Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-12-26
iCs3rs or Artists.

from he Js-luary Atlantic.
y few words upon the leading charac eyistfc
Of the modern stage. at least IN England and
i'll AEericf. so fdr as our theater takes its cue
from London will begin by saying that Mr..
Lawrence Barrett. above all ether American
players. deserves the gratitude Of our poets and
piay"f.@.'t5 for his plucky. steaiiast promotion
CT thc.r dramatic work. How charming and
full OF encourage ment to all concerned Is his
successful revival Of NJ. Boxers francesca da
iiiHil. after its merits mad been treated with
Indifference for % years. That highly poetic
1r2!na las recently ended triumphal run of nine
Ver!<s III New IUrk, at the close of which Mr.
Barrett made Il neat address. From his re-
marks, hUWCver,-a this brings me to the
f"!nt.--tt Is pain That We have actors the
,ttiof * memory 81 the past, his place having
been taken DY the artist" Throughout the
stage speech in question. there is but one men
ton OF al actor,--Edwin Booth. On the con-
t::fy. brief a. it was. the word artist is used
~ less than seven times. au, applied TO Mr.. Bar
rett himself to lir. N,iiiack, to Miss Anderson
t. MI Irving, and to the artists ofthe LyCeum
company
Possibly Mr.. Barrett makes distinction.
Judging that the terms actor and artist
Justly Indicate the relative qualities of Mr..
!'0D'h and Mf Irving. II so. there are not Il
few who will agree with him. For Booth GER
'''--H ny anu PURPOSE: anu IL
wing seems 10 lie an artist first of all. No indie
pendent observer. visiting the LycHum in Lon
don, and familiar with Mr. Irvings rise and in
hatncc, can think otherwise. 1t is due to his
art instincts. supplemented by Incredible tact
and Social diplomacy. sthat he has brought all
England to accept his supremacy. Never be-
lore was there player or manager. if we eX-
crrt Charles kCan. with so apt feeling for the
picturesque: aau kean. as stage artist was
Years III advance OF the preGeStiucd time. Mr..
Irving allied himself, with quick perception to
the art revival which followed the pre- Raphael
lite movement and has made his stage its mir
rnr. and himself its embodiment His most
striking representations are addressed to the
eye and made up from famous pictures. The
absurGites OF his lOye-making in the early acts
OF The Lady of Lyons are forgotten near the
close. where he returns from the war. in dress
ard VIs&ge the living counterpart of Buonapartc
III Egypt In ''HGmlet" Irwin. and Miss
Terry compose t0Jeau riUa,a of Mil
las "HusuenCt Lovers in Charles the
First we have the very portrait by Van
Dyke Then his beautiful and elabo-
rate nou0t.nTs of Romeo and Juliet. in fact.
oi :!i The plays in his repertory. Paul Veronese.
feH"Tl and turned stage manager. could not
excel them Yes. Mr. Irving is without doubt
an artist, ana g great one. and 10 setting can
be too rich ard truthful for an imao inatve
play. For all this | AN duly grateful. yet won
der how far he could rely upon his histronc
powers alone; and am disposed to reserve my
Warnes5 p!ijii!ts for actors ike Salvini Jeffer-
son, Booth, whose passion and genius make eX-
acting audiences forget the mean accessories of
the shabb;est stage.