New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-07-16
THE LONDON STAGE.
MR.. EDWIN BoOTH-MIss ELLEN TERRY.


FRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or THE rRBUyE.l
LONDON, June 30.
Mr. Edwin Booths temperance in London filed
the Adelph Theatre with an intelligent and SYM
pathetic audience. Not few of the occupants Of
stalls and boxes were Americans the great majority
none the less being English. Mr.. Booths perform
ances last year at the Princess's and Lyceum
Theatres won him so many admirers and frIends
and gave him such hold on the London public
that his return has been expected by English play
goers with the same sort of interest that New-YOrk
feels on q similar occasion. The mere fact that he
and Mr. Irving had acted together and exchanged
parts in such play " Othello" would have in
sured Mr.. Booth permanent place IN the theatrical
memory of London. But he had in fact established
himself in English esteem by his earlier and inde-
pendent appearances; under circumstances by no
means favorable.
| am afraid that the circumstances are nOtmuch
more favorable now. The Adelph is not the
theatre where actor of Mr.. Booths distinction
Ought to be playing. To great part Of that public
to whom he would most naturally appeal, and who
would best appreciate him. the Adelphi Is unknown
ground. 1t has been given over to melodrama and
low forms of the purely sensational drama. Nor is
the company which supports Mr.. Booth composed as
whole of artists likely attract the fastid-
ious part of the public. Some of them. one is
rather sorry to say seem TO have been brought YER
here for the purposes of Mr.. Booths tour. Mr..
PlymptOn and another actor were mentioned as
Americans by English critics; and not with the
kind of comment one would like to have applied to
ones countrymen. young American friend liz
sisted that l should like these actors because they
were such excellent fellows in private tried. but
could not and Mr. Booths venture. if it be his
venture is not likely to turn ont the better for h
sort of help Nor yet is Miss Bella Pateman
an actress to take London by storm.
Mr. Booth in a word. is unsupported by such a
company as could increase his chances of success
full season. He stands alone; and there is nothing
but his individual popularity and dramatic capacity
to draw anybody inside the doors of this theatre
The piece he chose for his first night was Richeeu
that in which English critics pretty much agreed he
was at his best last year. He was surely never
better than on Monday night; whether last year or
in any earlier year. In dignity, variety power of
all kinds and cOnsummate mastery of all technical
knowledge and methods, Mr.. Booths Richeliea is
by general admission of English critics, without
superior; in many points also without its equal
Mr. Irving's has imaginative touches which are
replaced in Mr. Booths more elaborate impersona-
ton by adroit use of the resources of his art. The
comparison need not be pursued. IL is enough TO
say that the audience deeply impressed and ex-
traordinary enthusiastic, and the evening from
beginning to end was a triumph or succession OF
triumphs for the gifted American actor.
There is again remark upon Mr.. Booths
accent; meaning commonly his American accent
But the most noticeable popularity of his elocu-
ton is the over-elaborate articulation of certain
final syllables. Mr.. Booth says statesman" Tor
example the stress of voice upon IMAM" being
equal to that in states" This is more noticeable
rlfol,l of
many words are hers uttered much more lightly
than in America Mr.. Booths emphasis on them
goes far beyond that of any other American ever
heard He speaks English, remarked one of his adj
mirers as if it were foreign language. The
native ALWAYS shuns some syllables or vowels. The
foreigner either dwells equally all, or shuns the
wrong ones.
But listen to Mr. Saa on this head: In his elo-
cution there was surely no room for Improvement.
10 is simply perfect in its distnctness its balance
and its euphony The softest whisper of this admir-
ably scholar-lIke actor is audible as his loudest
utterance." Mr. Saa deals not less vigorously
with a remark about Mr. Booths conventionality :
1t is absurd to speak of this admirable tragedans
Richelieu as conventional. | can remember all the
conspicuous Richeeus since Macready's time; and
Mr. Booths does not, in the slightest degree, re-
sembe any Richelieu that have seem"
1t was Mr. Edmund Yates who called Mr. Booth
conventional-MI Mr.. Yates himself individually or
one of the many doubles whose joint labors are
assumed 10y him and given forth to the world under
the signature Atlas Mr.. Yates has OF late de-
voted some of his spare time to mending American
manners and morals. lie berated Mr.. Stedman for
writing about the younger English poets. He is
now setting us right in the matter of dramatic crit
cism 1t il time, says he, in his finest Atlantean
manner that all this nonsense about American
actors and acting should be blown aside lie has
seen ali our best male artists and not one OF them
has found favor in his eyes that most admirable
actor Mr. Jefferson" excepted. Everybody is
labelled with that terrible adjective, conventional
Mr.. Booth is not merely conventional, but Is an
example of conventional old-school tradition"
wbich seems an unconventional and highly pleO-
nosiic pbrase if n mere American may be permitted
tn have an opinion on such matter Mr.. Nc
Cnlough is rough and ready. Mr. Florence Is OF the
school of conventional low comedy, and MI.
Barney Williams, conventional Paddywhack-
which seems n very horrible thing indeed MISS
Genevieye Ward Is the one good actress and re-
deennp virtue of the dramatic GOmorrah across
the Atlantic, and Mr.. Yates is not quite sure
whether Mss Geneveve Ward is an American
Citizen Cannot vote suppose, and has never
been nominated for the Presidency. Really, what
with Mr.. Yates and Mr.. Matthew Arnold, and
Gniteau and O'Donovan Rossa, and Mr. Bancroft
Davis the United States are having hard time of
it, To make it quite hopeless, high toned d"
New-York journal quoted rs c0nfessing that the
American stage is at present in a more degraded
condition than ever before. 1t is Mr. Yates who
SAYS "hlgh toned" Perhaps he picked up the
phrase IN the course of his American travels. 1t Is
current IN kentucky. or used to be- and usel also
to serve as a shibboleth whereby the dweller be-
yond the Alleghanies disclosed himself in the press
and on tho floor of Congress and Other public places
hundred nights of Romeo and Juliet" const.