The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-05-13
me rLAY ANp rne cnlrlcs.


Mccullough was nervous. He did not
bstray It to the audience. But bis friends
did not fail to descern 1t, You could see
the color come and 90 right through his
'mAke.up." LeaviIg bis dressing room,
he had been overwhelmed wlthskindly
words and good wishes from oil parts Of
the United States, from msny places In
England, and from many leading London.
ers. There were cables OF good cheer from
the United States, East and West, from
New York City and Syracuse 10 st. Louis
and CalliiorDia there were kilograms from
Liverpool and Bristol; there were letters
from Henry Irving, from John Toole, from
Fernandez, and other metropolitan actors;
aud from liberal shower OF these dumb
greetings on paper he walked for the first
Iime upon the stsge " the ringing cheers
Of great London audience In that Drury
Lane Theatre where the Keans and the
Kpmbles hEd awakened responsive echoes
in what may be called the classic days Of
Epglihh dramatic and histrionic art. He
would not hAye held hissympathetic spec.
tators Tor ten minutes had ne been go de.
void Of sensibility ss TO be unmoved
on such q stage, In the presence oil
suCh an audience, and with 80 many
hands saying in their eloquent noisiness,
~ elCone! We wart TO Ike you very
much and we hope you will enable us 10
do so." There was an evident sense OF re.
lief Ia the excited house when the actor
began to speak and move about. His
iiCE voice, hia calm, eelf possessed
manner, the dignity Of his poses, the
graceful folds In which bis toga fell about
MIN; all these points were recognized by
he critical crowd, and they bad their due
influence with the less sophisticated mul.
/ tude In New YoIk, when Mccullough
played Vlfginius last, thought his voice
suggested too much hard work; II had a
WON sound In lis various cadences; last
night II was full Of musical resonance, and
Tor many old plsy.goets 1t had In II rsmlnis
Censes Of the great tragediahs who are
gone. The tender passages Of the FIRST
act we're q little marred BY the coldness
Of Virginia, (Miss Cowelr aud the want
II experience Of lrilius, (Mr. q. Harrisl
nut lie audience was alive TO these short.
coElinps. Miss COwell looked eweetly
pretty, her action graceful, and there wNs
a nice, gitlish gentleuess In her manner
but, Though the part makes nd. demands
on The powers Of passion or tragic force, II
REQUIRES warmth and geniality II expires.
siOn for the development OF girls devo.
lion TO her father, her affection for her lover,
ner deep sense Of II jured honor Under
Inc persecution Of Calus Claudius, which
Miss Oowell evidently does not possess or
has not yet mastered. She looked the
part to. perfection, but was not altogether
successful 10 her impetsonation. On the
other hand MIR. Harris, while he did not
realize the gallant, manly beatibgci lCilius,
was 80 Thoroughly Ia earnest and every
now and then gave 80 much promise oil
future excellence that he won Q good deal
honest commentator. AT the eud oil
hp il ct act Mr.. Mccullough was called
before the curtain 10 receive The verdict Of
The audience, which was given TO him In q
general burst Of applause, This was twice
fepe ted at the end VI the second act, and
thrice at the end Of the fourth. lie did
not play up 10 his American "lorm" until
the dungeon scene, In which he enCoun.
tets Appius Claudius VT. T. II Barnes
and here he rose TO pitch Of grandeur
that could hardly have been excelled by
Sny II his great predecessors There cal
close to my sail Mr.. Moy Thomas, Of The
Ddiiy N,Hs, one 81 the mist experienced
and exciting OF critics, and certainly
Ihets is no writer In 1Iondor
Shn expresses bis views with o more
fearless Independence, Mr.. Thomas Il
gray in the service Of his journal. Yot
Farely see a London critic GPpl.aud unde
any circumstances. II ls theft business L
be at The theatres on first nights, and !
they applaud or dissent they do II mex
, iay in theif papers. but last night Nj
Thomas wSs betrayed into distinct out
dungeon scene, and was curious thi
b morning To lock up my Daily Mvt and se
what the critic he'd said about It. Thee
ATE his WotdsI 1.-THE finest part Of hi
acting was 10 the flith act, which, comin
: aiteT The death Of Virginia, would, 10 th
hands Of les tklliul dtamstiet, have d
; most inevitably proved an anti ClimaI
!, IA IL Ia the scene In which the iathei
!: beteIt Of reason, pleads to Appius, mo-
a m =