New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-12-05
The DRAMA-MUSIC
HENRY IRVING AND ELLEN TERRI
QUEEN KATHARINE AND woI.ry.

H''" - part spectacle and part drama, and II thus
aHords double opportunity-that Of pictorial IL
luSUation and that of acting. That opportunity
mas been improved, with thoughtful uurposc and
WIN the effect of potent intellect and much scenic
spiendor The cast enlists. for the principal parts
MT. Irving. Miss Terry. Miss Amy Coleridge Mr.
| "copper" Mr.. Terriss. Mr. Tyars, Mr. Vincent Mr.
| Johnson and Mr.. Howe and the scenes which have
been set to represent the banquet-hal in Wosey's
palace,-York Place. afterward Whtehal-the
ecclesiastical court, at Blackfrars, and the vision
| OF the dying Queen Katharine are among the most
| beautiful that our stage has displayed. As an
historical lesson that presentment will confer much
benefit while as exemplary OF the art Of acting II
is authoritative with mind and opulent with delicate
! loneliness. Ellen Terry's performance Of Queen
| Katharine among all her admirable achievements
certainly was the greatest Image Of representative
| human experence,-love, success. honor. abandon
| ment, misery and imminent death.-that she has
set before the public view: and for that perform
| dnce alone the production Will always be memo
rabe. Mr. Irving gave a subtle stately potent and
| deeply touching embodiment of Wclsey Mr. Terriss.
| as King Henry VIII. at his best Of bluff de-
meanor. vocal sorority and sumptuous personal
| adornment and he reflected most admirably "a
colossal image OF compacent and arbitrary self
! shness. Mr. Cooper rightly presented buckingham
as person of much elegance, and, although rash
| in temper. notable for refinement and melancholy
grace. Mr.. Howe was particularly felicitous In the
| part of the just and gentle Griffith y scene OF
| great pomp and magniiicence set for the last
| act.--the triumph of Queen Anne Bullen and the
| christening Of the infant Princess Elizabeth.-a
portion OF Henry the Eighth never before acted
! in America.
More than forty years ago that thorough Shake
speare scholar. Mr.. SPEEDING published an argumen-
| tative paper, tending to prove that the play OF
| Henry the Eighth" was not written wholly by
| Shakespeare. but in great part composed by
his brilliant youthful contemporary, John Fletcher
| No external evidence to establish that proposition
| produced. Mr. SPEEDING had minuely eN-
| amlned the verincation and having assigned the
piece to a certain period in Shakespeares life, he
declared that the style in which the greater part OF
it is written is not the style to which Shakespeare
had then attained. but is distinctly the style OF
| Fletcher Mr.. Spedding's conclusion was (and h
| maintained ii with ingenuity and cogency) that
Shakespeare wrote five scenes and part OF another
| and that Fletcher wrote the rest. including VOL
sey's famous farewell to greatness. and the pas
| sage that contains the dying Katharine's vision
Other Shakespeare scholars have adopted Mr.. sped
dings belief, and some writer's have gone 50 far a
| TO aege that Fletcher must have written inc
| whole play and that Shakespeare had no part In
! It's authorship \ certain incoheronce IN It's con-
struction together with the prosaic quality Of some
! of its verse (such, for example as King Henrys
long speech about his matrimonial scrupies). seems
to indicate the presence Of another hand beside that
| Of Shakespeare. The piece was published in the
Folio Of 1922 but it has long been apparent tha'
| Hemnge and Condell were such careless editors
| that their Folio cannot be implicitly trusted
Whether entirely only partially the work OF snake
| speare however the drama as to It's quality. re-
| mains unchanged. 1t is. as Coerdge called H.
an historical masque or show-liece IL contains
pageantry, character and incident. but not much
movement Its subject is the ruin OF great persons,
! such as buckingham, Wolsey. and Queen Katha-
| rine-and the worldly triumph OF insensate selfish
materialism embodied In King Henry. Upon that
state of things which is chronic in human expert
| ence Shakespeare's comment may be discerned In
! every part Of his works:
why let the STRICKEN deer go weep.
The hart unsaed play:
For some must watch, while some must sleep
SO runs the world away
In the person of Queen Katharine. Shakespeare
has presented sweet and patient but an Imperial
woman upon whom misfortune, injustice, ana IN
dignity are heaped with unmerciiui proiuslon' III
at last her spirit Is subduod and she dies Of
broken heart. Queen Katharine is a sufferer ana
| the appeal that her character and experience max,
| il to human compassion for wrctchcIn,si, human
resentment against the nniction Of unmcri woes
and human reverence for pure, masn4A'inous'
submissive and lovely soul. The scenes IN when
| the Queen is displayed although momenious are
not those OF much action, and the requirement OF
the part is a presentment OF convincing personality
| rather than of deed.-for which reason II can Only
be portrayed with success by woman whose ma
| ture Is both imperial and tender. No fenciy oil
sr can there sIli,py the place individual power.
sancti,y and charm. Ellen Terry, from ne tim
| of her first appearance in this country, when She
acted Queen Henrietta Maria. in the tragical pay
| OF Charles the First, has HlahHes''u eap go
| pre-eminence In precisely such dramatic cohuiuohS
| as are thus ordained Her queens are not tne
| painted potentates who live in pack OF ear4ns.
her queens women she mace Queen ~ ,i,"' i''
stately but not masculine; authoritative. hut not
pugnaciousy formidable, supleme ID ha'u u,i,
jesty not laborousy arrogant III sen i. r. iv
a woman born In the purple, am ,M.hIl,is -, ~
ness. maintain herself anna me u.'i' w r Tho
ture of inappropriate pomp. she dd not Io',pw r.S
demeanor toward Wolsey , YIN fP'o' gha
scorn and TeS menS cas Imam was at one
r point, accustomed to DO an attitude ,I OF
iron resolution and staiwnrt snc Ggrr sotc,
| Signitv and simple rectitudc -tremulons. inie,i.
with The aG iGps SI has early OWNED that Woscy
is her enemy and that he works by iurN',
| sufflscd with the enchanting refinement 0i rlct
| and aluring womanhood. me IrprcScm'a rnftv ~
Queen Katharine may readily sacilnce I9Ya,g i Di
rower to the sad pathos OF hopeless gilei' OF, ~
iasstude and queruous lamenta'iqn' I,ng Of
weakness Between those perlous cxtIeine ne hiivn
with admirable discretion. and with won. ,,
aiiuence OF personal force ana w. imaec
Of Charlotte Cushmans colossal peIsor ian, IS
ravaged greatness in ue ea Sas ,hs community
| Zen a REPRESENTATION Of that character Wilch
asS%!e ana on e
he profound misery Of the afflicted woman. IL i
Without being weak tenderly woman-iike thr3ugH-
out and yet brilliant win } e%Gun was recos-
nizcd without hesitation as one OF the i'" w,
tally great Shakespearan empodiinonts os o ou
tine IN her derneanOr at the Trial innate HlaJcS.
reached it's height. and in her presence NAME
ansecr during the vision scene, IN" udc 81 pa
20 a., the Hood Beauty of uttcrance,- 'iie
soul is In the voice. and when the arucu'a,io" n n
IKE crvstal.-coud no further IMAM IL W''', ,-,D
her delivery of the poor Queens dying "0ius. ~
note in Shakespeare is one OF almost inSGiPo, ne
III ne,,ish: IL was, in her conveyance OF u, hc
of tranacendent. ndescrihable sweetness 40 "'n s
W ,,a.a Of our time could thrill the heart OF tnr
| ,io.o,or as Ellen Terry did, with those ioiioih
words that end Queen katharines nss ra''e
ont of this world tell him In death piess u Hin"
| ~ 20 viii When ! am dead,
Lei me be used with honor. ., ,,,ot,o,
II Is but lately that Mr. Irving presenter =,
He passes from the prelate OF Icnnyson 10 he "a
! ence hctween Beckett and Wosey, and Mr.. lrIihe