New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-11-29
MIJSIC AND THE DRAMA.
John MCCULLOUGH AS LEAR.

Mr.. McCullough's remarkable impers2nauoh ol
KIM Lear was seen last night at the Fifth Avenue
Tneatre aad was received, by pleased s's' ID ''7'
with vocifercns pladiits ard VITA the SON mo-"
eloquent tribute of tears. It'll WORK d mass,
nronorf,ous profound feeling and exquis te D"au'S
Of treatment and iuish anu II entirely dsSeI,' o. ,
recognition with which it wss welcomed MI n'-
uIIouyb nosSesses for thus character, the lhPOslHe
statnre the natural majesty. the great reach u
Hoice and the human tenderness tiaJ are us ""S'
and equipment. Nc actor OF Le"r can e'OI SS'Is'S
Evmpatho;c lover Of the part, unless hrst OF AL he
,,ossesses greatly afcctonlte heart d merry spIlI'
and alfelt the intellect mast he shown IN rnlha,-
N reral mind. Within this grand and lamontabIe
snoge Of shattered royalty the maa mast be noble
and joyable Nothing that Is pnny or artificial can
over wear the ilvesitue Of this colossal sorrow On
more than one occasion Mr. Mccullough has shown
himself to be equal to this enormous tes; anu last
might ~ often heretofore, 10 created and sustained
perfect illusion.
Heemhodics Lear as, from the very first, already
ttricken IN his mind-}ready the unconscious VIC
tim of incpient decay aud dissolution; not MAD,
but ready to become 50. There IS a subtle appre-
hensveuess all about the presence oil the hlng' N
nll the earlier scenes. He ditfEeS clsln'Inae ana
vaguely pre,ages disaster. aud the observer looks on
him with solicitude and pain. lie is not yet de-
crepit hut ne will soon break; and the spectator
loves him AM Is sorry for him, and would avert the
destiny Of woo which,is daraly forcshadCwc6 in has
condition. This if we dOnot err rs to Shakespeare
conception i, the true ideal. Mr.. Mccullough gives
the invectiyes--as they ought 30 be gyeH-with The
impetuous rush and wild fury Of the avalanche and
yet they ara felt 10 come out Of agony as
well as ont of passion. The pathoS Of these
tremendous passages is in Their chaotic dis
proportion in their awlessnesS and lack OF govern
nent IN Jhe evident helplessness Of the poor DID man
Nho huris them forth from a breaking heart and "A
distracted mind. He loves. and he lOatheS himself
for lo,1ug: every fibre of his nature Is III horrhed
revolt az ins5 the idea OF such lack of reverence,
gratitude aud affection toward such monarch and
such a ia her as he knows himself to have been
The feeling that Mr.. Mccullough pours through
these moments of splendid yet pitiable frenzy is
truly overwhelming, in its intense glow and IN It's
towering and incess2nt volume.
There is a remarkable snbucty, too in the manner
In which this feeling is tempered. In this Lcar's
meeting with GoHerd, after the cuIse, you see at
pnce the broken condition of an aged, iniirn, and
mentally disordered man, who has already
forgotten his own terrible words. Wen
no more meet no more SEQ one another"
is line to which Mr. McCuGOGgh gives Its full
eloquence of a5ject mournfuness and fcT!orn desc
lation. Other denotemeLts Of this subtlety are
seen in his sad preoccupaton with memories OF the
lost CordcIia. while talking with the Foot Il did
herwrong" was never more tenderly spoken than 10y
HIM They are only four little words hut they
carry the crushing ight of eternal and hopeless
remorse. II is III this region Of delicate imagi-
native touches that Mr.. NcCullougl's dramatic art
has shown its astonishing growth. He was the first
actor of Lear in our time, to discriminate between
the agony of man while going mad, and the care
less, volatile, fantastic condition-alicting 10 wit
ness, but no longer agOnizng to the lunatic himself
of man who has actually lapsed
into madness. The late Edwin Forest-wEose
Lear is so much extolled, nowadays often by per-
sons whO evidently, never saw it-much as he. did
with the part. never family suggested such
determination as this: and yet thisis plainly indi
Gated in Shakespeare text.
To one altitude Of Lear'S condition it is probably,
impossible for dramatic art ever TO rse-the mood
of divine philosophy, warmed with human tender
ness in which the dazed but semi-cOnsciOus vice
gerent of Heaven moralizes over human life. There
is grandeur in this conception, vast that moth
Sng short of the rarest inspiration of genius
to it, Tie deficiencies of Mr.. McCulloughs Lear are
found ia the analysis of this part of the performance
He has all the heart of Lear, all the royalty, all tie
mental breadth; but not all of either the exalted
intellect the sOrrOwladen experience or the imagl
nation-so gorgeous in its disorder, 80 infinitely
pathetic in its misery.
For his method in acting-in its liberal use Of the
resources of grand physque-Air. Mccullough has
sometimes been censured, usually with injustice.
This performance of Lear sgnally exemphfed,
through every phase of passion that temperance
which should give it smOOthnesS. The working up
of the curse scene in particular, extraordinarily
beautiful, for the low, sweet and tender melody Of
the voice. broken only now and thcn-and rightly
broken-wihtheh harsh accents of wrath. Gentleness,
again, never accomplished more, to taste and
pathos then in Mr.. McCullOugl's utterance Of Il
gave you all" and I'm go with you" The rally
ing OF the broken spirit after that, and the terrific
outburst " III not weep" had an appalling effect,
and greatly thrilled its hearers. In the storm
a more teInpestuOus manner seems justified than
that adopted by Mr.. Mccullough, and think that
he should guard against allowing deliberation of
treatment to relax disnteRratc the continuity of
the perSonation. The recognition of COrdeid was
simply tender aud the death scene very lovely in
pathos and very solemn and affecting in tragic
climax.
Jlr Mccullough had four or five recalls before
the curtain, and once he led out Mr.. Collier, who
made on this occasion a brilliant impression I'd
gar. His simulated madness surprisingly skill
full and bis introduction of musical touch, in the
mad scene, had q most felictous effect. With
greater freedom in the part he will he cx-
cellent. Kent acted entirely well by Mr. |
dangdon, and OSWALD by Mr.. stephens. The women |
were not effective. GOHeTil should not scold, nor |
R6gdn be insignificant. Cordela DO ice. The |
Fool was-as usual stage-quie caricatured, |
though obviously with the best intentions and an |
earnest spirit. This is part that would worthily |
employ the genius of Jefferson. The entire cast |
yas as follows:
Rng Mccullough
EGgar ..'''.-.-........ Edmund C5hrr