various have been
the conectures the probable issue of this further
attempt enlist the sympathies of London playgoers
In behalf OF tho tragedies OF Shakespeare 1t was
everywhere admitted that it rested with Mr.. Irving
alone to carry the day. without him the attempt
would prove failure Your paying theatregoer, pro-
vincal metropolitan, botn complain just now OF a
surfeit OF Shakespeare here. There had been
the ustrious Salvini who had carried London by
storm during the last season at Drury Lane, acting
in Shakespeare Phelps, Of longestablished fame had
been playing Shakespearan characters at the
Gaiety Mr.. Crcswick also just now bidding
for the surages OF transporting Londoners, and was
actually advertising under the patronage OF the Lord
Mayor and sherns OF London" an opposition perform
ance of "othelo for day certain theatre
not a hundred yards removed from the Lyceum. "Con-
densed and unconventional" tstcl the Merchant of
Venice" tho advertised pre.pantomme play at Gov
ent Garden Theatre Altogether tho outlook for the
management of the Iyceum not especially cheer
ing But Mr. Irving took in all the difficulties OF the
situation and manfully resolutc determined upon
more tempting Fortune.
ANOTHER SUCCESS.
Again Fortune has crowned him with the laurel
wreath albeit that she this time heraded TO the
ceremony by the loud speaking golden trumpets OF
Fame. Monday nights performance OF "othelo" at the
Lyceum great success Measured by the gauge OF
popular acclarnaon theatrical triumph such
has not been witnessed IN London since the days of
Kean. Always than cordial, upon this occasion
the Lyceum audience gave way to its feelings
with an exuberancc of applause which at times was
positively dcafening.
In all Of Shakespeares acted plays-or at least in
those of them resting upon intensity OF tragic action
subtlety OF conception of the poets meaning for
their hold upon the public mind-it has always
seemed to that the player who essays the principal
character modern stage does so at
a considerable disadvantage at the outset In
the first place he finds himself competing against
whole volumes OF long established precedents govern
ing the popular idea OF what the dressing reading and
acting the character should and in the next the
whole of his audience happens be familiar with what
is to be performed 1t is though youthful scholar
were reciting lines OF Virgil to a of the Latin
classics The flaw in the recitation is at dis
cerncd. The audience IS the master; the player the
youthful scholar There is moreover, no waiting for
he pl to be unravelled, which has influence OF
certain kind upon audience assembled TO witness
new play. The plot is well known beforehand Neither
is there any hidden beauty in the dramatst's writing
remaining TO be discovered to arrest portion OF
the attention concentrated upon the actor The beau
ties Of Shakespeare familiar to all who read;
and the possibility OF presenting entirely original
view Of the stage accessories proper the
and period is very remote seeing that hosts
Of actors have been attempting do this thing with
small success the past half century. Mr. Irving had
TO grapple with all these disadvantages and by general
he has very successfully conquered them Mr..
Irvng's was in sort bad Ohello. The Moor of
Shakespeares creation violent in his love- slow
in his suspicious terrible in his revenge seems in
our mind, be associated with n of age, dignity
and roundness-one whom the world might have called
genial fellow of middle age, until it grew hate him
for the perpetrating OF his schemes Of revenge.
MAKE-uP.
Mr. Irving presents his audience with a thin face
highly nervous, saow complexioned young man who,
but the fault of color-and this per-
ceptibe Mr. Irving, rejecting long established
tom and following the example Of Mr.. Edmund Kean
paints us a face OF walnut brown of his concep-
tior-might very well have served, we think as
to Iago. One cannot imagine the Moor Of the
Lyceam stage having the power OF boistcrous passion
with which Shakespeare to have endowed his
othello. Mr. Irvng's character consists wholly of a
whom any one might very well take dislike to
at sight There is nothing frank noble conhdpg
about his appearance: he seems be exactly what Mr.
Irving's Othelo in fact s--an intensely sensitive,
Economically passionate person. with scarce single
deeming tnge those GENIAL soIderike qualities which
make US a way in sympathy with the Moor OF the
play in spite of himself Vehemence and nature in
tragic emotion the actor presents with to the letter,
truth and vgor in the deneaton Of the charac
ter Mr.. Irving does TO us to be deficient Never
theless, his is grand impersonauon and in point OF
passionate expression is well nigh beyond reality. In
the scene for instance between Othello and Iago in
the third act where the Moor halt throttles his san
cient" declaring
by the worth Of mine eternal soul
Than answer my wake WRATH
Mr. lrvlngs play was perfectly marvellous. The au'
dence were perfectly aghast at its vvidness, and
seemed look either for dead laEo dead othello
natural result OF the uncontrolled ouburst Of
much pentup Jury. The gestures, actions and facial
expression OF the actor during this scene
were picturesquey terrible, and equal anything
OF the kind ever presented the stage.
Mr. Irving may not equal savini in power
Of dignaed scltcontrol which, after ALL very
tIa TO the proper presentation of "othelo" upon the
stage but he certainly equals the lusIrous Italian
point OF keeping tho attention OF his audience firmly
xcd on what may be called the emotional part OF his
acting In scenes of the kind have just mentioned
Mr.. Irving rarely Calls to move his audience in an
extraordinary degree.
CRITICISMS
The critics naturally disagree upon the detail OF the
play but very little difference OF opinion exists 10