New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-06-07
PDINCF AND CARDINAL.
SUPERB suAKEsPEAREAN REVEALS.

PRINCE AND CARDINAL
SUPERB sHAKEsPEAEEAN REVEALS
Tic 3OO.h anniversary Of Shakcspcarc's BIRTH
| dov April o. 1864 was CO ebratcd by the pro-
duction of Ponce and Juliet" to increase the
fund for erecting monument to the poet IL zen
trail Park-James H. llackctt playing Fastah, "V
Niblos Garden ON the same night in aid OF tha'
cau,c Rootb continue to act a. the WtTtr Tar Ell
till May a. appearing as Hamlet. Oihcllo, Kiche'leu
and Richard ILL., A summer Of preparation sue
cccdcd with view to the first Of those hranaic
ragcants by which tho tragcdian did so h'uoh
70 delight and instruct the community, TO digni,S
: the American stage, and to gld his hanic ",''
honor Hamlet" WIS brought out on No'cuoci
! 81. 1864. and it kept tie stage till March "a,
ls65-grceted AT the OFT ct with enthusiasm anu
sustained TO the end by sincere pablo lnteres'
That was the period that saw accomplished lot
lInmi"tr the celebrated run Of 100 nigh'
Booths Hamlet, withdrawn from the M 1;l,1iI
Garden On March a. 1865, WAS iinincdia,iy
transferred to the I,osteI Theatre, and at that
house the tragcdian was acting when "A little later
on the l4th Of April-a sudden calamity ovel,
whclmcd and wcll-nigh ruined him. me people
of America and the heart OF all Christcnd ON suf-
fercl il il Il terrible shcclS and bitter bereave-
lneni. CONSERVATION, grief. and Ilge swept ov,l
the land The excitement VI that hour was via
and ndiscriminatc; the relatives OF inc mahI'G
who took the life Of President Lincoln suffered
under the oiium Of unjust suspicion aud popular
rceItmcnt. Tie know edge thal brother was til,ls
stepped in guilt and ignoIiny WAS heavy weight
of W : a. Edirini ;po5h. Immediate and Superficial
troubles incident 10 the hdcOus experience
could he endured and surrounded: but the sense
Of the crime itself as done in all It's awful wicKcd
ness and madness by one Of his own KIN, imposed
/ upon bis sensitive, conscientious nature an acute,
ifrr,ncliablc anguish. For time his hardearred
| reputation, the honor OF his name ana the station
and rrputc e his family seemed destroyed. llio
in the present a blank, and beyond the pr sent
n waste Of nj cry stretched int, the fufGic lie
left the STAGE and buried himself in ObscHrIty ana
from that retirement hc would never have
emerged but for the stern necessity Of fulfilling
Obligations incurred long before and now oniy 10 10
met by hi active resumption OF professional III
du,'ry Tie s0ftcnirg influence Of public sympa-
thy which presently began 70 st toward him IN n
strong tide # interest, made tho duty Of Il reap
pcarancc more practicable and more toIcrabc than
II could otherwise have been iIad mere nov t cA-
istcd however an imperative necessity that fd.
win Pooth should return TO the stage ne wou,d
never had acted again lie rcaprlr'Tdi on ,ah'i
great crowd welcomed him, and with such well
come as might we'll have lishtcncl the saddest
I heart Nine cheers hailed the melancholy Dane
upon his first apparance Inc spectators rose
aud wavcl their hardlScrchicis. Flowers were
showered upoil the stage There was tnniult OF
applause; and the aiicctonatc goodwill that
hcarcd in every face gave assurance deep and
strorg that the generous public had no intent 20
h4p up an s hr ap1d a after
! that romrntouS return 20 the stage II" FOUND
frcc-hcartel greeting and respectful sympathy.
OF lifc. and his professional career resumed its
flow IN the Old channel.
srMpTuOus PRODUCTION OF "RICIiELIEu."
Tic second Of those sumptuous revivals of the
legitimate drama with which the name OF Edwin
| Booth is inscparably associated was made after
| his retura 10 THE stage in 1866. Preparations for
| it. had been begun prior to the disaster which led
to his retirement The play was Richcllcu
and it was brought forward on February
first. The scenery, painted by Witham Van
iIanlcn and IIillia[d. made up pageant OF eA-
! traorlinary splcndor.
Boorh's Kichellcu-always majestic figure
/ showed with singular di-tinctness and beauty
nmid those poetic accrs.orhs In respect 10
! nagnicccncc and elaboration the effect OF that
revival was aitcrward surpassed IN the PRO
! duction OF "Richclicu7 at Booths Theatre in
! 1871. but the plan Of IT, fully matured ana
/ fairly tried was followed rs q model II was on
! thn occasion 81 that prcsrntmrnt of Richclicu
that the expcdicnt was first adopted Of PUTTING
the court OF Louis NIL into mourning, IL net ilith.
! for the supposed death Of tie Cardinal. Booths
rcrsnnaion Of Riciclicu has. by many acute critics
been accounted his bot work,
Affairs ~ tho Winter Garden went on in the
customary routine of theatrical life for another
Nrar Mort OF III" tim" Tooth was absent, on pro-
fc,slonal expeditions. With the first days Of
! 1867 came the maturity of another professional
cntcrpr,e in which he had lahorrd with zeal. and
! the re- ult of which va, ,crh in tie sunptuous
presentation of The Merchant Of Vcnic,,.' made
+ on January % Of that year The beautiful Comedy
was brought forward in q beautiful dress. Hi
: lard and Withan painted the scenes. from
sketches made by Ien,ze The chief pictnI%s
the place 81 st. Mark. hall in Portals house AMI
tie Venetian Senate Chamber. pom the walls
I 1intorett0. Tie garden scene reflected the sweet
sentiment and delicious langour OF SUNNI IT laml-
scope Booth acted Shylock. The character is an
embodied protest again cruel WRONGS inflicted by
powerful oppressor upon an outlawcd nation.
and to the Jew, as n Insurer and hatcr, 1t would
/ lc inpo. sible t. render more adequate justice
than was done in Booths performance.
TIE .uAMLET MEDAL PRESENTED by CITI-
| ZENS or NETWORK.
II was during that engagement. on the night
OF January %, 1861. that Booth received :" the
Hamlc, Medal" al Offering indicative Of apprc-.
citation and respect. from many of the chief ctl-
zers of New-iork. students Of Shakespeare and
friends Of the stage. The presentation was made
publicly ut the close OF the performance Of
&" Hamlet" ana In the presence Of great
coursc of people. The stage set TO represent
n drawing room. Entering that room the
presentation committee met the actor in to
drc.s of liamct-thc united bands OF the
principal theatres in New-lork playing, mcan-
Viii e, the Danish National Hymn. Among
the citizens who apPcarc' on the stage were
Governor Of Ncw-lorIi; GEORGE Bancroft, Charles
A. Dana, Indse e. w q paE, ,,i A,bert berStadt'
II s an oval modal made Of gold, and is en-
crclcd with gold , serpe'at In the centre is
dani. Of laurel and myrtle. The pin to which the
metal is attached bears in the centre. a head of
Shakespeare and on me either ,ds are beads embe
"Palmam qn nerult fcrat," and the Inscription
iG TO Edwin Bcoth:. IL commcmoration Of the
unprecedented run of Hamlet 20 cnnctc by him
| in New-IorS City for ore hundred nights"
| poOrJr,S THEATRE