National Republican., 1884-03-04
AMUsENf ENTS.
THE NATIoNAL-HRNRY rRv1Nn.

last evening. The occasion was the most
eventful Of tho theatrical season, and the
attendance was of such character as must
have proved very gratifying to the artist,
who, in his line, certainly has no rival on the
English speaking stage. Mr.. Irving chose
for his play version of Casimir Delsyigne 4
Louis XII" arranged and adapted by Mr..
Dion Boucicault, although the clever and
helpful hand of Mr. Irving himself has OK.
tended to it additional picturcsqueness and
power. The character OF the king, which was
played by Mr.. Irving, has been enacted on this
side of the Atlantic by Charles Kean, Walter
Montgomery, Charles w. Couldock, and DOS.
sibly by some others. Il is safe to say that the
play has not been presented before our
theator-goors for great many years and this
Of itself lent an additional charm to
the evenings enjoyment The version
Of Delavigne's elo-drama-for. and strictly
speaking, IL is such-which was played last
evening, was strong, terse vigorous, and
compact, and its dramatic qualities were
brought forth with such distinctness and
force that an almost imperishable picture
was imprinted on the minds of those who
witnessed the presentation. Mr. Irving has
evidently read, and read to most excellent
advantage, Sir Walter Scott's novel
''Quinten Durward;" for one who had porused
that work could not have failed to
be impressed with the wonderful and vivid
reproduction of Louis into stage life as the
great novelist painted him. 1t took no
stretch Of the imagination to believe that the
Louis, as we saw him. was man amply
capable of creating tho Virgin Mary coun.
tess and a colonel of his guards" His want
of any sense Whatever of moral obligation,
! his cunning, keenness, tremendous frmness,
coupled with natural sagacity, were depicted
with thoughtful, scholarly, and at the same
moment an intellectual intensity that the
senses were thrilled and moved as though the
roal king had reigned, prayed, and died be-
fore our very eyes. The actors face and
figure were spendidly in keeping with his
conception of tho character. From the
moment he entered the stage in the second
act, when he is first seen, with we'll worn
dark green velvet suit, haggard, pallid face,
lined with anguish of bodily agony. his
shaggy black eyebrows beneath which his
sunken eyes cleaned, glistened, and glared at
those about him, he barred the hideous char
actor of history with all its slyness, cupidity,
with the Count do Dreaux brought out in
strong colors his imperiousness, rage, and
hypocrisy, and his speech to Oliver, in refer
ence to the banqueting of tho Swiss ambassa-
doris" Banquet them and let them go with
our French wine you may do much they are
Swiss. aud drink; go"-contained q CLEAN
and glinter Of his quaint but hard and dry
humor, showing another phase Of the many
sided king. The crafty interview with Nem-
ours was a superb piece of acting, and the
scene with Tristan which closes the second
act was played with a disclosure of the
lowest aud most contemplate cunning pos
sible.
The entire third act was superbly rendered,
and the scene Of hypocrisy at the close was
one never to be forgotten, when Louis learn
ing of the death of Charles tho Bold. lifts his
hat and says: "All resentment ends with
death. He was great man, was our cousin.
| The court will wear full mourning for a
week" The fourth act takes place in the
| Interior of tho ki-s'. .-uuu vuairvur, IL.
| this act his confession to De Paule, coupled
with his piteous appeal for mercy, were
points which made most profound i'm
| preston upon tho audience. His prayer to the
Lady of Clery was characteristic Of the man,
and his terror at the appearance of Nemours,
together with his waking from insensbility
only to be confronted with the specters of
assassins, formed the climax of a scene which
was one of the most powerful and impressive
we have ever witnessed.
The action of tho fifth act takes place in
the throne room of the palace The king
enters in magnificent royal robes of azure and
gold, embroidered with the heur-de-lys of
France, his face frosted with the breath of
death. The scepter. the crown, the bejeweled
collar around his neck, oil these gaudy bau-
bles Of earthly pomp and power only brought
into stronger prominence the hsggard face,
furrowed with the lines of impending disso-
luton. His faltering STEP glazed eye, and
the grasp Of the hand which endeavors to
clutch at life only to do more evil, all lead to
the awful death and terrible ruin. The
regal dignity of the character was not
clearly depicted by Mr.. Irving and
with the exception of tho scene with
the envoy and portions Of the last act,
it seemed as though the actor had deliberately
formed his conception upon a low plane
Taking this view of the assumption, Mr.
Irving's use of a high nasal voice was in most
| aumlraDIo taste, anu IL was extremely 6ifeC-
tive in the grunting and snarling churlish.
ness of several Of the scenes. The actors
pronunciation was at times faulty and
grated harshly upon ears unaccustomed
to such enunciation. For instance, he
said last evening, "'tes" for "tis;''
"knaw" for "know !" mistake II
for "mistake;" and others which would strike
the average American with surprise, and
these defects, if they may be called such, are
as nothing compared with his surprising gait
and poses True it is that he does nothing
on the stage which has not some subtle signif
icance to those who are closely following his
characterzation-a nod here, sudden
pausing of the speech, q raising
of the eyebrow, glance from
his eye that seems to dance
the feelings Of fear, cunning
or treacherY-these combined with the most
wonderful use Of the facial expression which
it has ever been our fortune to witress
render Mr.. Irving's Louis the most powerful
Interpretation of the character on the boards
to-day. Mr.. Irving is not only scholarly
and concientious artist, but he is great
actor his greatness, however, does not con
sist in his oddities of speech and pecu'
larities OF gait and carriage, which
many OF his admirers have said were the
corner stone of o new school of acting