New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-06-01
MUSIC IND IHE DRAMA.
MR. ELTONS BENEFIT.

Ill0 was o 10uur0. LILO uOueo Wao oVVuu
half full and the performance Of Hamlet was exceed
ngly bad. almost every particular. part Of tho
unwrtten law Of journalism that benefit performance
should 10 consdsred exempt from critical consideration
except of favorable kind Circumstances, however
may Justify departure from this courteous custom.
Pretenson should allowed TO unnooe4
under tho cloak Of kind purpose. Mr. osmond Teare b
totally incompetent to aot Hamlet and the display tLss
he made on this occasion was not les unwasrantabs
than absurd Silence toward It would be agreeable bus
also might provo injustice to the dramatic art Mr.
Tearls showed himself destitute Of every quality thas
sppertains to Hamlet; and. furthermore his utterly
wrong ideal presented In the worst POSSIBLE manner
From tho outset and with scarce interval Of rcpos
he was In fume and nutter. vocerating, prancins.
gesticulating attitudnixngtn at last he exhausted
both himself and the patience Of every intelligent bearer
This moth I'd 10 method Of the or the
quaeater aud has no place In the Illustration OF tine
poetic drama But Mr. Tearlc's ideal OF Hemlet wae
seer to be even his execution OF It. He invested
this melancholy Dane with an undignined bearing,
common place aspect volatile precpitancc mood Of
incessant executive energy perfect and even business
like sanity and the hum and buzz Of sawmilL Seldom
II ever has been heard Hamlet ct once 90 noisy and 50
dull Never has emerged In this region 20 COM
pleely saturated with tho vanity OF textual experiment.
One of the four great sooqes Of Hanets that which
closes the second act Mr. Tearle began Y NOW a~
alone y with endesvorng to write the dozen or sixteen
lines to be inserted the Murder Of Coinage and
presently sgnfed OF the words and can say nothing
that the misery then overwhelming Hamlet inability to
compose the blank verso. angle point like this
suices An who Is capable Of treating this agonE
ing but luminatve speech In this preposterous way
simply ignorant Of everything that Hamlet spiritually
means It was only amusing after that.-aud not sur
prsns-o see this reflective Prince ct tie close OF the
awful soloquy suicide, trip over to accost Ophed
with all tho jauntiness Of Alfred Jingle. Mr. Tears
wears light hairas E. L. Davenport did. so many years
ago. and as Pechter did, long afterward in this char
actsr and no dresses 1t In cose-ftting watered silk
shape with black tights There are no subtleties OF
ideal In his work. The nov readings were invariably
distortions and the fresh business In the scene OK
the parting from Ophela-invarably bad 30 oxtrava-
CANT and meaningless indeed the action In this par
tcuar scene that II the glass OF fashion nsd closed
It by playing laapfrogovsr the back OF fhronc chair
he would scarcely have excited astOnishmcL' Leave
me-" cries. the nimioa courtiers; ana tnen with
little sneer calculates Friends !" This u the style OF
soholarship 1t was impressive to note Also that Mr.
Tearle knovs o hawk from hernshaw mot a hand-
sav-snd that he unpacks his heart like q scold."
This shallow and nimsy performance hoWcver'-s
xorL dsv aid OF charm devoidof sensibty, way in-
Sicstivs Of intellect passion :uhmitx Of sorrow %
any sense Of tho great soul that and al!
%Ss saS paul
Il Ss xs the
4: :s asi Quoted %s 5
ophstS. Spirit which perfect smploiy Candor and
sxeet tenderness The King. tMr st. Maurl bcheld
every reason therefore, to scream for additional
ssss Mr. r:Sd,nssnc:r' 1 but s ssasns.
Mr. Gilbert was feeble and coorlesa q Pp!oaiMs and
frequently inaccurate In tho taxi NM Poni maze sse
the Pirate King. ives after p m whom the benches.
airy came forth; but he had very cordial gIeeunE hs
bus not worth waiting four hours 70 see; and certainly
not an atonement for the nnieton q such 6GES =
that OF Mr.. Toaylo The next time Mr.. Elton Wsnee -
have Hamlet acted for his bensat Let him enact HOW
lSe himself. Il VIII. ct loasts b entertaining