New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-12-05
MUSIC AND THE DRAMA.
JOHN MccCLLoUGWS PERFORMANCES.

profound SDt DeauibuI sincerity. ais SplehulHN
sef-po set ma Urea sOhd rock OF truth, which has
enabled Aim. ttrOush years of patient ton, to hold
his steadlast course over all the obstacles that OPP
pose and au!d all the chatter thai assall5, a man
who Is trying to accomplish ANYTHING grand aud
noble in or, bears HIM brayely up in these
great characters and makes him. in each Of them,
stately type Of the NOBILITY of the human soul. A
The Moor hi, performance is weil-nigh perfect
A simpler makeup of the face would, per
haps be more appropriate to the s'ralghtioi-
ward stalwaTt, and rugged nature OF oi&eh0. lheTo
IL ometning q httlc fantastic and even bn!cal' IN
the facial style wlch he now uses and TINS
blemish is enhanced by the display Of Wild beasts
head on tie back Of one OF OtaciOS ROOFS. Inc
tendency Ol TINS sort OF Ornamcut9tiJn-hOwever IL
nay be deemed consouani with tine iarbgric ele-
meat IN The No0ris to suggest him As Aeedin OF ap-
pearances at d thus 20 distract regard iron nis ex
perence o. has accessories
Simplicity urged alnos; 10 the extreme of barren
ness would uot Dc out Of place this character;
and MrCu!louGu IN al nIs treatmen o the spirit OF
the part. ics,f s. most eloqnently u his practical
approla iOn OF iAis ruth. His ideal OF OtteO COM
bues manly tenderness. spontaneous mIgnanlmlty,
aid trusting .vOuOu, yet withal volcanic under
tow or groua3-sweli of passion, when early and
Clearly C,pays Itself capaD, OF delIrlum ana Ill
goveruabic tempest. Ills mel nod mas the calm move
meat OF a summer C Uu. IN every az anu Nott W
which this il shown. For intensity and Tor lni-
mediate. adequate. large aud overwhelming r.
sponse of action To emotion, this perform
ance na, not been surpassed. There
poIuts ia I ti.ough. wuicl he massive seren "
Of the %. o., temperament LOW AMI then deAdens
the glow of feeling. and 4ets him down to undue
calmArss. II , representations vary Is ID jnls; bat
IN Otkcjo he sometimes RECEIVERS too suddenly and
fully iron % tr.np-s. of emot'On-as at the agoniz-
n appeal ID iIy). " Gave ne a living reason she's
llslova - ana 1. could be wished he were more
clearly deIrous 10 the speech descrl ptlve OF the
,ybu and her hand,, eTch,cf. On the Otn,r nand,
once Yielded 20 he spell Of desecrated feeling, his
mood ana As EXPRESSION OF 1t. ia tnis character are
UNNECESSARILY pathetic and noble. Those two great
sbullitions Of despair. " O. now forever and Had
il Pies. 81 rica ,ru,' coU u not be spoken ln man
Der more absolutely heaIt-brOkeu or mere beautl-
lu..y simple man that winch Is used oy IN.
In hls obvious. t5ough silent suffering a, The dis
grace and sm.ssll of Cassie IN ihe dazcl, torlom
agony which blends with his more active
passion throughout the scene OF Idg's
wicked conquest o. hls ctedulIty; ID Ills
occasional quick relapses into blind ANA
sweet fidelity 10 tie old belief III DcsdcR0aG IN
his uuqueuc-able tenderness for her, through the
delrluu ami t4e sacrifice; and III the oao OF soft.
rongatlc afiectiou-aIw2ys sputuallZeI and never
sensual-t 80 lis deep and loving sincerity dihdses
Throughout the WORK. is shown and seen the grand
unity OF the emJo .ment; a unity based Oh Inc
simple passion oi love. 10 hear tins ACTOR say %
Othelio. the >Upren me line to Iag0, " 1 IN bound
10 thee forcy r. know thas he understands am
feels thc meaning IF thls character TO It's miuutest
fibre and It's pIoiJuadeS, depth.
There are touches Of fresh anl ap,iy Illus ratiye
business the encounter Of Othcii0 and Iago IN tn
great seen of tne tulrj act The gaspiag struggles
AZ ,fY h and he
quickly suppressed impulse and yell Of rage with
which Lrgo final bounds away maze here an ad
mlrable feet OF nature. In the last scene McCul-
Tough rounds tins splendid performance with
soleiun act OF sacrifice. There Is nothing animal,
nothing barblrc. nothing insane, II the slaughter
of De~demona. 1t Is done IN al ecstacy Oh justice,
ana the atmosphere that surrounds the deed Is that
OF awe an uot horror This Is the height Of
pathos and L was recognized With the eloquent
and ffjln. tribute of tears. Mr.. Fred Marde
PLAYED Iago If ne would AVOID precIptaucy OF both
actlon ana speech. and allow the sJhioques to think
themselves ou,. he would make this representation
a. souDdy snak -spearcan 1t now is .heatrically
brilliant.
The growth OF McCuuoughs acting i'll the & rec
ton waeIe growth vas desirable has been steadily
indicated By the accession OF poetc treatment IN his
artistic method. throughout Othcllo. and, also,
throughout Hing Lear, ms powers Were seen 10 he
curbed and guided not by a cold aud formal design.
but by "a grave and swee: gentleness OF mind. which
has always been part of IN, nature, but winch is
more and more developed by the stress OF expert
ence by the reactiOnary subduing influence OF noble
success and By the definite CONSCIOUSNESS of power
For Lear this actor has often publicly shown quat
cations that are quite eXceptiOnal-a natural maj
esty of person and a vast kindness OF heart HIS
discriminating portraIture OF Ledrs aSonlZug lapse
from reason. succeeded bV the happy care
lesgDasE Of UNCONSCIOUS iuSallIb. one D1
the most subtitle achievements OF dr. matte art.
Hs scenes Of nyectIve and Of senle choior are NOT
less narrowing IN then path0s than terrible III their
explosive force anu frenzy. lie gives thc CURSE WIN
Immense veheinencc yet with religious cxaltatiOn
and with infusion OF the teeOleness or extreme
though yet decrept age lie mas the ART 10
invest the Kings moods. through all the earlier
scenes with kind OF aPprenens veiirss--a ull, III
dtfiued presage OF impending disaster lie inds no
difficulty III pOTiraylng the misery o. LeIr, because
this Is form of misery that flows Out az laceratOn
of fhe heart and not from the more crcuii wounds
That are afflicted upon The spirit through IA maRi
nation. There Is no OrOodihg, mere over ihe dWIu'
mysteries OF the Huiverse-noraIy OF that coroduR,
haunted gloom winch comes OF All OyeT-SpiIl uallzed
state OF SUIT erlng, longing, quesi 0nlnt, d"uDung
Humanity Above all things else Lear Is human
and II IS the human heart above al things else that
is the domain OF this actor.
Mccullough has gwen two performances OF
Rtchard Ill., using the CIbber version OF the trag-
edy and following the conventional ideal Ot
& IOster almost unmltlgated monster. Inc
strongest effects made BY The trageaia ID bfIs
character are III the woong scene with Lazy Inae.
and the awakening from the dream III The tent Ihe
latter is "A thrilling expression IF OyerW helEing ter
Tor and despaTing frenzy. he present week l. tue
last of McCuliOugn's engagement. ana he Will APP
pear during It's course. SpartdcHs. OtaettO, ir-
minus BrHtS PctrucbiO. and CiaudC MeinOfte. Miss
MARY Anderson comes to the EIfth Avenue Theatre,
OIL December -, appearing III ErGdRe.
BERNHARDT'S FAREWELL.
The engagement of Nile. Bernhardt Is over 1t
ended. as it began. IN remarkable brlllIaucy. The
...,so,ca vesterdav was so numerous shat,