Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-06-14

ciphered: .
Last evening Mr.. William Shakespeare
appeared at this place in piece which he
has written himself, and called "Hamlet, ~
play with which he has been atoretime do
ing the one night towns His troupe came
in from the West on load of hay ut about
II o'clock and played before the Mayor at
O'clock in order to get liceuse to play here
this week at the Globe, under the manage
ment of John Burbage.
Wanted an Unbiased Criticism.
We would naturally think that John Bur-
bage would have enough "savey" about
him, even if this Young scene eater of his
did not, to see that the press might be
decently treated and suitable seats provided
for its representatives, but, as nearly as we
are able to make out, the bright young
.poacher from Avon desired to have an en-
tirely mprejudiced opinion regarding his
debut, and if he will cast his eve over these
columns he will probably read in these lines
o good imitation of a man trying, to write
an unbiased and entirely bipartisan opinion
of play after paying for his tickets.
Dick Burbsge, Larry Fletcher, Gus Phil
lipps, Jack Heminge, Hank C0ndell, Billy
sly. Bob Amin aud Dick Cowley supported
Shakespeare fairly well, but not so well as
in barking up the wrong tree. Hamlet is
not destined to reach holiday performance
in the opinion of the critic of this paper
If we had written it he would give it
souvenir night, and in answer to q loud and
pressing call on the part of the
public he would substitute 'Fanchon, q" with
Maggie Mitchell in the title role.
Shakespeare's Stomach Was Empty.
"Hamlet'' is a sort of Scandinavian or
Danish play. Shakespeare takes the title
role, but he lacks good deal Of taking the
cake. Most of the audience were worried
all the evening, and several even inquired
of the star openly what was eating him.
Shakespeare said afterward that he thought
the play was too subtle for our people.
Also that he could have played better if he
had had something to eat during the day.
Shakespeare is essentially tank actor.and
when he tries to elevate the stage he should
do it by mechanical means.
We could not bel p feeling sorry for Dick
Burbage,, who played 0pl,eid, last evening.
His whiskers cast gloom over the charac-
ter, and when he stepped on his dress and
tore out all the gathers in the front breadths
he would have been indeed tough who could
have sat there and laughed and cracked hick-
ory nuts, as some near US done last night.
The day may come when the stage will be
elevated, but if Bill Shakespeare is going to
do it he will have to get more of move on
him than he had last night, he can safely bet
his sweet life. As it is now an actor is re-
garded here as q sort Of leper in grease
paint, and we look TO somebody with more
intellectual pap and high purposes than
this canvas covered Hamlet from the interior
to jerk the profession out Of the sinkhole to
which it has sunk.
He Apologies in Rhyme.
Shakespeare knows as we'll as anybody
this sad condition of things, for last even
ing after the alleged play, and while wash
ing off his makeup at the horse-trough back
of the old Globe Theater, he was approached
by young schoolmistress from White
chapel road, who had plush album, and
after drying his hands on her apron with
profuse apologies, wrote as follows:
o for my sake do you with Fortune chide,
The guilty goddess of my harmful deeds,
That did not better for my life provide
Than public means, which public manners
breeds.
Thence comes it that my name receives
brand,
Aud almost thence my nature is subdued
To what it works in like the dyer's hand.
"You are welcome to the verse" he said,
as he gave her back the album and stylo-
graphic pen, "but if there be yet anything
in your dinner pail, cen though it be but a
despised Bacon riDd, 1 would take it most
kindly, fair one, if might sock my snoot
beneath the lid and find, mayhap, besides,
the pelt OF q forgotten pTune" With that