, 1879-05-03
AMUSEM ENTS.

|
trates how powerfully the drama cau be us
monitor to the human heart, ind which, when
properly presented. justiics the art Of acting
| Its foundation is laid upon the basis Of human
affection, it deals with the fundamental struct.
ure Of the family and society, and. it ap-
! pea1s With resistless force to the human race.
Paterual love and fllial ingratitude, scllshncss
and self-sacrifce, nobility and baseness, are the
hbres out Of which this, the most sublime trag-
edy ever given to man, has been spun, and until
the stage and dramatic writings have been
swept away its lesson will be fresh and profta-
ble, and its recital will ever b. attract
| i've because. of Its truth. From the dramatist's
time the grentest actors have trod the stage in
| the robes and welded the sceptre Of the grand
old King, yet how few have ever reached the
summit Of the Shakspeareau conception, or have
even ascctded one step in the ladder Of fame BY
tile effort. Forests reputation Is fntcrtw!ncd
with the role OF Lear In 1llA annals Of the Amer
icnn stage. The actors OF to-day III whose rep
ertoire the great role Is included are sufficiently
well known to the public to dispense with
enumeration. Edwin Booth IS one OF them, and
last evening be again played the part in this
city. Ills Hing Lear is unsatisfactory, and there
is no displacement to the actor's abilities in
saying so, for fortunate is a generation
Of playgoeEs If they succeed in finding
and the grandeur of the ideal. The poiso OF
the personality is not sustained, and he is sub
ject to The grcen-room charge OF hardness, but
the genuine carnestness of the delineatton may
be accepted as compensation for many OF the
defects. That true md affecting kingliness Is
absent,-tllat radiation OF tue conscious supe-
riorlty o( power, dignity. ami roya! renown in
Lear, when he plays The capricious, cxnctng,
aged tyrant, Is not as distinct as it ought to be
IN lelineation by great master Of the
dramatic art. His stimulation Of age, in step
aud voice, in the first two acts Is admirable ia
Its ancs rity and gcnuineness, and many Of the
tender and sweet Indications Of Lear's
heart in the opening Of the tragedy arc bcauti-
tenderness of the Hang when he1t Is let loose
from the stocks and comes forward, AND
while he ts upbratdinG ReqaM he stops and
gently waves his attendant aside. IN the scrnc
daughter is forced upun him. his acting is III
full accord with the exclamation, II am
ashamed that thou hast power to shake my
manhood thus,n but lie lacks that tremendous
frenzed speeches. ANY stage representation Of
the third act, when Lar is **drtren out on the
ocean waters OF misery" ia feeble in
comparison TO the Language. Mr. Booth is
BY no means fully equal to the situation. The,e
pathetic audience applauded. True feeling is
absent. The language is not shaped and
chiseled iufo definite meaning, and the senti-
ment suffers. 1t does NIT entirely show sub
jcctivr insight,-that art which subordinatcs the
uttcranco aud the action to the thought. There
is, If course, q certain grasp and expression,
but never q complete mastery OF the scene. In
the mechanism OF acting Mr. Booth Is pro-
fcient. aud the tone with which word is
spoken, or gesture By which it Is
accom- panied, appear to have been adopted
after much consideration. The study
By which certain results are sought to be OBJ
tained is indeed at times too evident. The au-
dience, it may be said, were very enthusiastic,
and insisted upon the actor appearing before the
curtain at the end Of every act.
Mr. T. ". keene was the Edgar Of the pre-
seutation, aud, although hr slightly oyeracred
the mad scene, his performance on the whole
was worthy Of his best efforts. Miss Afir |
Weaver gave to Cordelta the characteristic |
sweetness, softncss, and delicacy, and Mr.. |
Allnes Levick Us the lustv and faithful Eeut |
acted with credit to himself and to the cast. |
Miss Annie Graham conscientiously played the |
ungrateful GonerV, and a clever bit OF comedy /
was given by Alr. Wlitecar Us us,ea'd. Mr |
Roland Reed showed fine appreciation of ]
Shakspearean comedy as the Foo. MIR. Walter |
Kelley was too loud as Albany, nnd Mr.. E. F. !
Edwards has done better than he did in the part
OF Eumu,td. The sceac arrangements aud the |
setting were creditablc to the painters and the
stage manager. Tonight " King Lear' will bo
repeated.