The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-10-03
Who Interviewed Him Upon the
Changes He Has Made In the
Presentation OF "Hamlet."

hastily thrown on a I'm king ticket
and although very much fsiisu'd be
gan TO play the host in good English
style, and expressed bis read ness *
talk all night. Mr. BMrett is a fins
loohins gentleman, about SO. years o
age, with
A CLEAR CUT ENGLISH FACE,
a slightly Roman nose, equare de,
sisive chin and email blue Wv. clouI
eyes, whose expression changes con.
iinually as his moods vary. Hisv ice
10 foe ringing baritone, manly, mel
low and musicaI. After q detu tory
hlf hour l mAraged t, get him a'one
and the cow rsa'ion dTi,ted naturally
10 "Hanlet"
II need scarcely TO tell you," l raid,
"that you are bes. known here tn the
residing public, tbrou'h your efforts
to ramake the stage Hamlet"
Il don't like rem lke'," be said.
"RehabilEte is better and biggsr
VOID don't Think any actor ever
inside Hamlet, and / certainly not
undeitAke to remake him. My effo
wss 10 repr duce him az thought he
existed In the text"
$50 YOU weat to the text"
~ did,"
"And the commentators
"The commentators be b jihereS- 10
lhey have bothered Shakspearlan stu
dents"
RRPLIED Mr.. BARRETT,
with o good deal Of genuine feryor.
Aud then, with sudden change oil
face aud manner, he added: But go
on with your indictment, and 1 will
answer the charges"
"Wel, then, you have ctrtsinly re-
modsled the tragedy. You have IN d.
the Queen q young woman, and hsr
con, Hamlet, boy. Your Prince as
eumes his madness, You mike the
players scene In the open air."
Mr.. Brett held up his hand ard
smiled-the ton meant that IL
wanted an answer / bad be ter stop.
40 my mind" he SO d, at is per-
fectly clear that the hero OF this ira Ie-
dy 10 in his minority. Why, II Ia Ia
Of sge, is he not,on the throne7 He Is
his iatheA's eldest sen and heir. The
fact that the monar ny was elective 10
in my favor, for II Hamlet ha BEEN
thirty ye.rs Of ace, as represented, and
eipg, as he ia al-o RIP essnted, as be.
loved OF the distracted mullitudr, the
expectancy and pose Of thu fair state,
the glass { fashion and mould ofform,
he beloved to' Of beloved King, the
usurper Olaudius could never have
won from him the throne which bs
had hut to ask for to obt4in. l think
it can b. ehown that every line of thu
play that Ia opposed TO my theory OF
the age Of Haml 4 was introduced to
suit Burbsge, who wa, no doubt fat
and eoAnt # breath ard WHO NUT
have found it impossible to LOT K the
yourg Lord Hamlet that Shakespeare
d ew."
just how old do you assume him
to b 7"
81 mako him about 10 or 20. Ths
allusions 10 his youth 10 the text ore
plentiful. PJ onius speaks CT vt and
LAertes cal the Princes love a vio-
let In the youth of prlmy niture.'
Does that refer to mao who is 80?
AS to the lines gener,lly spoken by
the gave digger about 70 ick'
sku)l, they are not ShSk p ares; they
we're put In for the accommodation OF
Mr.. Burhage. Tue words 4 have been
sexton here, man and boy, tn rty
years bave been for generations calm.
ly epokeu by &C ora made up to lock
90 years o age at leSst. All wing that
he was boy OF l6 yeara when he be-
gan to dig the graves, this would only
make him O man of 49,"
But how about the msturity of
Hamlei's mindf ID 'es be- not at least
Ia X like a man OF 302"
Rather, let us say, Ike an intell;-
gent youth whose mind has been sud-
denly at mula'ed to OK raordinary APP
prehension by preiernstu shock
You must not forget that Laertes tells
his eiNer that Hamlet's mud ia az yet
inform I'd and that be IL not d ne
growing The King saws Of him,
That being Of 30 yourg days brought
up with him, and sith 50 nejgnbor-
hood to his youth Polouius ssys to
his daughter, a girl OF 10, Believe 80
much Ia him that he lie young The
Ghost savs, 'FresEs thy young blood.'
To the Queen tho King refers to him
~ this mad young man."
All this Mr.. Barrett said easily and
patty like one who hsd been over it
many times and who was himself
thoroughly eAti fed Of the truth Of bis
conclu ions. There. was something
pleasant in his eNsy, collcquial man
ner and entirely free ON dOsmatsm.
His whole air struck me rs thst OF
man who had thought out the matter
for himself, and viii Q possessing the
disco Verer q d students PRIDE in HE
labor, was Ut the same ime willing to
receive any additional light and accept
any new views that might be offered.
81 hav,," he said, "s'moSt a boys
dehsht 10 coming TO Americs. There
ia something in your greet country
tina; / fancy shakes the shack es Of
tradition off a mon, AID gives all tha
Is individual 10 him new chance. l
think, to use an Ameiicanism, hat
ySu size a man up quicker bere than
We uOI anu lOT tnhh TtAOu every
earnest man, while he viii be anxious,
will feel a certain delight in the ex
pertinent that he makes with ynue
pubic. However, this may be fancy
Of mine, At battcm The Saxon is
pretty much the sAme wherever you
find him."
An attempts TO make Mr.. Barrett
talk ab ut h o opening Piece, Cld,didn,
were skilfd ly parted by the gent g.
man, who said that ss TIA was a pro
duction Of his own he did not care TO
ppeak OF it's merits AT I,resent, hut he
was willing to talk Shakespeare all
night. He rad consulted several we
known Al er cans who had told him
tina, Cldudidn would probah y run the
VIII lie seas IN Ct three we k but this
would be impossible, a. tie scen,ry
was 80 heavy that IL would hsV4 to b.
sent 10 Bostpn some DAYS in alvarez.
He was extr meiy anxious to do Ham
lei in New York during his fiat sSon
l. Nkn ..a..t -