Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-05-05
BILL. yYE As A CRITIC.
HE DlscouasEs ToUcHlNGtY UPON
ACTOR o'coNNoR's HAMLET.

W. ~iSSSohS1o tSSSi"NSS' ~ 49,
ACTOR o'coNNoR'S HAMLET.
the Actor "Did Up tho Pisy-Mr.
Nye's Chilling Reception at the Star
Theatrs.
The past week has witnessed the closing
debut Of the great Shakespearean humorist
and emotional ass, Mr.. James Owen OCon-
nor at the Star theatre, During his extra
ordinary engagement he has given US Ham
let, Phidias and Shylock, Othello and RICHIE
lien think | like his Hamlet best, and yet
1t is pleasure to see him in anything where
in he kills himself
After seing his Hamlet am Of the opin-
ion that be did wisely in choosing New York
for debuting purposes, for had he chosen
Denver Col. at the end Of the third act
kind hands would have removed him from
the stage by means of benzine and rag.
But James Owen O'Connor has done ono
thing which | take the liberty of publicly al
ludiug to- He has taken that saddest and
most melancholy bit of bloody history, trim
med with assassnations down the back and
tooped up with remorse, insanity, duplicity
and unrequited love. and he has filed it with
silvery laughter and caulifower and mirth,
and various other groceries which the audi
ence throw in from time to time, thus max
ing it more Of spectacular piece than it is
under the conservative management Of such
old school men as Booth. who seem to think
that Hamlet should be soaked full of sadness
went to see Hamlet, thinking that would
be welcome, for my sympathies were with
James when heard that Mr. Booth was
picking on him and seeking to injure him. |
went to the box office and explained who
WAS and stated that had been detailed to
come and see Mr.. O'Connor act, also that in
what might say afterwards my instructions
were to give it to Booth and Barrett if !
found that they had tampered with the audi
ence in any way.
The man in the box office did not recog
uize me, but said that Mr. Fox would extend
60 me the usual courtesies. ! asked where
Mr. Fox could be found, and he said inside
, then started to go inside, but ran against
total stranger. who was ION the door," as We
say He was feeding red and yellow tickets
into a large tin oven. and looking far, far
away | conversed with him in low, passion
ate tones, and asked him where Mr.. Fox
could be found He did not know, but
thought he was still in Europe went back
and told the box office that Mr. Fox was in
Europa He said no, | would find him in
side swell, but how will get ipsider |
asked eagerly, for could already, fancied,
hear the orchestra beginning to twang its
Tyre.
walk in" said he, taking in So and Civ
ing back fifty cents in change To a man with
dead cat in his overcoat pocket
went back, and. springing lightly over
the iron railing, while the gatekeeper was
thinking over his glorious past, went all
around over the theatre looking for Mr..
Fox found him haggling over the price Of
some vegetables which he was selling at the
stage door, and which had been contributed
by admirers and old subscribers 70 Mr..
O'Connor at previous performance.
When Mr. Fox got through with that |
presented TO him my card, which is as good a
piece Of job work in colors as was ever done
west of the Missouri river and to which |
frequently point with pride
Mr. Fox said he was sorry, but that Mr..
OConnor had instructed him TO extend no
courtesies to the press whatever. The press,
he claimed. had said something derogatory
to MIR CConnor as a uagedian, and while
he personally would be tickled 20 death TO
i've me two divans and folding bed near
the large fiddle, be must do as Mr.. O'Connor
had bid-or hade him, forget which; and
SO. keeping back his tears with great diff
entity. he sent me back TO the box Office, and
although was already admitted in a general
way. went to the box Office and purchased
seat believe now that Mr.. Fox thought
be had virtually excluded me from the house
when he told me would have to pay IN or
der to get in
bought u seat in the parquet and went in
The audience was not large and there were
not over dozen ladies present
Pretty soon the orchestra began to ooze in
through little opening under the stage
Then the overture WIS given It was called
"Egmont." The curtain now rose on . scene
In Denmark had asked an usher to take .
note to Mr.. OConnor requesting an audience,
but the boy had returned with the statement
that Mr. OConnor was busy rehearsing his
soliloquy and removing a shirred egg from
his halidome.
He also said he could not promise an audi
ence to any one 1t was all he could do to
get enough himself for a mesa
Mr. UConnor introduces into his Hamlet
set of gestures evidently intended for
another play People who are going to act
out on the stage cannot be too careful in get
ting a good assortment of gestures that will
fit the play itself James has provided him
self with set Of gestures which might do for
Little Eva or Ten Nights in Barroom,
but they do not fit Hamlet. There is where
be makes a mistake Hamlet Is man whose
victuals don't agree with him. He feels
depressed and talks about sticking bodkin
into himself, but Mr. O'Connor gives him a
light elastic step and an air Of persifage,
bolhomie and frisk which does not fit the
character
Mr.. OConnor has sought in his conception
and Interpretation Of Hamlet to give 1t a
free and jaunty Kokomo favor-a nameless
twans Of ansy and dried apples which
Shakespeare himself failed to sock into bis
great drama
In seeking to combine the melancholy
beauty Of Hamlet's deep and earnest pathos
with the gentle hunlor OF "A Hole in the
Ground Mr. O'Connor has evidently corked
himself, as we say at the Browning club, and
! it is but justice after all Before We curse
the condemnation Of the people and the pres
let u carefully and prayerfully look our
selves over and seq if we have not over esu-
mated ourselves
There are many men alive today who do
not dare say anything without first thinking
how it will read in their memoirs-men
whom We cannot, therefore, thoroughly en-
joy until they ere dead, and yet whose graves
will be kept green only SO long as the appro-
priation lasts. Bill Nye in New York World.
STORIES -faAT MIGHT, sE TRUE.
THE DIscoMyTrrEp cAPfrAL1ss---s
There was once an alderman who was .,