Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-01-18
LATHROp.
The Prince Of Tragediars, Edwin
Booth, Shortly to Bid the
Stage Farewell,
Lawrence Barrett, the Henry Irving OF
America, and His Aspirations
other Prominent Players.
Austin corbin Hopeful That Congress WIN
Sanction the Buying of Those
Isig ocean Steamers.
special Correspondence Of The Gazette.

Special Correspondence OF the Gazette.
NEW YORK, Jan. 14.--The principal
theatrical event Of the near future Is the
coming of Edwin Booth to the Fifth Ave
nue. theater. This event will occur on
February ]. Mr.. Booths engagement Is
/ for period OF four weeks, aud he will
begin IN John Howard Payne's tragedy of
"Brutus." II Il given out that John
Stetson Is to build new scenery and prom
critics for this production, and that Mr.
Booths company, which is furnished bv
! MIR. Montgomery Field from the regular
stock organization of the Boston museum,
will be exceptionally strong and well cos
TUNED. During this engagement Mr.
[ Booth VIII return 20 the Cibber version
! OF "Richard IlI.h Some years ago this
trasedian made an acting version Of
Shakespeare "Rlchard ILL., In which he
preserved the original Dialogue almost
entirely, only altering the sequence Of
Z scenes and changing few speeches from
one act to another lie entirely
eliminated the CiDber additions
aud introductions, and made a
4 plan that was genuinely Shakespearian,
/ practicable for stage representation, often
picturesque, but 1t lacked the intensely
dramatic quality which the Ciboer ar
/ rangemeut possesses. MIR Booth has found
that his adoption OF the play is not as
! popular as the regular acting editors, and
so, in Difference to the wishes OF his bust
ness management, he returns 10 the YER
sion in which his illustrious father was so
| great. The programme arranged for this
season also includes the fine drama OF IA
New Way to Pay Old Debts" In which
Mr.. Booth will be seen as Sir Giles Over
reach for the first time In many years
/ The engagement of Lawrence Barrett also
begins on the LIST OF February at the Star
theater. Mr. Barrett opens in Hugo's
"HeFnanl" This play Mr.. Barrett recent
| ly revived in Philadelphia, and scored
brilliant success. II IL said that Edwin
Booth will retire from the stage after next
season. He has expressed his desire TO do
this, and 1t is very probable that he will
carry out this design. The arrangements
for his farewell tour Of the United States
are in the hands Of Lawrence Barrett, who
is TO give his personal attention TO the Sc
lection Of the company and the making of
scenery aud costumes. When Edwin Booth
has retired from the stage he will have
left the tleld for Mr.. Barrett 10 hustle in
The latter will then be the representative
American tTagedian, a distinction which
he richly deserves, for he has the
interchangeable capacity for hard work
which is considered an essential
attribute Of genius. he is careful stu
dent, courageous and enterprising man
ager, a great actor and an intellectual
power. Mr.. Barrett's ambition Is 10 be-
come in America what Henry Irving is in
England--an educator and pleasure.
The feature OF the present week in New
York theatricals Is the production by
Madam Modjeska Of Westland Marstow's
arrangement Of play from the Spanish,
Which will be shown on Thursday night
under the title Of "Donna DIANA" and
Mr.. Days revival of "The Merry Wives
Of Windsor" with Charles Iishel as
Falstaft.
What is now called "Amerlcan OPERA
has usurped q great deal of attention here
for the past fortnight, and there Is some
thing very ludicrous In the grim determin-
alton of the stockholders of the academy
to like English opera, for that is what II
really is, in spite OF their traditional pref
udices against it. From the start the
thing has been success Of management.
Mrs. Thurber, who is the female Warwick
behind the stockholders, has really sue
ceeded, by her own enthusiasm and in
domitable energy, in making her scheme
assume the proportions and APP
peaTance of success. She is an
ardent admirer OF Theodore Thomas,
and there are several people
who do not hesitate TO say that instead Of
making him to contribute TO English
opera, she is making the opera scheme
contribute TO his rehabilitation. Mr.,
Thomas has never been really successful
musician here, owing to his doctrinaire
notions and his incorrigible preJudices.
He manages To get into hot water about
as often as anybody, and he is not In any
, way identified with opera, and certainly
not with English opera. This Is said by
many OF the musicians TO be weak spot
in the scheme. MRS. Thurber moreover
pays him handsome sum out Of her pri'
, vate purse, so IL Is asserted, and stands
by him. The strong part OF the American
opera so far has been its ballet, and cor
pheus and Eurydice" dug up from the last
century WAS little more than musical
framework 10 exhibit this ballet.
The seveTest test OF all will probably
take place on Monday night, when Lohene
will be done In English with American
singers. Why this comparison should be
invited with the upper house
when German opera is raging
, on all it's profundity and inter
, mInable length, one finds it hard to
: explain, except by reference TO the same
, incorrIgibility OF Thomas, who, instead
of reviving such fine works as Wallace
.fSurline" and "Maritana" or Bales
tuneful opera, and appealing directly 70
, the people, insists upon doing wagner
. In the teeth of everything.
= Moieska and Mather ill the measure Of
dramatic entertainment, The former has
been playing her stock-pieces without
much critical attention, but tomorrow
night produces for the first time here the
old play Of donna DIANA" which used
4 to be done by Mrs. Bowers some years
ago.
Mather has awaked public interest In
r Leah that was not felt In her Juliet, a
: fact that only corroborates my impress
sion that she is essentially a meiodrR
matte actress and not shakespeareal