New-York tribune., 1883-12-18

IL
Arecord of the temperance here OF Mr.. Booth
"A Hamlet might sufficiently the public Interest by
simply stating the fact without particular comment MT
BOOTHS performance Of the Dane has been for many
wears one Of the most familiar figures upon our stage ana
whether received ideal embodiment Its fde
y TO Shakespeare and its beauty OF execution have ofen
been seem recognized considered and celebrated To say
accordingly that 1t is placed within the reach
OF the play going public might he 10 say enough This
community is full well Of what It will see when
aces Mr. Booth as Hamlet "GOOd things should DC
praised however Shakespeare has said and the i'm
personaton Of Hamlet that Mr. Booth gave last night In
the Star Theatre of the best things that
have seen and one Of the things wOrhest Of commemo
ration.
In each OF the performances that he has given this sea
son distinguishing peculiarty has been simplicity OF
treatment and this again significantly prominent In
his portrayal OF Hamlet The rejection Of all singulary
and the avoidance Of all meretciOus ornament result In
sturdy artistic honesty, which cannot be too much ad
mred The figure stands forth, distinct and stately IN
clear light The attitudes, movements, gestures and
facial play combine In fabric of perfect symmetry and
always adequate expression. The text is spoken with
ample vocal power and fine hexibity. The illustrative
business is strictly accordaDt with the wonderful dig
nifty and high intellectual worth Of Shakspeares creation
The Illusion OF the part is created with almost magical
sincerity and perfectly preserved Mr.. Booths Hamlet
is-as Hamlet the stage should always bean imagna
tive and poetic figure; and yet II is natural To walk
upon the stage with the blank stored in memory.
with every particle Of the business prearranged, with
every emotion aroused yet controlled, and every effect
considered and known and preOrdaned and yeto make
the OF design involuntary and spontane
ousths the task set for the actor and this task was
perfectly accomplished by Mr.. Booth.
Much is heard nowadays about "nature" In acting,
ana about necessity of feeling" the part Of an
actor The point has been often befogged by gno
rant by careless reasoning An actor who abdicates
intellectual supremacy to be actor for he never
present consistent and harmonious work To yield
unchecked feeling is TO to pieces The actor who
makes his audience weep Is not he who weeps himself
but he who weep He will have the feeling, but
he will control II and 1t and he viii
not show It In the OF actual life
Mrs SddOns sad OF herself that she had got credit
for the truth and feeling of her acting when she was only
relieving her heart Of its grief hut Mrs sddOns, we
may be sure knew how act, whatever were her per
sona emotions Besides every artist worthy Of the
has a characteristic and individual way. II the repre-
sentative Of Hamlet will express the feelings Of Hdnb,
will convey them TO his audience. and will make the
poetic ideal an actual person II really makes difference
whether he, personally Is excited qulescent Feeling
does not usually away with Dion Boucicault: yet he
can could, act Dnddy DO so astO conYuse an au
dience with sympathy and grief Jefersonthe quintes
sence Of tenderness and the same
result with Rip Tan Wintle In the feeling Is
assumed and controlled in the other is experienced ana
controlled In short, acting Is art and not spasm;
!
exemplincaon Of that art-the ideal Of poet sup
piled with physical invcstture and made actual and
natural yet not lowered TO the level Of common lfe
The tenderness OF Ha,nie toward Opheiid-or rather
toward his ideal OF Ohelid-was always brought ont IN
strong light in Mr. acting OF the part In the
performance night he fccitous expression TO
depper view of this subiecto HdneS pathetic rcaiza
ton that Opheid IS after ALL hut poor fragile shallow
nature upon which his has been wasted, and that IN
such world this love can find no anchor and no Sc
curity The fororn dcsolaon Of the Prince was thus
made more emphatic than before within remem
brance. Mr.. Booth definite, too. than on any
previous OCCASION as TO "madness OF Hamlet. lie
was not MAJ" at ALL but a man on all H-tnts-
guarding himself his and his purposes by assumed
wildness yet the awful loneliness Of existence to which
Hamlet has sequcstered by his vast profound all
embracing. contemplative intellect and by the mental
shock and wrench that he has sustained weTc seemingly
allowed to color the temperament Of the man This Idea
might Ill It's practical application be advanagcousy car
red much further; for after the ghOeccne the spiritual
disease Of the Dane would augment its Tayage ana his
figure should then appear In bght disoIdet Gl,hGSel-
ment and hopeless misery Poetic gam, however may
Doth gives emphasis than 10 Hdmet the sufferer
He is the TO whom thoughts are things ana actions
spiritual perceptions too vast for his haunted spirit by
ges aud shocks too great for his endurance by wicked
and compel environments too strong for his ncryccss
opposition and by duties too practical and onerou for his
diseased and iTcsOutc will This il near 20 the tu'h
OF fShakcspeac the stage can come and as 1tchgbe
Mr. Booth was called before the curtain, with glad and
eager applause, after each Of the four acts Ia which
Hamlet + the prominent presence and vigorous effort
was made Out happily failed 10 recall him upon the
scene after the repoachiul parting nom OhCm. Inc
cast included among ts comncndahle features Mr. John
A. Lane as King, Mrs Bates the queen, Mr.. Ebrn
| PymptOn LUeTtcs, Mr. owen Fawcctt as the First
GTdre-dig0cT, Mr. d. &. Anderson IOiDHtas and Mr..
uawley as R0SsncrdJiis. More expended upon
tho stageset and the painting OF The scenes than 1ad
been given 10 either RChclicu or Lear For the
first time indeed since the engagement began MI Booth
seemed well surrounded IN his artistic picture. Hs own
magnificent mOuutngs Of Hamlet IN other days. how
ever were not even remotely appTOXimated. II IL Just
well tickle and superficial public gets much a.
deserves Those old mounts have since been
eonaed on any stage the world But all that forgot
ten now, Truly, as Shakespeare has said
"To have done Is 10 hang,
Outr Out OF fashion, Ike a rusty mail