New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-18
THE MEININGEN ACTORS.
THEIR FIRST APPEARANCE IN A,fERrc,

A considerable part OF the dramatic companv/a,
ganzcd for the Court Theatre Of the Duke OF s,s.
Mcinngen came forth last night ut tho ITALIA Th,.,.
making It's first appearance in Amcrca-spd nv
formed schlcgcs version OF siakespearc's tragedy -
q Julius Caesar, The Thaa Theatre was d.,u.ss
crowded and great multitude saw the representss,
with obvious pleasure and complimented It with av.
applause The audience chiefly composed Of o.,
mans and the Germans, when excited. arc demo,
stratlve and reverteratory people They take a.
theatre very seriously, and an artistic achieyemss.
behind their lamps Is commonly rewarded with an -,
ploslon in front OF them The complete enjoyment a
German drama, accordingly, requires q taste for an
hIlnration and tumult There was complete eniov
ment upon this animated and interesting occasion
tn the Germans In America the advent OF the Msn
ooen actors Is fact OF signal importance. The ar1S
tic flower OF the fatherland blooms for them In thss
exile and exhales the fragrance OF home. Tho tea
OF German actingne the best OF French or Italian o.
English acting-is shown In select ana exceptional
Cases but tho perfection Of German stasemanagemus
&. no doubt displayed by these actors from Neins.
gen and that perfection, brought hlther across tho
sea NAV well evoke the response OF German en-
thus,asm. Such an able and welLappointed and vsiL
disciplined organization Is thing 10 be viewed with
nnde. For Americans, however, the arrival o. tho
Melningen Company, and especially It's advent 10
" Julius Caesar Is not momentous incinent The
great plays Of our language have been better setN
npon the American stage than they ere acted By
,oreIgners The languages Of France and Italy
Az indeed lend themselves more readily 10 dramatic
expression than the English language does. and In A
resnect French and italian actors have an advantage;
Init in other respects the advantage denied 10 Ten.
Je t'aIme' sounds as IL 1t meant more than Il love
YOU, but II does not; and when dramatic art cones
30 the expression OF love, or OF any other deep
emotion. the English temperament at once predomL
mates. by its tremendous intensity The average st
chs ctari zedh nv
fetal matters by scupuious accuracy In tribes; By
strenuous attention TO detail by emphasis upon ts
ensemble: by good photography. Englsh acting
which Is also American acting-is characterized BY ts
potentallty of profound feeling. Upon the one hand
there is profuse antic caper grimace, ana Varesata
display; upon the other there Is deep heart hs na
meant that the Continental actor necessarily lacks deep
feeling: but only that the Continental method OF m
preston is upon all occasions apt 10 be ELUSIVE Ford
and indiscrminate. 4 mal who always behaves as 4
he had Just sat down upon tack has no means OF &C.
centing the emotion with which be sits upon rdhe
coal This lesson has been thoroughly taught TO The
American public by its experience OF long line OF CON-
pacent and often condescendng foreigners beginning
with Risorl and salvini, and ending with Constan.
Coouelin and sarah Bernhardt For ths reason there
fore the American mind is at length able 10 accept all
foreign performers who may happen TO emerge, nd
indeed without satisfaction ard not without hospitality,
but with composure 1t is duly and properly impressed
Ii is not parayzed Even the art Of stage managementh
not unknown unpractised In America Plays have been
as well put upon the stage IN this country as ever
they were In any part of Europe. Our artists do not
always paint with as much mellowness Of tone, bat
our mechanics generally build better This very play
OF julius Caesar" long ago represented In New.
York-by Edwin Booth and his associates Of the carry
DAYS Of Booths Theatrc,-with a higher o'ier Il
dramatic ability than is possess by the Melninsea
Company; and, except that the Mob was not SIKH
sh.1
IL is not needful at the moment 10 suggest that
Julius Caesar is a good play. some idea Of It's
mcritoious character has Sene,lly been entertained.
The Mciningen Actors made a wise choice when tLc5
chose it as the vehicle for their emergencc here.
Their characteristic and exceptional excellence Is
minute fidelity to the details of actual life Thcy
are remarkably strong OIL Mobs and for MODS tho
play of "Jullus Caesar affords u l.beial s'O!0
There is one for Casca: ore for Julius h.ms,l; Ons
for Marc Antony, AID Tor Briius; aud al me way
from the Lupercal at Rome 10 the encanpnent es
Plilppi the movement OF the piece Is ATTENDED ~
auSillaffes 1t is easy TO perceive the eopous oP
portuny thus afforded for varieties OF stature, canS
nance, rament weapons, cOlors, voices, GROUPING DO
meanor, movement and gcstcrlotOn. That oppos-
tunity has been improved b. the director OF thes
artists with broad Intelligence, with consuminau
taste and with prodigious patience. The result Is
series Of living pictures in which, While ueN
wonderful strength OF contrast tierc Is perfect mar
mony of details, and therefore the unnu2ated iO'cs
OF natural effect. This Kind Of ueatmeH',-"hlea
would be Inappropriate II it were applied to the inter
preta,ion OF poetic ea-may successfully be applied
10 the exhibition Of prosac masses o! people 1t Oud
indeed easy to carry it too far little Of me Aos
Il sufficient and II there were nothing else la tho
tragedy of julius Caesar tban iS portray al VI inc
tickle and clanOrous popuiace OF Rome IL w0hh soon
become Il burden. An eNigInt thinker might. IN
deed, be justified in believing that the tendency Of
such art as that OF the Menlagen Actors Is TO exat
the embe ishments Of "a play anoyc It's moinlnS ana
by enrichment OF the frame to obscure the picture
spectator gets nothing very valuable who gets Moth
Ing but prose facts. The nal effect OF realism is 10
impoverish dramatic art. a stase-manGsers vttcr'
is gained with Just enough of scenic fact TO Impose
UPON the senses such an Illusion poetry has created
aud the Imagination is willing % accept one piteo
more means defeat. in a dramatic representation TIC
essential thing Is the art OF the actor heMo!e'
Ohelo in a red British uniform and Bens!eys laSo u
u blue good, as representations tbas ~
spectator was troubled the subject OF their laneAh
Garrick, as Hamlet, wore court suit of the time Of
George the ThiId-but he acted the part. by al
means let us have fine scenery and correct dresses ana
let Us admire the Meinngen Actors for their hdeiiy 70
fact Yet let not forget that is not the fact sy
the soul that conQuers-Got the word that Gives me-
but the spiritand that over AL the achievements VI
genius Of acting bends like blue sky with tne s ~
ms merldiaa and ali beneath him submerged in m'
glory. - -, h..
1t ought not TO be denied however, that more ~
been attempted than simply the embelllshmeht VI m
piece-that the purpose has been 10 make ui' "a
beshment result OF the persons, the situations ss
the action and that messurdbly, this purpose mas O
accomplished. Actors Of predominant power anu ' IA
thraIllng charm In the principal characters, wou.a
have subdued the glare Of the environment ana msss
Il tributary themselves; but II happens tlst so
arc no such actors in this The hncst impersoDss
ton was that OF julius Caesar, by Ismar KNOTT ia
| next to that stood the embodiment OF Iv's n
| by Anna HaverlaDd-wh0 Is a woman VI, ID
| sentially emotional power and feminine M
| nation. Both these performers have dlsuhsSS,
and the simplicity OF truth But u is Ia'n.'
to Erutus Cassius and Antony that the obseryant ~
tention expands when looking upon this tfssesut;
| ihey were picturesque figures last night, ana na
plenty Of voice and that Is all The representa- Se Val
bruts Is one Of those actors who consider IL lehs
to work the countcnance and heave the chest hiS
listening; and perhaps there characters 70 M
that method might be suitable but the massive e.,