Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-02
THE TOPICAL TALKER.
It is Only Mr.. Booth Who Can Draw Ont the
Full Critical Powers of the Community.

| It is Only MIR. Booth Who Can Draw Out the
Full Critical Powers of the Community.
IT is fact that Mr.. Booth draws to the
| theater some women and still more men who
seldom go there and who are considerably
above the average theatergoer in intellectual
attainments. One of the results of this is that
there is more criticism Of Mr.. Booth of an in.
telligent order than any other actor can ex.
tract from the public. The public generally
does not pause to critlcse very often. 1t likes
an actor or it doesn't, and rarely goes to the
trouble of explaining the why or wherefore
even to itself.
On every occasion during the last three years
that Mr.. Booth has visited this city number
of criticisms of his acting have been received
by THE DISPATCH. Two years ago gentle
man, who did not sign his name, sent to the
writer a series of criticisms of singularly
acrid and almost abusive character, with the
apparent purpose of exalting Mr.. Barrett at
the expense of Mr.. Booth. Their lack Of sigma
ture led them to the waste basket, although
anyhow, clever as they were, they would have
probably landed there.
Below will be found an interesting letter
treating of Mr.. Booth and the possibility of
improving his acting of Shylock. II is hardly
necessary to state that THE DISPATCH does
not indorse the views expressed in the letter.
In fact the criticism published in these columns
yesterday upon ''The Merchant of Venice
affirms that Mr.. Booth succeeds in reproducing
in all essential ways ShyIock as Shakespeare
drew the character, and as the great dramatist
supposed the Venetian Hebrew to be. 1t must
be remembered that Shakespeare probably
knew little of Venice, or the Hebrew mer-
chants there, and painted Shylock from nature
In London, supplying not little of what he
intended for local color from imagination
purely.
THE letter is, Is follows: The recent per-
formance of the Merchant of Venice" shows
a master hand ia its setting; great historical
study and care 20 reproduce the surroundings
of man relating to the play. But there is
tinge of disar pointment left after the per
formance. We acknowledge with pleasure 1he
high treat we lave received, but we still fall
for more from man who is capable OF much
1t seems to me that what was lacking was The
real man, as h. lived in Venice centuries back.
Some one has defined progress ''as the grandest
transition from the artificial to the naturil,"
and progress is apparent to anyone who knlws
of the CLASSIC heroes of Corneille and Racine,
who dressed appeared and acted as Frelch-
men of the seventeenth century, and OF the
later actors whose skill consisted, in the best
cases, in representing conventional types, as
far as the player could identify himself With
them and think how they would have acted
really. Realism is growing The best acors
now carefully study the local conditions of
time and place and take great pains to repro-
duce them. AS far as the inanimate part of the
play is concerned, there is little more left to be
desired. But, after all, the object of the drama
is representation of the human emotions and
actions; the scenery is important only in SO far
as it explains and conditions these. Now, while
the traditional mannerisms, passing from one
actor to another have lost great deal OF their
importance, still we cannot say yet that we get
satisfactory representation of the classic
types as they really existed. We all the tine
see the clever American as he would have done
If placed in these surroundings.
II is but truism to say that the actions and
motives of different nations and times are DIFF
ferent, but it takes an extended and deep
study of men to notice those differences
and talent to reproduce them. The
legitimate next step in the progress OF the
drama must be founded upon obseryationsof
man, instead of theory; it is to drop tradition
altogether, to cease thinking out how certain
person would have acted in real life, and to 90
back to nature and observe minutely how tile
people nearest to his type really do act. This
next change is coming on and pracuced already
to some little extent but it is not fullt
acknowledged yet. We have historic accuracy
in the scenery: now we want the same in man.
not in his dress simply, but in his soul. But he
who would do this needs be more than an
ordinary man, because the public are trained
now to conventional standards; if Shytock him
self were to appear, they would esteem him but
a sorry actor, and ridicule him: he might lose
money. But the more honor to the man who
can boldly take this next step and force an
of its truth from prejudice.
Yours etc. 7. COLIN.