Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-05-02
ALL STARS IN THE SCENE.
aNUNUsUAL DRAMATIC TREAT
FOR GOTHAMITES.

Booth and salvini Playing in the sene
piece-The Spectators Held SPELL
bonnd-MIss Chapman's Marriage to
mr Mortimer.
NEW YORK, April S0.-The performance
Af signor Salvini aud Edwin Booth in the
nlay of "Othellop supported by Mrs. Bow
srs MIR. Couldock, Barton Hill and other
well known actors, at the Academy OF
Music. gave us an event Of such e&traor-
binary dramatic proportions that all the
hther stage circumstances of the moment
look insignificant.
The event was notable in the class and
,umber Of people it drew together. The
Academy of Music was literally damned
boxes and all--and in tue audience were
a number of prominent clergymen, in
hIndinc the venerable Mr.. Beecher; nearly
all the literary workers VINO are in town,
and certainly all the distinguished ior-
eigners who happen to be here were pres
emit.
So that it may be said that a great dra-
matte event appeals to the best part OF Ine
community. no matter what the purltanl-
cal shirt may say OF The theatre
don't think | ever saw performance
ofuOI helIo', that so poi gnantly put before
The eve the elemental force and cruelty OF
the play. Done at any time as SalVlhl
does il. it is a mOnstrous conception ana
a terrific embodiment. Enhanced ana
sbarpeued by competent people IN tue
cast. il becomes the most magnificent
portraval Of passions and actions utterly
repugnant 10 the spirit Of our age that
can he conceived. Signor SalVlnl was
strung 10 his utmost. He put all his
mower into the ruthless scenes. Edwin
Booth as ''Iago'' was easy, unpurturbed
and not quite up TO his best condition. l
have seen him play the part great deal
better.
ne submitted to Salviurs version when
ssOtbejlo" was on. Much to the surprise
of every body, TOR, as you know, the ltal-
ian version. to use a slang phrase, 'wipes
fine ioor'' with ''Iago". Buthe succeeded,
with his sinuous, alert and subtle man
ner, his swift. graceful body and his oily,
crafty methods. in making just the con-
trast to the siow-minded "OthellO' that
the text calls tor, and is doubtful if we
shall ever again see two actors whose
natural fitness so absolutely fill out the
Shakespearean conception of these I'M
like personalities.
or course Salyini had the play, as any
good ''OthellO' must.
But there were times when the incisive
speech and contrasting English elocuuOn
If Mr.. Booth won bursts of applause,
taough he seemed TO feel that 1t was use
less to make any special effort against the
odds OF the Italian, who had all the adj
vantage of the role.
They had compromised by Mr.. Booths
agreeing to play "lagO" IN SalvlnPs
"OihellO" on condition that SignOr Sal
vini would play the "GhosJ" in his "Ham-
LETT which is to be done on Friday
night.
The scenes in the house during the last
act were much the same as when Salyini
originally played the role here with an
Italian company and that superb Pio-
monti as .'DesdemOna.''
That is to say, the cruelty and horror
VI IL all wrought upon them as l have sell
lOm seen play do it. How much Ofthis
IS due to Salv;ni's art and how much to
he accident of physical power | need not
discuss now, but when be came To the
killing of 'sDesdemOna" who was imper-
sonated. as she generally is in salvlnPs
performances. by a fragile and weak
Womrn, the ferocity of the man, the help
lessness of the victim and the pity of u
ali produced an effect that may be said to
be entirely outside of art. Women leaned
out of the boxes white with horror. The
whole audience sat spellbOund. as if look
ing at a public execution, and when he
seized the poor gir' as tiger would have
sezsd her, an audible shudder. if such a
thing is possible, ran through the assem-
bly,, and one lady in front of me said at
the end of the agony, swell Pm glad the
poor things dead"
The performance left an impression
apon one not unlike a nightmare, and l
suppose the better we have the play done
the more cruel this impression will be.
One thing is certain, Salviui REEVES ir
it the harbarism and cruelty of another
age. MIR. Booth indicates the methods,
the discretion, and the economy Of force
that will characterize tn dramatic art OF
the future. NYM CRINKLE.