New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-11-12
THE DRAMA---MU
MIR. IRvINGs ACTING.

rost ,veelz was one of much activity in the
,l theatres but the performances given by MI Irving
ond Miss Terry overshadowed oil the rest MI
Irving appeared in Louis III and Shyoek, and Miss
rrrv in Porfa and these representations have caused
an unusual excitement and met with brilliant success
st Ir,ips,s Louis TL Is so excellent work that it
es even the great performance Of thatpart which
ven by Charles Kean and 10 say this is TO offer an UNI
omroon tribute The statement however just and II
imples no dsparagement Mr.. Irving is younger
man than Charles Kean when he acted
here as King Louis and therefore TO even the
evpsson Of age weakness he is able to impart and
does impar greater emphasis Of nervous vitality than
was possihe to the older and eebler Mr. Irving,
furthermore has greatly the advantage OF his famous
predecessor in facial expression and vocal variety and
power play of feature In Mr.. Irving's countenance
throughout this persOnatiOn is marvellous There are
moments when the soul OF the king mrored in his face
and every thought 70 cast its shadow. Then TOO
the performance excels its prototype IN the
qualities OF intellectual predOminance demOnac
weiriness and grim hUmor. Finally, Mr.
Irving's King Louis is more regal throughout
and in the death-scene more awful As rule we Mold
fast by Dogbeyrys opnion-that comparisons are odor
GUS" But in this instance, comparison Is anu
expressve and give no offence that Ohaes
Kean long dead and that bis generation mas pass
ed away Mr. Irvings treatment Of the character OF LOUIS
III LOT us add is exclusively his own. He has initiated
nobody: whereas Charles Kean's performance is known
10 have been modelled TO considerable extent on that oil
the French actor by whom the part was originally played
Mr. Irving OF course follows the lines laid down by the
author and by history but all his Illustrative business
is his own Its great Of the greatest
ever seen On Saturday night it again given and
crowded house received with tumult of enthusiasm.
In Sbylock Mr. Irving has made greater impression
upon many minds than in anything else that he has yet
acted To US while his performance Of this part
excellent does not appear that the part one which he
may call distinctively and absolutely his We have
already specified Of the great beauties OF the mper
sonation Mr Irvngs ideal is, undoubtedly, perfect
His Shyock hates Antonio because 4HtOaiO is Christian
"bu more because Antonio lends out money gratis,
and spos the trade of usury in Venice. Religious IA
natoism and sordid meanness thus blended In Mr.
Irvfngs Shyock they I'm the Jew OF Shake
speare But it is in the execution OF an ideal that
an actor is expected more particularly to ex-
Gel; and it seemed to us that, In some parts
of this Mr. Irving inadequate 70 his own Intention
There il such possibility that of being too natural
The great persons Shakespeare men and women,
is true; but also they q little more than men and
women They have their roots in the common soil OF
human nature but they rise far above It, They neither
speak the language do the deeds of common life They
sneak for the most part in blank verse They dwell and
move In a poetical atmosphere. They are idels-exag
gerations above the plane Of ordinary human
existence Accordingly Ia the embodiment Ofthem fine
poetca generalization seems preferable to minute de-
hncmen Of particularsjust as in another branch OF art
the OF painting with its rich tones and its mys-
image and emblem Of perfect human beauty and yet
part of made with exact fidelity to the shape Of
tua This of course, cannot be new doctrine, to
such scholar MT Irving las shown himself to he II
appeared however that in the acting Of Shyoe
his frequent close adherence TO common life involved the
sacrifice of a legitimate and desirable poetic exaggera
ton
In the street scene after Styock has heard OF HIS
daughters flight Shakespeare authorizes torrent Of pas
sion and furthermore the passion is explosive. Mr. Irv
Svvs-
full in its variety aud meditation and in its slilf
strength and cOnceament Of his weakness hat his
method is that of almost the exact reverse Of explosive
passion The current IA turn ed inward The spectacle
is like that Of breakers distant reef-sO
remote that you cannot them Doubtless this IS the
passion of but, Is it the passion OF this particular
man. at this particular pace Is II the actually uttered
passion Of Shy0ck Or is it only the artistic suggestion
OF what that ought to bel Mr. Irving has
bellshed the part with great abundance OF ilUstra
tive bu ness" and he has carried this thoroughncs OF
establishment into every portion Of the play and ali
this artistic teads toward the structure and cxpOs
ton of actual segment OF human iewhch IS cut OF
aud before The Prince Of Morocco and his dusky
attendants advance into Belmont and retire from P0ras
presence 20 the sound of cymbals and Oriental music.
Gondoas laden with maskers fit and fro the canals
OF Venice Merry maskers troop the deserted streets
after cSsica and Loren,O have fled and the lonely figure
Of the Jew returning from his supper OF hatred with the
Christians comes rapidly the bridge and pauscs
soon and terribly break, from that despoed and out
RACED hearth aud heart Tie trial scene is full Of the
happiest touches realism that strictly harmOnzes
with poetry of Shakespeares conception The OF
the populaoe here is excellent Aud all tends to the
pletcness Of stage picture play never
fully and thoroughly set than The Merchant Of Venice
has by Mr. Irving. But with reference to the
exceptional character OF Shyock il seems not unjust 10
say that more vivid poetical treatment and a
coplous and splendid outDurst, not of
rant Of passion and power would stir the feelings
deeply than grace OF detail can ever do, and
would ill the imagination with sense OF magnihcence
such matter as this, Is incOncluslye-for IL accepts
phase OF human endeavOr 1--WE no more judge Of the
real value Of a by the impression he makes on the
public than tell from the stamp, whether the seal
that made 1t was OF bras or gold
are perhaps, expressing only an individual fancy In
reference TO methods OF expression ana THIS has been
desire to avoid from the FIRST In All discussion OF Mr.
1rvings art He IT, beyond all doubt .o most
accomplished actor and one VINO mas distinct reasons
for everything that he does No thoughtful observer
deny that his Shgiock is consistent harmonious and
natural; and, already remarked, II has impressed
many judges superlatvey fine To US Ii VIII be remor
able for attributes dsnctvey intellectual whereas his
Matthias and LOuS Al must i've IN memory as WORKS OF
splendid Imagination, executed with strong and fluent
emotion and cOnsummate art His Charles II an ideal
OF perfect majesty, and II has the mellow cOOring aud
sOnbC richness Of Old historic painting. Miss TcTTys
brilliant hit Poria, has already been recorded This
week public is 10 see Mr. Irving, on two nights in
"The LYONS Mai"-in which he persOnatcs charac-
tiers, Lesurqes and DaboSc,-and Miss Terry and Mr. |
De ated tbrou OF the week. Louis XII" will
be played again on Saturday afternoon.
FIRST CONCERT AT THE METROPOLITAN. !
Neither muddy streets nor inclement weather |
deferred music lovers from giving Mr. Abbey large
dience at the first Of his series of Sunday
The character of the listeners well their humber,
presaged of the performances that to fol-
he