The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1885-01-08
THAT REWARD OF MERIT.

-
Another Rep, Bull.-Ths Democrat Critic In
Good Company In His Criticism.
"The dramatic critic of the DAILY
DEMOCRAT has received an invitation 10
All that position IN the Globe Theater,
London. His criticisms OF Thomas W.
Keene we're cabled to London. and the
above isIthe result Repository.
Thanks, sweet apple bntterl' for tho
news, News Indeed II II, Of the newsiest
kind, to hear of O dramatic critic being
attached to q theater. IL las always
been supposed that dramatic critics
were employed by newspapers, and not
by the theater whose productions they
attempt 10 crlticise, Az this Is the first
instance on record OF q critic being In
vlted 10 accept a position with a theater
TO ply his vocation, the DEMOCRAT critic
Ia TO BIO dOnbly congratulated for the I'M
paraielled honor thrust upon him. But
there Ia one insurm0untable objection
10 be made against the truth OF this
news, an objection that Ia fatal and will
knock the story into smithereens, and
that H., there Ia no Globe Theater In
Londonl About 2S5 years ago there was
q theater In London OF that name, OF
which q gentleman named william
SHAKESPEARE was Oue0 OF the managera, but
II Ia now among the wrecks OF time,
having been destroyed centuries ago,
and has never been replaced by another
place OF amusement bearing the name
OF Globe. SO the DEMOCRAT critic 10 not
In such good luck 40 vas supposed.
However there Ia a handsome theatre In
Boston known 40 the Gil be, and perhaps
that Ia the one meant by our sapient
"apple butter" nelghbor.
May not the word London have crept
into the report OF the news In mistake
for BostOnp But Mr.. William Winter.
the greatest living American dfa natic
critic, who Ia connected with the New
York Tribune, has also had q little TO
say on this question OF Thomas W.
Keen's acting, which has brought such
good fortune TO the DEMOCRAT critic,
according 10 the "apple butter" organs
report, aud perhaps a lucrat'y We position
can also DO found for him 40 the dra'
matte critic OF some theatre either In
England or in this country,
Mr.. Winter thus fOl clbly expresses his
opinion Of Keene's Richard Ill: IN
physical aspect this performance Is
comic. In mental attributes II IL for
the most part, absurd. lta locomotive
peculiarities suggest the Pantal0on In
the p%ant0mime. This GlOster impels
himself by means Of n skating motion
Of the legs combined with u Wrlggling
motion OF the body, 30 that he appears
10 be Mlcted, simultaneously with sci
atlco, buniOns, ricketts,, heayes, and 81
Viius' dance, HIS cOuntenauce, mean
time, H., with difficult a. obvious ef'
fort, kept In u state If elaborate
distortion, such Us cCmmingles
low cunning aud lowering fer0city
with Il pelyasl I've expression Of impend'
ing spasms, llia voice, Invariably arti'
fetal and mon0tonous, In, during the
earlier scenes Of the tragedy, trained TO
the utterances OF u self conscious, theat'
rical, stllted demonism, which evidently
the actor euppOses to be intellectual du'
pliClty, ana during the later scenes IL
let loose In hideOns, discONdant, sense
lesa, ranting bellow-wthOut elOcu'
tiOnary skill. The result Of this mug
ging," and braylng IL a figure about rs
fantastic and offensive ~ ever was put
forth upon the stage. Nor ~ this mon.
s%troslty redeemed by any felicity OF Ideal
In tho mental structure OF the work.
Mr.. Keene himself may be the most In
tellectual and refined Of men but, In
presenting the mind and soul of,Richard
ILL.,, to say no more about the body, II
has pleased him TO indicate the meanest,
lowest, most obvious, and most miser-
able brute that ever strntted and wal
lowed among the tallow candles OF q
country theatrical b Urn. Such n Rich
ard did not live In history, cannot be
found In Shakespearo's pag', aud doea
not even exist In The ,aost wretched ard
abominable peryersion that Cibber made
of ShakeaDeaTe'a work"