Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-11-24
BILL NYE AT THE PLAY.
His Impartial Criticism OF Hamlet, a.
Presented by Edwin Booth

His Impartial Criticism of Hamlet, a.
Presented by Edwin Booth
Last evening went to hear Mr.. Edwin Booth
in Hamlet" l had read the play before,
but it was better as he gave it, 1 think The
play of Hamlet is not catchy, and there is
a noticeable lack of local gags in it. There
is considerable discussion among critics as to
whether Hamlet was really insane or not,
but think that he assumed it in order to
throw the prosecution off tho track, for he
was a very smart man, and when his uncle
tried to work off some of his Danish prevari-
cations on him fully expected him to pull
card out of his pocket and present it 10 his
royal tallness, on which might be seen the
legend,
lam SOMETHING OF A LIAR MYSELF! ::
...................... ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
But | am glad he did not, for it would have
seemed out of character in play like that
Mr.. Booth wore a dark waterproof cloak
all the evening, and a sword with which he
frequently killed people He was dressed in
black throughout, with hair Of the same
shade. He is using the same hair in Ham
let that he did twenty years ago, though he
uses less OF it. He wears black knickerbock-
ers and long, black, crockless stockings.
Mr.. Booth is doing well in the acting bust
Ness, frequently getting as high as 81 apiece
for tickets TO his performances. he was en-
'cOrcd by the audience several times last
night, but refrained from repeating the play,
fearing that it would make il late for those
who had 70 go back to Belladonna, o., after
the close Of the entertainment
Toward the end of the play little rough
on rats gets into the elderberry wine and the
royal family drink it, after which there is
considerable excitement, and a man with a
good, reliable stomach pump would have all
he could do. Several Of the royal family
curl up and perish.
They do not die in the house.
During an interview between Hamlet and
his mother an old gentleman who has the
honor to be Ophelia's father hides behind a
picket fence, 50 as to overhear the converse
ton. He gets excited and says something in
a low, cultural tone Of voice, whereupOn
Hamlet runs his sword through the picket
fence in such a way as to bore large bole
into the old man, who then dies.
have heard a great many people speak
the piece beginning:
To he or not to be,
but Mr. Booth does it better than any one l
have ever heard once heard an elocution-
iSt-kind Of a smart AickutioniSt, as my
friend the Hoosier Poet would say. This man
recited ITO be or not to be" in a manner
which, he said, had frequently brought tears
to eyes unused TO weep. He recited it with
his right hand socked into his bosom up to
the elbow and his fair hair tossed about over
his brow. His teeming brain, which claimed
to I've kind of four-hOrSe teaming brain, as
it were, seemed to be on fire, and to all APP
pcarances he was indeed mad SO were the
people who listened to him. He Missed it
through his Clnched teeth and snOrted it
through his ripe, red nose, walled it up into
the ceiling, and bleated it down the aiSlcS,
rolled it over and over against the rafterS of
his reverberating mouth, handed it out in
biz capsules, or Kissed it through his puck
cred atomizcr of a mouth, walled and bel
lowed like a wild and madtlened tailleSS
steer in fly time, darted across the stage like
a headlcss hen, ripped the gentle atmosphere
into Shrels with his guinea hen voluntary,
bowed to us, and teetered off the stage,
Mr. Booth does not hoist his shoulders and
settle back on his "paStern jintS" like man
who is about to set a refractory brake on
coal car, neither does he immerSe his right
arm in his bosom up to the second joint He
seems to have the idea that Hamlet spoke
these lines mostly because he felt like saying
something, instead of doing it to introduce
set Of health-lift gestures and II hOarSe, bari
tone snort
A head of dank hair, low, mellow, union
depot tone of voice, and dark blue, three
sheet poster will not make n successful
Hamlet and blessed he tue man who knows
this without experimenting on the people till
he has bunions on his immortal soul.
| have sent u note to Mr.. Booth this morn
ing asking him 10 call at my room, No 63s,
AMI saying that l would give him my idea
about the drama from purely bipartisan
standpoint, but it is raining so fast now that
fear he will not be able to come Bill Nycin
Chicago News