The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-09-21

proper environment Of the beautiful lady
Of Belmont Ard beautiful lady, truly,
10 the heiress Of Belmont ~ shown BY
Miss Terry. n all her movements. - In al
her moods, her winning preftiness and
her stately dignity hold ard charm
True woman throughout, she moves Ike
the spirit Of dream through the realities
Of life II Is not TOO much 70 say that
Ellen Terry j. the very personincsfion OF
grace and sweetness, and In after years shs
viii be spoken Of ss great tradition, which
sets an example impossible Of realization
As Mr. Irving's version OF The Merchant
Of Venice restores the long Eth
act, Portia 10 seen ~ the best. when the
gloom Of snyiock's tall. with which it -
impossible no. 10 sympashize. II oissipated
in the poetEczi and 81 the same time humor-
Gus solution Of the mystery OF the lost
rings, the play is restored 90 It's place as .
comedy, ia which shyioek's passion and
hate are dominant portions OF the play IS
such but not the whole. OF course the most
dramatic scene II the trial, and here the
whole resources Of hEstrionic art seem TO
be exhibited by the players. though in that
form Of artistic truth which supports the
teaching ara cst0rs. dTt<m. The rage and
violence Of Shylock. his hatred Of Antonio
both as man and merchant and Christian;
his frenzy at hrs treatment By his daugh-
ter and AZ the loss of his treasure-all
which seem to have been accentuated by
the actor co as 20 allow Of the finer play Of
feeling which can only Be shown in calmer
sfyle-have given way 20 the cold. deadly
calm Of the man who knows that mis- tri-
umph Is II hand and that his revenge is
seon 10 be giutted. ShyIock can now af-
ord TO wait-nay, more, the very waiting il
in Itself enjoyment Of the hercest kind,
for IL allows q prolonged gioating
over the pain and woe Of his victim.
The poet has raised bis pnppet high into
the air in order that bis fail may he the
greater. and so great is that fall that those
who have momentarIly hated him for his
greed and the lust of his revenge feel their
rage turned to pity and their seorn to
sympathy as with bowed head and broken
mien he passes out, his woe-oegons, agony
drawn face leaving on the beholder an inn
preston which no time can ever efacc.
IL an audience were only 10 see this one
look on the great actors face he would I'M
doubtediv receive some Of the same need
and tribute of approval as was shown in
the positive tempest OF applause which
shook the building at the close of the
fourth act. Mr.. William Terriss as Bas-
sanio was strong and forcible and graceful,
and Mr.. Haviland an impressive Antonio.
In showing such play in Seattle and in
such a way Mr.. Irving and Miss Terry
have created debt of gratitude on
the part of our city and citizens to
whom art and all the sweetness which
follows art are dear. As the costume of
Venice was much the same as that of
London in the Eszabethan period. the
audience OF last night saw the play as
Shakespeare saw it in his own theater.
with, of course, the additional advantage
that last night We had scenery and effects
of light and shade which were non-exist-
ant in the sixteenth century, but
which would have without doubt made
glad the heart of the poet. AL
together Seattle has never seen such
play or such acting. and the memory of
last night must be lasting one. Tonight
the same play is TO be repeated at Tacoma.
and as arrangements have been completed
to secure the return of visitors from Seat
tie after the play, an added opportunity is
given to those who could not obtain places
for last night to see what they never saw
before anu may never see again.
An effort was made to interview Mr..
Irving and Miss Terry between acts but
they we're inaccessible owing to an inexor-
able rule of Mr.. Irving's not to receive any
one while on the stage. and even not TO
allow anyone not connected with the pro-
duction upon the stage. Mr.. Bran Stoker
who has been for fifteenyears acting man.
ager for Mr.. Irving. however, said that the
great actor was very much impressed with
what he had seen of the natural beauties of
this section of country, and that he felt
very grateful for the warm reception he
had met on the Pacific coast. The Ameri-
can four of the company will last until
about the end of March, when the
company will return TO England. There
are over ninety people in the company,
which includes some of the best known
artists on the English stage. As to which
of Mr.. Irving's many impersonations
he felt himself strongest in, Mr..
Stoker said that he never had
heard him say and he doubted
II he had ever answered that question I'M
qualifiedly, nor the question as to which
OF them he liked best to present, but of
the great characters he had pre-
scented oftenest perhaps shylock and
Hamlet. His impersoEation of Shy
lock was one of his greatest successes. and
on its first presentation by him at the
Lyceum thesser in London IN 1879 il had
the unparalleled run of $50 nights. Miss
Terry's greatest successes have been in
the presentation of Beatrice and Portia.
The company goes to Tacoma tonight.
where the Merchant of Venice" will
again be produced. The train will he held
after the play for the benefit of those from
this city who wish to attend. The COM
pany will go from Tacoma TO ST. Paul and
81 Ens