New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-11-29
EDWIN BOOTHS PERFORMANCES.


nized and COMMUNICATED.
EDWIN BOOTHS PERFORMANCES.
The several ideals of Shallespeare's cOncep-
ons which embodied IN the 'cting of Edwin Booth
have long been thoroughly wel-knOwn that minnie
and particular description of them. at this late day.
would be- readers supernuOus and tedious ite-
ration There i nothing in the persons whom Mr.
Booth emDodies, and the general manner in which he
CmbOdes them remains substantially unchanGed IL Is
to be observed also, that neither his ideals nor MS
methods any longer an triaeXcept perhaps III the
fancy individuals, here and there, who are engaged
in the saut ny work Of educating themselves IN
knowledge OF the Stage. and who aCcO dnsy, are app
10 tuink that nothing Is known established ASIDE from
what they occasionally discover and coDcede. Inc le-
hinder will not come amss, therefore that Eu"I"
Booth was superb Hamlet and a magnificent Rche'e"
years before of the persons were born VINO
now sit IN Judgment his are, aud VINO lecture MN
a If No. were tyro In tue business Of actingO which,
IN fact he is a consummae master. IL would be little
better than juvenile impcrtinenco To discuss Lu"h
Booths presentations documentary and elementary
strain. il they were novelties OF the bot anu 'S
novelties open question. Nor can It be assumed that
paygoers and readers IN slate Of Ignorance as to
these matters Tho Tariff the Dferentai Calculus, the
authorship OF Juuus" and " Beautiful snow" The
Sisters Three" and such other branches OF learning
may siill DO mysteries; but, some ihnts IN TINS
world are really known and settled; and one
Of them is the character and excellence OF Ed"ih
Booths acting. Divers Judges, indeed, disagree Wth
his ideals dislike his styIeas - pei iecty natural
and right The world cannot be OF one mind on every
point; II would be o very stupid world Il II were Bat
the great Is not great artist because
hsfoowiug not universal and It is au excellent plan,
in the discussion OF works, 20 avoid the provincial
ism Of assuming them be ucrpetuay on trial, and OF
assuming That the public requires perpetual INSTRUCTION
a. To their alph ,betcIl elements
II,yIu Epotu >, performances, fact leave hUi
little opportunity for comment lie H. 10 be sure, an
extremely uneven and unequal actor and therein MS
acting opens field OF abiding industry to the writer
who might choose To chronicle his moods. On some
nights his HgHict-whch think his best embodiment
is mechanical. hard, aud dun on other nights It'll
imaginative weird dreamy thrilled with the tremor OF
awful passion, and beautiful ana brilliant alike m poetic
glamour ana graceful strength Of execution. The OtLer
night hc acted King Lear feeby that those persons
who then saw him for the first time in that character
cannot be said 10 have seen ms King Lcar at all He
was not in the right ycin and he got inside
of the character. Yet those who truly know his acting
know that he can interpret parts of Hing Lear with
eXampled grandeur ana the most sOuisubdung patho,.
FOrTest--whO never acted shakcspclrc'- Lear, but
always Tate- and yet enormously effective ~ tins
characier-was never good as Booth is-whcn Booth
is ut ms best-in ,he pathetic oi the Old Kings
recognition OF Cordeiid. And Booth Is profoundly
truthful and touching also all that relates to the
traiiurc Of Lear a. Jather. No artist OF our has
given better expression 70 paiernal love and grief
Forrest excoled him In massiyeness, and was
much better able to depict the King, and to
al the ideal OF vast fabric crumbing to
pieces and terrible aud agonizng In Its ruin. Booths
Lear, however. II the least definite and complete
OF all his works. He formerly played Tate's Lear,
and then discarded the part altogether for ten years.
unearn It and he has bat recently taken II np'
IN the original. II, therefore. has to grow and,
1t cannot be expected 70 become periect-be-
cause the part transconds human powers To taste
the most satisfactory Lear on the stage-yewing
IL all the way through-is that OF John Mccullough.
This has massive proportions repose. great heart
imperial tender pnthos resources OF res"rV"
power and, all. infinite depth OF woe aud the
right Investigation OF agony IN the mad scenes Me
Cuongh In these scenes, accOmplIshes what Forrest
did not attempt aud what IS not attempted by Booth.
He depicts tho terrible surerIngs OF Lear when going
mad and then the painless but mOurnful misery OF MS
condition when the cerebral disntegratOn has been
completed Booths madness on the contrary IA all OF
one piece--if We rightly apprchend his meaning.
One Of the glavest difficulties In writing about the
stage OF course the need which ne occupation seems
Ia impose OF universally OF Sipeucc and hnab OF
Judgment. No living man can so entirely comprehend
the works vi ShakcspCare-in all their height ana
depth Of meaning and ali their variety ana suptehcS-
of suggeston-aud. at the same time, 10 thoroughly
probe tho natures Of the who pass before him. "a
TO be able to settle al questions 10 compatibility be
tween the two As we understand Booths Lear does
not match with Shakespeare ~ what We take to be the
poets conception IN this respect. There ia room for
much refining points OF this order; and that would
be an industriou,-and tedous-pen which should. In
either such a strain In Observance Of all mis- inc
qualities Of condition. follow him through all the great
parts which, night after night, he nerprets Since he
began 10 play at the Fifth Avenue Theatre. on NOvem-
her he has presented Hamlet Iago Oheito RicheIeu
Bertueeio Rpy Bias King Lear, and hhylock and to-
night he Will Impersonste Richard the Second The In
telectual concentration, the fiery iorcr. tho moving
eoquence the pootical tone the innate human good
ness and sympathy. and tho exquisite grace and finish
of his acting are displayed in all these parts hc Ii not
peIlectIon in all OF tnon he varies spirit
ua altitude and physical tone but his abilities, and
his use OF his Abilities In all OF tnem noble and the
public may be beneGIeI, III the enjoyment Of his
works by the best influences how from the stage.