Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-06
THEIR FAREWELL.
Booth and Modjeska Take Their Leave of
Piftsburr In rhrse Dramas

Piftsburg In Three Dramas.
The versatility of Mr.. Booth was magnificent
| ly illustrated yesterday. In the afternoon he
was gallant lover, courtly and comely in the
garb Of Benedict, stepping to the merry meas
ure OF Shakespeare in much Ado About
Nothing;" in the evening hump-backed and
deformed, with grisly dwarfs face and
a court TESTERS coarse wit, he shone
in the grim tragedy Of aThe Fools Revenge -
In both roles be was the great actor, the
| supreme genius, but we have no hesitation in
saying that the atmosphere Of tragedy suited
him far better than that Of comedy. There was
physical reason for some Of the defects of
Booths Benedict Mr.. Booth was suffering
from dizziness and biliousness yesterday. 1t
made it hard indeed for the actor to simulate
the merry air OF raillery that is Benedicps chief
characteristic. And yet there was rare art in
his delineation of the character. Everything
Mr.. Booth does is born of art.
To his BENEDICT Madam Modjeska was q
wondrousiy charming Beatrice. A sunny,
laughing, caprlcious woman, in whose mouth
the sparkling lines were quite at home. The
charms OF face, figure and admirable taste in
dress which Madam Mod jeska invariably brings
to any part she may assume were doubly po-
tent engrafted upon the personality Of Bedtrtce
The part is beloved by the actress, and In it
she has won thousands Of hearts. Yester-
day she scored another conquest in
alss otis sEinhsr Marda osagen hae,s: asro
Hanford were as usual very satisfactory, and
the Dogoerry and Verges of Mr. Ben Rogers
and Mr.. Owen Fawcett were classically excel
leut in their presentment of the humorous
scenes allotted them.
The play was marred by the poverty of the
scenery, the bad acting of one or two in the
cast, and by the fact that only Mr. Booth was
letter perfect. None of the others knew their
lines Hence, the performance resembled
dress rehearsal.
The evening performance was more salts
factory. The somber character of Tom
Taylor's drama "The FOOLS Revenge was
acting than 1t was last night. Mr.. Booth was
Bertuccio, the jester With a nump-back,
twisted, mishapen limbs and features drawn
awry, the 1.-the, graceful figure and calm
intellectual face of Mr.. Booth was hardly
recognizable. The makeup was very hideous,
and SO tribute again to art. Not less repul-
siye were the gestures and grimaces with which
the actor emphasized his lines. 1t is something
to remember how Mr.. Booth compelled ones
sympathy to 90 out to the ill-used, vengeful
monstrosity he personated. Grotesque and un-
canny as is the story, the main motive of the
plot is intensely natural and human, and it was
this motive upon which the auditors attention
was torcibly riveted. The climax in the story
and in Mr., Booths impersonation comes at the
point where Bertuccto discovers that instead OF
betraying his enemy's wife into the hands Of
licentious lords, it is his own daughter
whose voice he hears within the banquet
chamber. The piteousness of the TESTERS at
tempts. by pretending merry contentment
with his daughters ruin at such lordly hands
to enter the chamber and rescue her. was the
note which Mr.. Booth struck with the grandest
effect. The sublime patnos of the jester's
death showed the actor at his strongest. It
was fitting finale to the many triumphs of
the week.
A young and graceful actress. Miss Mazda
Craigen, had the sarduous task Of supporting
Mr.. Booth. She played the pathetic role Of the
TESTERS daughter with q modest force and f1n-
ish seldom found in young actors. The tender
ness of the scenes between the girl and her
father took on a rarely natural sweetness be-
cause of Miss Craigen's aptitude to suit
the key of her impersonation to Mr..
Booths. Once more it is pleasant to
say that Mr.. Otis Skinner made every line al
lotted to him tell. Though but a minor part,
the poet Dell 'AquilG in his hands became
very gracious and romantic character. There
is no one else to praise, and again must the
fault be found that several of the actors had to
depend upon Mr.. Booth to prompt them in
their lines.
The performance Of the comedy donna
Diana" concluded at such a late hour-close to
midnight-that nothing more than the fact that
Madame Modjeska revealed herself in rather
novel and decidedly pleasant character can be
now recorded. HEPBURN JOHNS.