New-York tribune., 1880-04-09
MUSIC AND. THE DRAMA.
BOOTH AS RICHARD AND oTHELLo..

H.
Booths personation of Gsostcr-which has tuS&
been three times given to crowded houses at 3ootks
Tneatreis as nearly perfect as anything now to ~
seen on the stage. At few points, indeed toward
the end Of the tragedy where there is the necessity
of spurts of tremendous vocferaton, the actor fns
lutte short OF satisfying that eagerness Of excited
expectation which himself has aroused. Whenever
excessive emotion has induced strong physical en-
thusiasm the natural craving Of the spectator il for
an overwhelming outburst of physical power. For.
rest was usually supreme at such moments. Sal
vni excels in them. The fulilment of them is gem
orally accepted greatness in acting--whereas in
fact, it is no more than limb and outward -four.
sh." Edwin Booth-spiritually higher actor than
either of these-frequently fails to fulfil them, sina-
ply because he lacks in volume of voice and In
Drawn. The same popularity is visible in the act
ing of Henry Irving
The physical capacity to make o whirlwind oa
tornado of expression is q very gift-and some-
times 1t exists with little nothing else behind It.
itdid with Kirby, with Scott, and even with Eddy.
When it exists as the vehicle of splendid intelii-
gence and profound intensity-as must have been
the case with Edmund Kean and as certainly was
the case with the elder Booth-it is very glorious
thing. 1t is by no means always absent from tho
acting of Edwin Booth We have seen him per.
tecty inspired and invincbly overwhelming, in the
| death scene Of Sir Giles OreTeach in the curse
scene of Lear in the curse scene OF Junius Bratns
in the awful midnight triumph scene of BertHccO. In
the anahema of Rickeliev, and in the awaken
| ing from the haunted sleep of Richard At all
these points, different occasions he has put forth
astonishing powers. and created sublime effects.
| But, his frepzied force is ftful. and there arc
| moments in some of Shakespeare's plays-n0t
higher moments than those indicated, but more ex.
acting upon tho physical resources-to which 1t is
| Il.
| shows it.
| There is no other qualification to he made, how
ever, as to his performance Of Richard The more
one reads of history the he feels tLat Shakes
peare reared that character on basis of historical
truth. Mr. Booth. most obviously. has apprehended
the character through that same medium. and, at
the same time. without practically ever going be-
hind the standard and law OF the tragedy ITSELF In
Richard, as embodied by him, the observer recog-
nizes man consistent with human nature and with
himself-false, cruel, wicked, demoniac, yet q
human being, with brain, heart. conscience, imag-
inaton, and passions, and not merely stage ruff
fan. Just as ths actors adaptation of the play
shows forth round. complete, symmetrical. dis
tinct rational and impressive picture of historical
period, so bis embodiment Of the part shows forth
an actual possible man. whose ambition is intelli-
gible whose conduct implies rational motive the
workings Of whose conscience are visible even in
the very pains he takes to avOw his dissimlarity
from other men. whose rem0rse treads close on the
heels of his fearful crimes and whose last hours are
baleful with terrors and awful with warning It
is portraiture of an internal genius. playing
great part upon great stage in human affairs and,
while 1T strikes every pulse Of terror. it also
breaks up the deep springs of pity The observer
not but rejoice over the ruin of such fend but.
at tbe same time, he will deplore. with grief too
deep for tears. the APPALLING agony, tho blank
wretchedncss, and the eternal doom of such an i'm
peral soul. In the electrical thoroughness and
feet mechanism of Booths assumption, also, be is
startled by the mystery of genius and thrilled by
the beauty Of art The exceptional character Of
certain tragic types IN the human race is more inn
pressively suggested by Edwin Booth than by any
actor since the day of Rachel.
Upon the details of tie action in this great work
it would be easily possible to write columns of COM
ment. 1t will be descriptive to the reader, appre-
ciative of the actor, aud explanatory of the judR-
ment here recorded. to say that these details are
all subOrdlnated to the central idea of embodying
man beneath whose calm exterior sleeps hellish
tempest of passion, smouldering flame of demoniao
mallgnity, balefu fountain of deadly purpose.
The prevailing attribute OF the external Gloser Is
specous inGenuousness. Perfect craft takes on the
air of perfect simplicity. This hypocrisy is 80 bor-
ribly we'll maintained by Booth. that the effect of
l
rent of the performance there is an atmosphere Of
dangerous suspense,-as of some impending
disaster. vague but ominous; and when at
last the fatal lightning leaps through this mist
of smooth deceit, its blaze and shock are
frighful. Richard first begins visibly to weaken
when his mother curses him. In depicting his pre-.
sentiment on the night before the battle, Mr..
Booth very beautifully shows the effect Of this, and
most imaginatively reveals the action of SUPER
natural influences upon the haunted, remorseful,
yet still undaunted soul. His awakening speech Is
wonderful utterance of the agony of hopeless re-
MORSE and his death that Of grisly reptile,
turned at bay, desperate and terrible.
In the arrangement of Richard ILL.," which has
been made and is presented by Edwin Booth. the
design to restore that tragedy to
the stage in, as nearly as possible, the shape in
which Shakespeare left 1t. The original piece, IL
spoken line for line would prove, to an audience,
long and tedious. The perception Of that fact, no
doubt, led Colley Cbber to make his alteration of
it. BY him the original was prOfusely cut. extracts
from the plays on the Henrys interpolated into
its text, passages were written In the incidents
were brought close together, the action was made
turbulent and the intellectual quality of the char
acter of Gloster was lowered. Cibber il was who sup
piled the speech on conscience,-which resembles
Shakespeare very much as Pollock resembles
ByrOn,-and likewise tho coarse c00quy betwixt
the monarch and his Queen, wherein he suggests
suicide to that lady, and avows h,s beastly desire
FOR her successor These and kindred features are
the beauties of the Cibber version, which is thought
otower quito into the sublime in such vociferations
Is. " OF with his head-so much for Buckingham,n
md "Richard's himself again." As Richard
scarcely is himself at all in Colley Cbbers pages.
hat avowal seems superfluous; and 1t is not sur
,rsiug that thoughtful actor, reverental toward
Shakespeare and desirous TO interpret human ma
ure rather than to convey theatrical clap-trap.
should have made an cffort-as Edwin Booth has