, 1877-09-30
A SeriO-COnlicO-BuS Affair
Between Lord Dun-
dreary and the Count
Johannes.
4 New Musical Enterprise in Chicago
THE Haydn Soclety--Local
Musical Notes.
The Eel1ogg-CarJ Combinatien.-.Pa Patti,
Theodore Thomas, and Miss
ThursbY.
LAST WEEK.

LAST WEEK.
High tragedy. low comedy, border melod-ama,
niustrclsy, and variety have been pretty evenly
distributed among the theatres during the
week. and the managers have, on the whole,
good reason to be satisfied with the financial re-
suits. II there be misery staring people in the
face somewhere, it certainly fails to appear i'll
crowds which haunt the Exposition daily and
throng the thcstres in the evening. The week
has been one Of continued prosperity aud OF
unusual variety in the entertainment. Booths
''I1amlet" crowds Mcticker's Theatre as no
o!her play in his repertoire can do. On Thurs
day great many people were unable to obtain
seats. and ou Friday the audit orium was full
H was not quite so fortunate IN the early part
OF the week with .SAylock, and after all one docs
not wonder, for the effect OF the tragic portion
OF the 1'Mcrchant Of Venice, y which is the only
portion OF the accepted version now presented
to an audience, is intensely gloomy aud disa-
grceable. Baxsdnio, l'ortid, Gratidno, -Nerissd.
Jcss.cd, and Lorenzo arc made mere subsidiary
characters; but reading Of the play, with the
''star system II kept out of view, might reveal
to the intelligent reader that Shakespeare did
not mean to make tic jew tue ssstar rart u in
this exquisite comedy. The suggestion has
sometimes been offered that it would be fair
experiment to adopt the Interpretation OF tho
actors Of old days,-days prior to the advent Of
ke1n!,e and l1ean.-and make Shytocka comedy
part. Bat this would never do. We have hee.,
educated into the notion that the man who
plays the jew is trasediau, and it would take
at least 4 hundred years to educate US out
Of the tradition. The late Mr.. Robson
Vi London, made Q great hit in his play
ing OF this part in his intensely
tragi-co:;ic way. 1t was said to be one OF the
finest Shuueks ever witnessed Probably Rob-
was led into such freak by the reflection
tlat Shakespeare was not III earnest i'll tue por-
t:=:ture,-that it was in fact serio-comic in
spirat:on OF his, intended as = sensational diver
sion. Such 4 character. and sulh incidents, as
the signing Of that ridiculous bond, the demand
for the pound Of flesh, the advent Of 4 mas
quc7a4cr IN sulenlu court Of justice. the dis
erlntiture Of the old wolf, who is made to turn
Christian and turn over his hard-won earnings
t. the thief who stole his daughter aud his
1uc.tS.-lll these belong purely to the domain
Of comedy. >Ayock is the butt Of all the per-
::iascs in the play, from Gratiano to Ldunceiot
ColJo. He is from first to last simply food for
1l.cir n:rt!,, and their 1ncrrimeut is intensified
by the colnir.l seriousness OF the old usurcr.
Such q character, and such situations,
Shakespeare would never have dreamed
ol introducing in serious tragedy. To
b,. sure, he made shyEoek representative char
ter,-a representative Jew OF the days Of jew
ISL persegution,-and the strength aud intensity
ol TIT Lcliucation Was such as TO attract toward
It thu hl-hest histrionc talent The whole
tenor OF the comedy, however. seems to point
IT. the conclusion that Shakespeare prer,cditated
4 sort Of extravaganza in his drawing Of this
cllara.ter. The trial scene borders very closely
upon farvc.1 throughout The legal points,
about which q great deal Of profound learning
has been expended by commentators, are SUI
haently fa:-fetchcd to warrant the whole scene
ending in al explosion Of merriment Assum-
Ing that the malicious designs OF Shyiock were
accepted by the DUKE and his Court, and
EaSsa"io. as serious attempt upon the life Of
that honorable merchant -474tonio, why, the old
reprobate would have been hanged aud quar-
tered and Ills head stuck upon some gate-post
as warning to eyil-doers. Evidently Sbak-
spearc enjoyed the humorous absurdity Of the
situation, aud he painted it with elaborate caro-
But Shytock was in earnest in the matter, you
will sayi it was no joke with him. VI
ruursc it wasn't He wanted that pound ut
avsit, and he hated A,.to,tio most heartily. He
WIS III deadly earnest. But so was Botto'n Me
We1tsr, and SO is Count Joanncs to-day in his
battlc with the Crushed Tragedian.
We do not mean to advise Mr.. Booth to In
troduce eong aud dance, OF comic song, into
his future i1npcrsonations OF ShHtock. The best
Thing he can do is to stick to his present way o(
rendering it. But if we arc ever TO- have re-
rival Of the " Merchant Of Venice il might be
good experiment to .'ye shytoc@ into lhc
LANDS OF competent serIo-toHllc man. lhls
suggcstioE will he taken for what II is worth.
To an emiuent tragcdian it will not stem worth
aluch.
Of the acting of the so-cailed minor person.
lres of this play it is not possible to speak III
terms of approval. Miss Laura Don, who is
remarkably clever exponent Of light-comedy
character, seems wofully out OF her element in
Iertia, and the SAINT might be said With some
notifications in reference to her persouatson OF
U14tIia,-in fact, Of any Of her dramatic persona
tlons in which there Is a vein of seriousness and
sentimental emotion. 1t is a manifest injustice
to expose SO talented al actress to such critl-
cisnl. She has apparently no relish 1or I'M
personatons of this kind and people who hare
:alcnt should be permitted to develop it in their
tilosen sphere.
Among the most agreeable "reminiscences OF
The week at McVickcr's was Alr. Nheelocks
Laerfes vigorous, well conceived, aud careful |
performance. His Gra{iduo was unequal, good
only in spurts and starts; aud in the Trial scene
aute overstrained. Mr.. Harry Pearson com
aended himself to all true lovers Q! theatre
trt in his admirable rendering OF f1o{onius. 1t
*as gratifying Tor once to sec an actor who did
cot permit tiis fine old courtier OF the King"
his worldly-wise old esotist, to degenerate into
bufIoop. The part was played with excellent
discretion
HOpLET's.
Outside Of tragedy We have heen farored with |
avery pleasing comedy at Hooleys, IN which
ieorge Knight has manifested certain amusing
:ccentrici1!es that, with some b!i'l!an: op2or-
a1n:1y, such as occasionally befa.l5 the asolEant
nr the higher honors Of tie craft, may
udcenlv develop him iGto comedian
If some une1a,ilp!ed school. Thus far
Mr. Knight has lent himself to he one OF the
.ast asux OF :. Dutch cllaIaeter-actors, IA Kind