New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-05-25
MUSIC AND THE DRAMA.

MUSIC AND THE DRAMA.
MISS NELSON IN MEASURE FOR MEASURE.
The performances which were given at Booths
Theatre last night for Miss Nelson's Benefit and to
sgnalze her Farewell of this stage, consisted of two
scenes from Twelfth Night" the Balcony
Scene from Romeo and Juliet" the Mountain
scenes from "Cymbeline," and four scenes from
Measure for Measure >" and Miss Nelson accord
ingly appeared as Viola. Juliet, Imogen and Isabella.
The house was crowded, and there never has been
more brilliant assembaGe within Its walls The
occasion, marked by great enthusiasm. was touched
also by mournfulness of sentiment quite indes-
cribable These farewells of public favorites bring
home to the most careless heart, of the
rapid fight of time the eyanescence of all beauty,
and the memorable certainty of change. We can
not long keep, amid the fret and jar Of this world,
even the remembrance of loneliness Yet little
while, Also and ali who were part of last nights
pageant will have passed away and been forgotten,
like the roses that withered thousand years ago
sense of this solemn meaning gave tender pathos
10 the tones in which Miss Nelson spoke her fare
we'll words. These are printed below Through
moments of hushed suspense and almost fearful ex-
element they brought to o close-assuredly with
no inappropriate avowal Of honest human feeling
an occasion no less mournful than memorable in the
annals of the stage.
The novel feature of the night the representa-
ton of scenes from Measure for MEASURE This
play was often acted, in very old times, upon the
English stage and was favorite but. long ago il
fell into neglect and, in this city 1t has not been
performed for sixty-two years In construction tits
as compact, in style as eloquent in tone Of thought
as imperial and in poetry fertile any other Of
Shakespeares comedies but, tile evil passion which
is its motive is sinister and repulsve, the
presentation of its cruel theme. is no sickeningy
real and of the incidents by which its action
is conducted are so ndec0rous, that, notwithstand-
ing its great power and many graces, the piece in
its original form, naturally suffers under general
avoidance. There are certain aspects of the most
sacred relations possible to human beings which, for
audiences Of an English strain Of blood, cannot
be successfully touched at least upon the stage.
Yet these relations, in even the most intimate
aspect Of them form the basis of the whole body of
dramatic literature and, after all-while there are
obvious bounds which never ought to be relaxed
there is less Of sense and logic than of an over
strained fastdi0usness In the feeling which has so
long operated to keep this particular comedy in
eclipse.
Measure for Measure" as adapted by Miss Neil
son. on the basis of Kembles stage version Is shorn
of all that in the reading of the original is gross
LMco. Elboc, POmpey, and other such persons are
considerably compressed, or utterly extinguished.
and the talk about carnality with which Shake
speare has somewhat literally sufused much of the
text is greatly curtailed. The action, Also subse-
quent to the scene between Isabella and Claudio In
the prson,-whch, really, is the apex Of the play,
is accelerated and sharpened by closing up the In.
cidents of the last two acts The whole piece, as
thus arranged, passed very smoothly, In the per-
formances of which Miss Nelson conducted In
Philadelphia, in the Autumn Of 1875 and more re.
Gently in Boston and we remember that the at.
mosphere Of sanctity which hung about the charac.
ter of Isabella as 1t was embodied by her. seemed
to enswathe all the painful elements Of the work.
and cover them with soft religious glow 1t was
not the swnish depravity Of the obdurate, hypo-
critical much-tormentug aud much tormented ka-
qelo that fingered in recollection it was the lovely
purity-woman-ke. not saint-like. yet just touched
with devout exaltation-of Isabella. 1t was vision
of holiness like the lady in Comus," whom no evil
eDchanter could mar. And, IL thought, first repos-
ing upon this image, afterward strayed toward an.
Other this was still flight toward pleasure; since,
next in prominence to the character of Isabslla,
stands forth that of the Duke Of Venna one of the
most beautiful of Shakespeare creations, that
fantastical duke of dark corners" that high spirit
" rather rejoicing to see another merry than merry
at anything which prOfessed to make him rejoice,"
who speaks the great speech on human life-worthy
to stand in letters of gold, in tho memory Of every
Shakespeare's actual nature, in his own verse,
painted and made eternal.
The extremes of woman's power are. of course.
upon the one hand. vOluptuous wantOnness, and,
upon the other hand, celestial virtue. Shakespeare
has shown the former in Crsssida and In Cleopatra;
and certainly, his works contain no lofter purer
expression Of the latter than Isabella The Miraade
and Peydta ideal Is abstract innocencethe odor OF
the lily -of-the-valley-the confding smile Of little
CHILD. But Isabella is q woman, with mind. heart
passions, knowledge, and even wisdom-quick to
feel eloquent to speak. capable Of torrd indiRna-
tion innately pure. noble and strong, yet aware OF
evil. and mentally confronted with the great ques-
tions of life and death, before she is subjected TO
the tests-so grandly borne-of bitter affection.
There is o world of meaning, for tho illumination
OF this character, in Claadio's reference TO the
"prone and speechless dialect" which 10 " In her
YOUTH and to her power Of persuasion when shs
"will play with reason and DISCOURSE" Neither {
the situations which she appears nor the
she utters, would account for the effect that sne
produces. Behind these is the personaiity'-"afns
splendid, and fascinatine.--ofa noble woman
Miss Nelson, In her acting OF Lsaosa uses no Su>
ventitious aids, no ornament no gamor OF romahces
no viles of bewilderment, neither gee, nor sensus
GUS exuberance. nor the far-away gaze o. poos
reycrie, nor any OF those colors and tones ny
aha IL wont TO make desolation beauteous anu ~ 81
frenzy of suffering aud of self-cophict eos's',r
with nassionate pathos Her pcrsoaatioa micbs - "a
called classic, In Its perfect simplicity " VS. q.
easy inyestture Of soft quiet radians pvauy 80