, 1876-04-23
q Temporary Lll1 in Musical
Matters in Chicago.
What American and European Singers
and Composers Are Doing.
THE DRAMA.

AAA4AR A0AEA0e AQ4 N01A ~ VIC 0A0os NAAArAAVAGA
age. He comprehends at once the widest and
the truest nature. Poetry is his ordina1.
language. Emotion has full possession of lii
being Art has done nothing for him. Intellect
has not subdued OF restrained his feelings. In
stinct serves him fox Judgment. This very pov.
erty Of his resources confirms him in bis habits
OF impeEousness and selt-reliance- Many oi
these qualities are obscured by Mr. Booth. HI
gives 10 Leor too much appearance Of art, which
in this case is not art. The reckessness ant
the audacious sel-assertion Of the character, hit
untutored manners, and bis intense paesion
IRE not distinctly shown. So it hap
pens that 1lr. Booth in the frsl
tSo acts Of the play is feeble representative ot
the massive barbarian Kins. He is somewhat
better after the period OF madness begins. The
scene with Edgar is full OF beauties. It reminde
the spectator Of soma OF the meditstive passages
. in s. Hamlet" The recognition Of Cordeia and
the dying scene also have considerable merits.
: But even in these passages Mr- Booth is not
truly great. .-he does not act in tho grand style.
His spectacle of great king reduced to misery
and madness by the cruelty of his daughters
proyokes laughter in the galleries. This would
not be the case II his art we're of the highest
Kind.
Tho objections to Air. Booths new study of
'Leax" axtend farther than to the acting Of his
Own part. He has revised the play and intro
duced new business, aud his work in this
respect deserves the seVerast condemnation.
The mutilated version Of the play which he calls
s'Lear 10 not Lear at all. TITS something,
nothing; 'twns ours, tits his. Persons
not fan,il.ar with the play in the original would
60 away from Mr. Booths performance with m
IL made b mere sketch. Nobody can tell bow
his eyes came to be out. or whether be becomes
Ieconclled to his SOD. TIE peculiar and strong
character ct Edmund il partially suppressed
GonsrI and Regan take an early leave Of the
scene Edgar appears in the lists to challenge
Edmund without any previous arrangement to
do 80 the characters of Cornwall and Albany
are not sharply Disseminated. In abort, the
play has been transformed into q one-pArt
piece, and must die Of the amputation which it
has suffered The business which Mr. Booth
has invented is scarcely less objectionable. An
odd conceit Of his appears to be that Reqaa was
less cruel than Gone71l and he has accordingly
instructed her to wear an Amihbla aspect. She
does not command him to dismiss half his train
and return TO her sister, but holds forth her
hands &nd suppirates him When she and her
sister meet at the Duke Of Gtosters castle, they
do not show union and sympathy in cruelty
When Goneri enters and Rcgnn advances to
meet her, hIr. Booths Lear interpoBes and keeps
them apart, saying, 80, Regan, wilt thou tale
her By the hand2 The plain meaning Of the
text is that Kegnn has already taken Gonerl by tho
hand. and is in full communion with her. So also
throughout the scene. according to Shakespeare,
only effect Of Afr. Booths interpretation is to
dissipate the cumulative cruelty of the daugn-
tsrs to whom he had given the Kingdom, and By
contrast to belittle The misery OF Ledr, which il
the very essence Of the play. II Regan had not
been as pihless Is G0se771 there would tsre
bean no Occasion for Lear TO wander abroad in
the terrible ssorm- What does Reg1n say, when
her father Leaves The CASTLE
This houas
u little: The old man and bis peopls cannot
~ 'su Dss'o"eo' 10 v51tu1 msn
Tbs Injuries that they themselves procufs
Must be their schoom2sters-
This fantastic addition to the character Of Regdn
By Mr.. Booth will not bear scrutiny. II IL mani
testify absurd.
OTHER rIAys OF TIE WEEK.
Since the last dramatic review MAS written 1lr.
Booth has appeared in '"The Stranger" - Hath
crime and Petruchio." +" ssThe Apostate," .sIeas."
*The Lady Of Lyons, " and 81 Richetieu." "Tne
Stranger" was marred by q provoking accident.
In the last scene. after the gentleman in black
had declared that there was .sanother ana q
better world, Hiss Carroll as Hrs. Halter con-
fell on one Of the children, and
changed thc sympathetic grief to uproarious
mirth. The same LADY, when Mr.. Barry Sullivan
was here. spoiled the performance Of 1.-The
Gamester BY allowing her dress to become un-
p1nned and fall h.t to tba stsro f7nrinc tho dr;,
scenc The NAV had heen raTafnl9g ~ I.e,,ats
m to thje ci;ma2. Int a. nohndvhs3 onne5 ~
mr., HererI,, IN ns+t1cnsta "a ,~or ~ ~ ~.
oyenile want for nothine Dnri,o ~ Ike Ike
enraueinent of the F1orance1 M;ao
Ca1rnfi eeain went In riscea nsrt;r1 1;,t s has
f'ack ha,r - +ha d;smaE ~ ~
nao enac+ator Nd - tba aar,rsn - ~ 4s
nerfor1nars IN .:Tha 11;1ht1 no,ias, " ~ @ auo
of these proofs of carolessGas. and novaninass
n;eht IA nva,oon !,t,t auo
ID so great aa to deserve pubJ1c nhtca and renEo
baton.
Iha rendering OF The 4postate " yesterday |
Sena snr;n pet sne naest tnlng that has been
Booth. Miss Cummins cerIa,nie a;d har -, hast s
work in this connection. Hef F2o,7nda was
asety 2 ~ way crentaole: a1ordlpg that opportunity
Nficf ma ~snt;ne !, he.tts.ne1a nle ana ana 1orce @
Mr.. Watde, "a Ieynoua. was shon7rs5,a '.ss ..j
Alr. Booths Pescdra vas, Of course. strooc and
nclsiye IN every respect. This plsy has heen
:oudemnea iof rs eombast By many critics, but
f se IN 1nA u 1s ion o. Vitality, and ensuely worthy
:. ,tno Rsca WHICH Il occupies IN the repertory