New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-01-09

Shakespeare oyer reached and vhen 80" consider a
where in him n more lofty llnc than cis0Datra'S
Give me my robe pu, On my crown have
Immortal lOngings IN met
When. therefore these great characters are map
prOpriaiey assumed. the one by an cNcm'naic stage
STRIPPING and the other by belle Of hs
drawn groom. needh 10 PRO est against
obvious dcsecra'iOn Of shakespeare's poetry. Tho
revival Of Antony and S,eopstrs : hat vas se-
compllshcd last night at PalmeTS Theatre presents
that great tragedy not As play. with The parts
judciously cast and adequately mpersonsed. bat as
a spectacle with the chief characters undertaken by
ex Experimental frgers Mr. Kyrlc Below. indeed. Is
trained actor and good one' ioF certain parts and
within his limit, ono Of The pest actors now befors
the public But Mr. Below. assuming 10 be the An
tony that Is drawn In Shakespeare. makes himself
merely absurd. Stature. power fondy. mariaD
distinction volume Of feeling and Of voice the capacity
of imagination; the capacity OF vehsm.nce delirlum
combative predominancc electrical action; passionate
abandonment and the calm grandeur Of despair.
oil absent from his personality aud temperament. AZ
they were from his Performance ana Without tbese
there can be no Antony. In he fourth act o. The
by sea- the revulson against Cleopatra and The fatal
actions seQuent on false report OF her deafh-Anony
b J" Of adSsb and s s SS a. from 11 natural raj
causes. unattalnable by men OF tho light cspre %
Mr. Bellew Antony a. the last. Is ruin and. Ike
ruin, dark. weird. grim. lonely and haggard. he
should seemingly be seen under a cold and mrd sun
set sky, wherein the black clouds gather while tho
rising wind blows merciless and hopeless over an In
tervcnIng waste Of rock and desert These images
with which. practically. Mr. Bellows ideal IS no moro
IL harmony than fuc would be With thunder
Mrs. Potter, moro feeble in Cleopatra than in
anything else that she has yet undertaken. IS Ons
Of those performers g2on who's preceding, i Is
unkindness IS Intended No impression is
conveyef elther Of ntrll.cta purP2se. stability q
with Marian and the Messenger, in the second and
third acts Of this tragedy would tax tho resources OF
the most accomplished actress on the stage-so great
IS their draft upon the variety ~ emotion in a
woman's nature and upon technical skill In dramatic
expression and these are, perhaps, The least difficult
undertake Cleopatra as lightly as u n we're LynIa
If there were ability and deep heart behind II, and
in that sense it would be admirabo, and one day IL
might become victorious. What It {, in fact can
not be expressed IN gentle words Mrs Potter made
a liberal display of gorg ous ramen Much SUES SUES,
But the embodiment was weak and common an
cxcmplifcation Of the most prolix form Of parl9r
tableaux. Mrs. Potter and Mr.. Bellew would prob
ably attain 70 their natural artistic Level ~ me
Dialma in the romance Of "The Wandering Jew
They arc conspicuously INADEQUATE 70 me reqnre-
not displayed at ifs true worth with these inefficient
A, show-pece this production might be made
successful with the public. The scenery and dresses
although composite miscellaneous and not distinctly
pictorial and splendid Esp, had been conquered
by the Greeks and there would be warrant for tho
Use Of mingled Creek and Egyptian dresses. Bgi the
nonulace Ia NOT fastifOus a. 10 points OF This kind
pageant IS a pageant-so thai u be SllteIlnS ana
CAV The piece however. should be made clearly III
telllgble-whlch il IS not, except 10 spectstos
already acquainted with nsnd there should be much
curtailmenf of professions and Of the text ~ tns
actors last night Mr. Harry Edwards alone delivered
ANYTHING wel-snd Mr. Edwards. for Enobarbus.
somewhat lacked ughtsome elegance and me me.
scriptiye speech about the barge, however, proved
the gem Of the night and his death scene had simple
tenderness and nature. u would be essential Ike
wise for Mr. Bellew, as Antony, 70 remember mat
there Il perccptibe difference between warrior
fmst come from battle and perfuned beau Just lib-
Grated from handbook. Finally. Mrs. Pouer-upOn
whom mainly the future Of the enterprise depends
could help IT materially by practical attention 70 no
fact that nhakesrssrcs cleopatra Is Queen and INC
heroine Of poetic tragedy.