Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-05-02
NEW YORK LETTER.
/ oxxAr DRAMATIC EvESr-rm
YoorH-sAIvIxr ENGAGEMENT.
society Chat Marriages and coaenios
Dangerous stocks-Jay aouias
scheme "A Scandai and
General Gossip.

General 0oStiPs
seor,expnaence Of the richmond pispatchl
NEW YORK, May l, 1886.
The performance Of Signor Sslvini
ard Ed.in Booth in the play OF 0thello,
suppcr,ed by Mrs. Bowers, Mrs. Coul-
dock, Barton Hill, and other well.
known actors, Of the Academy OF
Music. gave MS an event Of such extra
ordinary dramatic proportions that al
the other stage circumstances Of the
moment look insignificant.
The event was notable in the class
and number Of people it drew together.
The Academy Of Music was literally
jsmmed---boxes and all-and IN the
audience were . number Of prominent
clsssy men, including the venerable
Mr.. Beecher nearly all the literary
workers who are in town; and certainly
ell the distinguished foreigners who
happen to be here, were present.
So that il may be said that q great
dramatic event appeals to the best part
Of the community, no matter what the
puritanicsl spirit may say OF the
theatre.
Idont think ever saw q perform
ance Of "a Othello " that SO poignautly
put before the eye the elemental force
and cruelty Of the play. Done at any
time Is Salyini does 1t, 1t Ia monstrous
conception and terrific embodiment.
Enhanced and shsrpened by competent
people in the cast, it becomes the most
magnificent portrayal Of passions and
actions utterly repugnant to the spirit
Of our age that can be conceived. Signor
Sslvini WAS strung to his utmost. lie
nut all his power into the ruthless
scenes. Edwin Booth as "Isgo" was
easy, upperturbed, and not quite up to
his best condition. have seen him
play the part . great deal better.
He submitted to Salviui's version
when " Othello " was on, much to the
surprise Of sverybody-for, as you
know, the Italian version, to use
slang phrase, "wipes the floor" with
Iseo. But he succeeded, with his
sinuous, alert, and subtle manner, his
swift, graceful body, and his oily,
crafty methods, in making just the con-
trast to the slow-minded Othello that
the text calls for, and it is doubtful If
We shall ever again see two actors
whose natural fitness SO absolutely fills
out the ShAkspearean conception Of
these unlike personalities.
OF course Salvini had tho play, as
Any good 0thello must.
But there were times when the in
cisive speech and contrasting English
elocution Of Mr.. Booth won bursts Of
applause, though he seemed to feel that
1t was useless to make any special ef-
fort against the odds Of the Italian, who
had all the advantage Of the role.
They had compromised by Mr..
Booths agreeing to play lago IN Sal
WINS "Othello" on condition that
Sienor Salvini would play the Ghost in
bis " Hamlet" which is to be done on
Friday night.
The scenes in the house during the
last act were much the same as when
Salvini originally played the role here
with an Italian company and that su-
perb Piomonti as Desdemona.
sALvINI's POWER,
that is to say the cruelty and horror
Of it all, wrought upon them as have
seldom seen q play do it. How much
OF this is due to Salvini's art and how
much to the accident of physical power
/ need not discuss now, but when he
Came to the killing of Desdemona, who
WAS impersonated, as she generally is
in Salyin's performances, by q
fragile and weak woman, the fero-
city Of the man, the helplessness OF
the victim, and the pity of it
all, produced an effect that may be said
to be entirely outside Of art. Women
leaned out of the boxes white with hor-
Tor. The whole audience sat SPELL
bound, as II looking at public execu.
ton, and when he seized the poor girl
Is tiger might have seized her, an
audible shudder, If such thing spos-
sible, ran through the assembly, and
one lady in front of me said at the end
Of the sgony, Well, I'm glad the poor
things dead"
The performance left an impression
upon one not unlike nightmare, and, l
suppose, the better we have the play
done the more cruel this impression
will be.
One thing is certain Salvini revives
In it the barbarism and cruelty Of an
other age. Mr.. Booth indicates the
methods, the discretion, and the econo-
my of force that will characterize the
dramatic art Of the future.
THE TALK OF SOCIETY.
The wedding Of Miss Chapman to
Mr.. Mortimer was too crowded to be
agreeable /; there were many negroes in
tho church. Whether this was owing
to the anti-slayery feeling of the Jay
family, or from what cause, it made q
disagreeable crowd. Ner did society
behave any too well, women climbing
on cushions and leaning on gentlemen's
heads in order to see the bridal party.
The bride, an elegant and distinguished
creature, looked beautiful in q very
simple costume. So did her sister and
so did Miss Moran. The other brides
maids did not all Of them find their
drssses SO becoming, although it was a
pretty innovation to dress them in diff
ierent colors. There were two blue
girls, two green girls, two pink girls,
and two white ones. So the bridal
eortsge looked like bunch Of spring
flowers.
HANDLING THE RIBBONS.
The coaching mania has begun, and
Mr.. Frederick Bronson, who handles
the ribbons we'll, will join Mr.. Rosy
Roosevelt in "tooling" the Tantivy
over the road to and from Pelham
With them on the box can be seen theil
pretty wives, but our uncertain NeV
York spring weather has gone from
greet heat to terrible cold, and We arc
kaSipe rain which will do much to di.
minish their ardor. The young men o
the Knickerbocker anu calumet Clubs
&have tried their hands at car.driving
land The old remark ofthe Duke Of Wei
llDgton at Waterloo has been quoted