Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-13
THEATERS LONG AGO.
An Old Play-goer's Recollection Of
Washington Performances.
FIFTY YEARS OF HAMLET.
Edwin Booth Contrasted Unfavorably With
His Father and Other Actors-Reminis-
cences of the stage in Neutrality-suspicious.
Celebrated in Theatrical History.
Written for The Evening Star.

- DAYS ago an admirable artlcie on the HdIh-
ut of Edwin Booth and others written by that
veteran of the press, Joe Howard. The article
was prepared with a knowledge and judgment
rarely seen nowadays in the theatrical depart
ment of the daily press. Those which we read
in the morning journals are many OF them pre-
pared in haste. and seldom is any attempt at
criticism worthy of the name indulSed in.
Mr.. Howard's article / have waited for for a
long while and most anNiously. as its coming
would open up desire on the part of the in
telligent play gOer to break away from the
conventional tone of criticism, 40 called, and
analyze for themselves, guided by such just
and competent critics, the performances of
those who fill the theaters. Mr. Howard so adj
mirably portrays this condition of the opinion
of the crowds which throng these performances
that NAV be pardOned for reproducing it,:
'.School girls. mdshy critics and the great body
of theater goers who never think for them
selves but saw amen 10 the utterances of their
favorite Journals. have been hurrahing for
thirty-five wears past that Edwin Booth is the
only and all-pt fleet HdI3ttk 1t Is time the
public who 50 literally patronize the
performances of those who tread
the boards in our cities should not
be controlled b. reaiy-made opinion forced
upon them through influences which are un-
derstood by those behind the scenes l well
come this OutSpOken critic. whose Judgment 10
faw in this generally conceived or tolerated
perfection. He p,icas this bubble reputation
anC advances unanswerable reasons, which
have all along existed. why some protest
should be made against the acceptance of the
oracular o. iuion he describes and which finds
its origin and its continuance i'll the name of
Booth. Succeeding his great father he failed
fo- wears 70 satisfy the Judgment of those who
had seen that matches actor that he retained
any Il the genius which made the name he
bears great. Ii seems strange that being with
that great actor FOR wears, "a his dresser he
should not have imbIbcd some of the power
which he nightly Witnessed and viii h COM
rl.IngtCd the i},illtISc OF the whole American
people. But THAI ne did not il too vlIin. too
self-evideUt to admit of argument. The seed
WIZ shOuld have brought forth some of he
characteristics Of his worthy progenitOv failed
To 'ahe root. and today he IL more like his
faith, than 10 Hercules
For wears Edwin Booth struggled under the
weight of Tn celebrated name he bore. unable
u an Ort 1t by any approach to its profess
sioEal fame. and it was not until VIM. Stewart
with his mastery management of him secured
the attention of the leading editorial writers of
New York cit. while M was playing under his
engagement At Winter Garden that he attracted
ans attention that could have led to success.
Lacking the first Essential BY which he might
hope To achieve success-want OF education
he had the contrast In meet in public who
recognized In his father a man OF scholarly
at;siHments. whose stady had not been con-
Uilttl G.fEIl-n stage. OUT embraced III Its
range the classic minds OF France: and that
study and knowledge enabled him 20 appear
with equal ability either stage. When.
therefore. the younger Booth is paraded a the
perfect H1H'tst he invites comparison from
which he must suffer.
HALF CENTURY OF HAMLETs.
With the HlnLets / have seen in the last fifty
years there are many with whom he bears no
comparison. and they come before me in grave
procession from the best davs OF the drama to
protest against the modern ideals. The Hdnt-
Ut OF James Cooper | can recall. but with so
little power To- describe il can only refer to it las
j; was considered at the tiIne--a performance of
great merit. The HGn,ie of the elder Booth |
haye'seen on more than occasion. and its
impress IL indelIbly fixeI in nv memory. How
completely his great CenIus effaced all thought
OF his physical pccuiIal tiles was one of the
wonderful evidences OF that talent. You only
saw Hamlet. After lie made his appearance
before his audience. he was no longer Booth. he
was H,1"tt. StT ours. SU' ECt,-Grd Mortimer,
Richard and anv character he portrayed That
voice so charming in the quiet. grave demeanor
of Hamlet. until he got tne cue for passion. left
nothing to- be desired and it vas the same in all
hir great characters. | saw him in the char
aeter OF HIE.5.f when he PLAYED his last en-
gagement here. and he held his audience SPELL
bound. as he had ever done III all the years he
trod the boards.
Charles heens H1mLet was a mastery per-
formance. but it held no place in memory like
of Wears Of study. / never saw it, but learned
something more of HGBet than L had known
before. and to me II was great performance,
but IT was not popular like his Lar. Otj.elO and
other Shakespearlan characters. The manner
Isms Of Mr. Aacready possibly more
observable in H1I,,Jet than III any Of his
great presentations His -NdcteM and his
H.THsr remain with me as his greatest
triumThs- George NandenhOfs HGmla a
beautiful performance. When first saw him
III Hamlet he in the very prime of life,
very handsome man whose elocutSbn was
families and whose stage Presence vas charm
lng That LdD'it remains III my mind
vi the very best ever saw.
vASDESHoTF AND MURDOCH.
One OF the finest performances I ever saw.
and it, memory Will never leave me. was the elder
V.ndeuhof Cato His rendering OF Add
son stately blank verse was unlike any other
OF the many eloquent efforts heard. The In
giiSh. undetilrd a. II came from his lips, have
never heard equIled. Mr.. DavenpOrts HGnia
was one Of the most finished performances that
ever graced the American stage. 4 agree fully
In al his friends claim for IL. bu. / cannot but
prefer the Hdntet of Murdoch. 1 hal the
pleasure Of seeing 1t frequently. and always
with renewed delight. His matchless eloc ntion
gave him great advantage over almost all who
performed the character while he trod the
boards. The name of Murd0sl, svakes a thou
sand delightful memories OF his great persona
sions. have seen him in all N them. but pre-
Ter his high comedy-for 1t was high comedy.
His Charles SuyGce. ROper. Captain Absolute
and, above ALL his Young Mir1bie, in the I'm
constant, has never been equaled on the Anne
rican or English stage. Who that has ever seen
him IN either of these character can forget him?
As Young NirdbJs he conquered the English
prejudice against American actors forty years
ago. and ~ the Haymarket played 1T for many
nights. an unprecedented event at that period.
He stlil lives 20 wear the laurels he won SO
nobly. and he has successor in those parts
he made his own, notably his own. for he ere
ated them. copying no one. seem almost to hear
row that Infectious laugh with which he moved
hls audience in fOanJ MirdbLe. and in Charles
SuSJdce recall see him so wildly in the screen
scene In the ''School for Scandal"
must recall a performance Of Sheridan's
masterpiece. with which Harry Jarrett favored
Washington audience. think in 1858. John
II. Ford was then the manager of the National
fheater and Joseph jefferson was stage
manager For one night Jarrett announced
The school for Scandal" with this great cast
M Petsr 7edzie, Harry P,acide; Crdbtree. Tom
Piaclde; SER Oic.S'. George Andrews Charles
I-lrfac., James T.. Murdoch; Joseph Surface;
jas ". Wallach; ST BenjoHsiH BdcEtite. Jo-
sspn Dawson; Moses. Joseph jefferson: Snake,
Ed"In Adams, Careless with song, Dolly
davenport; Trip. J. T. Howe; LAZY TeozLe,
Lizzie Weston (afterward Mrs. Charles Mat
news; Ms Cd'sfor, Kate Horn: Martd. Mary
DeYiIn tafterward the wife of Edwin Booth:
LdoJ SH'er,csH. Mrs. German. 1 need not say
tnere Wa barely standing room when the cur
VAN rose and need hardly do more than pub
H-h the cast. but amid liza. galaxy of dramatic