New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-12-17
THE DRAMA.
Mr.. MANSFIELD AS RICHARD ILL.,

the Character OF Glostcr in shakespeares tragedy a,
Richard the Third The actors effort Is ambition,
and noble, and his achievement was crowned WITH
The success that 1t entirely deserves de,cr,nua"
Of this performance was printed In this Journal =.
october 22-the morning after Mr Mansfield pl.v.,
Richard for the first time In Boston but the exeer
tIonal importance Of the work justiHes. and lndss
compels, further consideration OF IT, Mr. Manse.,s
is the rising tragic actor Of this period and into ~
hands will be committedif he shall choose 10 accen.
the trust, which certainly he Is qualified 10 hoM"
the banner OF tragic art in this Nation when
Iasses from the grasp Of the elder tragedians NH.
bear II now. The spirit OF his public life the rsh,
splrit-scholarlke, artistic, thoughtful and GEM.
The power with which he administers affairs Of N.
stage is fact affecting the public welfare. ana
therefore fact to be recognized and appreciaAa
lie has not only set before the community an or,a
nal and remarkably powerful embodiment Of one =
the great characters in Shakespeare but he has a.
complished thoroughly adequate production-com.
prehensive elaborate, accurate, macmfoentIy uc.o
rial and POLITICALLY true of enc Of the most imuo,
tant plays in the language.
Artistic fruton Of this order is not less eloo,s,.
Of golden promise than IL is dihusve OF present A.
light The continued success Of Mr.. Mansfield mean.
the advancement of tho American theatre and AT "a
time has public duty been clearly obvtous ,h,,
IS at this moment the duty OF the intellectual norton
| of this communicative men and women who really
know anything about the art OF acting and really
value and esteem Ito sustain this intrepid scto,
in the noble enterprise upon which he has eharka.
II stage is TO be liberated from the tyrannv
of mean motives and low ideals, II 1t is ever TO Accom-
psh worhier results than the enrichment OF so,s,a
Spectators who traffic in the antics Of clowns th.,
result only be obtained by practical recognitlon
of Intellectual endeavor. AT this moment in New.
York-with Mr.. Mansheld's production Of Richard
the Third" Mr.. Days production Of As You Like IT.
and Miss Marie wainwright's production Of Twelfth
raal.a
splendid manifestation Observance Of the public re-
sponse will doubtless teach valuable lesson; but
whatever may be the nature Of that response II will
remain true that to grizzle and to grin is the chief
object Of human life
Upon Mr. Mansfed's advent as Gloster the expires.
sion of public favor was fervent with enthusiasm
Again and again, at his first entrance, the cordial
sympathy and admiration Of the people uttered itself
in copious plaudits, and many times as the nigAt
wore on the pleasure Of the multitude expressed
with emphatic force. There could be no doubt TO
the heartiness Of the welcome, and equally there
could b2 no doubt to the popular verdict. The
actor seemed TO feel the Importance OF the occasion.
and his fine powers exerted with splendid vigor
The ideal of Richard that is expressed by Mr. Mans
field does not materially differ from that which has
been manifested by great tragic actors from Gsrna
to Booth. lie embodes a demonac scofer Who
ertheess is a human being The Internal wickednes
Of Richard in this embodiment Is impelled By
tremendous intellect, but it is slowly en-
ervated and ultimately thwarted and ruined by the
cumulative operation OF remOrse-corroding at tho
heart and finally blasting the whole man with desc
latlon and frenzy. This undoubtedly was Shake
speare's design and this could not we'll be missed
by any close and capable student Of the tragedy.
But Mr.. Mansield's expression OF this ideal does
differ from that to which the stage has generally
been accustomed and in this respect his impersons
ton is distinctive and original.
The old custom of playing Richard was TO take tho
exaggerated statements Of the opening soiloquy in
a literal sense to provide him with big hump.
lame leg, and fell Of straight black hair; and to
make him walk on, scowling, with his lower lip pro-
ruded and state with snarling vehemence and gut
ural voclferaton his amiable intentions Of specous
duplicity and miscellaneous slaughter The opening
speech which is in shakespeare's Juvenile and worst
manner-a tumid orotund, verbose manner, which
he had caught from Marlowe, and which, fortunately,
he outgrew and abandoned--was thus utilized
for displaying the character in a massed aspect, az
that of 1osthsome hypocrite and murderous vii,
lain; and this being done, he was made TO advance
through about twohirds of the tragedy, merriy yet
ferociousy Staying everybody who came in his way,
until at some convenient point, defnable at the OPP
ton Of the actor he was suddenly smitten with
suffciency of to account for his trepidatoR
before and during the entscene, and thereafter he
launched into combat like metcoric butcher.
all frenzy and all gore and killed amid general
claim when he had fenced himself out of breath.
This treatment Of the character doubtless in
part necessary consequence of Shakespeares perfume
tory partial adoption Of the false Tudor doctrine that
Richard simply blood bothered monster; but In
far larger degree it the result of Cibber vulgar
and abominable distortion OF the original piece The
actual character Of the King,-who in life one OF
the abest and wisest and in some respects one OF
the best monarchs who ever reigned over England
has never recovered and will recover, from the
hldeous injustice that heaped upon it By the
Tudor historians, and accepted and ratified by the
great poetic genius Of Shakespeare. The stage char
acter of the King has been almost as efectually
manned by the ingenious theatrical oaptrap with
which Cibber misrepresented and vulgarzed Shake
spears conception assisted by the efforts OF long line
of blood and thunder tragedians only too well pleased
TO depict the CORY, blaherng and nugging miscreant
whom alone their limited intelligence, enabled them
comprehend. The stage Richard 5wever may pos
sibly be redeemed. In Cibber he s everything that
Queen Margaret calls him. and mnch worse than
brute. III Shakespeare although I. miscreant ne Is
man. The return to Shakespeare accordingly,
the step In the right direction. THIS was undertaken
some time ago, although not persisted In nrst o'
samuel Phelps, then by Edwin Bsoth, and inca "
Henry Irving. Ii is made by Richard hansheH
and the energy with which he has pushed his enter
prise both in England and here at home, during wv
wears of splendid artistic effort affords suspicious
srrance that il will not be lightly reinqushed
Unon the version Of Richard the Third ua'
acted by Mr. Mansfield, and OF which he is the us''''
some comment has already been made IN tins pAoe'
Ie has used only few lines from Cibber the pnss"o'
Of which merely serves To show that they are SUPER
auous He begins with bright scene before uS
Tower of London-a magnificent piece of psinuhs-
cmbellished with a procession. in which ElIaoeh
Queen of Edward " is the principal person. and VIA
this he depicts the glorious summer when - W
serve as the background for Glosters gtering WICKET
ness lie passes the programme speech and goes "
the scene in the tower-chamher Of Henry the sn~
which, of course. is an Introduction from the piS
that name After this he proceeds to the wooin.
Lady Anne, not in a London street but in rural pss
on tho road 10 Chertsey. His version then SHOWS wv
courtier and relatives mourning for King ha"s,
the episode of the boy Princes the Buckingham pO.