New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-02-22

ME-. TREE As HAMLET.

az comedian, within the limits prescribed by ms
nature. he is competent. impressive and delightful
His aims are high; his position IS suspicious; his IN
fuence is good; his success Is desirable not
| simply for his sake but for the sake OF that
public welfare which. more or less. is affected by
| TIE stage. But Mr. Trees judgment does not keep
pace with his discretion. and when he appears as
Falstaff and as Hamlet he makes II Impossible for
even the most proptious favor 10 view his expiols
with unqualified sympathy. His performance oil Far
staff, although ingenious with stage craft anu
therefore meritorious. lacked the essehtai a'''i
butes Of the character, and especially lacked ''s ''
! Spontaneous humor and therefore u was iau'''"'
! imperfect For the first time indeed IN the s'aee
! history Of that part, Fastaff was degraded 10
character Of farce: he crept upon all tours anu was
! spanked with trick cudgel Horsep.ay may anu
/ thoughtless persons but 1t Is not hKey 10 se' !"
self accented as high dramatic art Mr. Tree : per-
/ formance of Hamlet was nearer 10 the ''"'" man
his FalstaT-nore interesting. and far more worthy
OF his talent and his fame. some OF us attributes
indeed are especially admirable IL IS per'ahed oS
a fine intellectually; 1t has distinction OF bearing
! IL has an appropriate quality OF mystical incertl-
| ,uae and II is marked by copous variety OF eX-
nressive posture wealth OF large and eloquent ges-
| IRE and feicitous flow of elocution on the other
hand IL shallow. devoid Of poetic emotion inical
in fibre. marred by inappropriate alertness and
fussy hustle and hard and metallic in execution 1t
belongs 10 the school that In England was repre-
scented by Barry Sullivan. 1t wps respect 1t can
not inspire affection
The character Of Hamlet has been discussed 30
many times and fully in this column that re-
view of 1t might prove but the tedious re-
iteration Of familiar thoughts The notion that an
ESSAY on Hamlet should be written every time
fresh effort is made to play the part adds new
terrors 10 life and ought not to Toe encouraged.
Hamlet in Shakcspeare's pages is the exponent OF
fatal misery. incident 20 long brooding upon the
awful mystery OF the spiritual environment Of
man. Hamlet on the stage Is usually handsome
in
for his dead father and who has seen ghost.
Every actor who represents him has special ldeai
and favorte theory Mr.. Tree denoted intellectual
grasp of the subject in his treatment OF Hamlet
Understandings the Prince by turns mad ana
sane. but keeping him steadily in the boTderlani
between lunacy and reason At the climax Of the
| play-scene he made Hamlet completely delirious.
and his camor was sharply effective. In his treat
| ment Of Hamet's love for Ophela he was less
! felicitous because less His action. indeed.
gracious and sweet-the action Of furtvely Mss
! ing Ophea's hair and Of pitiabiy casting flowers
| upon her grave: but since Ham.ets love for Opheha
| is a memory and not passion those tOucnes are
| unsuitable. No lover urges his mistress 10 20 -
nunnery Even before Hamlet. with his shocked
brain and broken heart, has caught the weak. docie
| frightened Ophe.ia in her lie. he knows that for
| him there be refuge In human love. and no
| reliance upon 1t. His misery. being Of the SOU ana
not of circumstances. has something IN II corrosive
| and bitter. He has done with love. and 10 lay upon
| feathers on A hearse. Mr.. Tree lad much stress
| upon Hamlet az a fellow-student-upon his com
radeship his "consonarcy. his Kindness to Ms as
sociates at the University. That is we'll but com
radeship is only a minor element in Hamlets nature.
Filia devotion is stronger IN him than friendship.
and stronger In him than anything else j. the pas-
| sionaie desire 10 look beyond the grave foi an
! actor Of Hamlet the ghost scenes are the test MI.
Trees pastures were effective. but no man can pro-
duce in those awful passages the fun effect o. sub
| 4
whose face lacks mobility. whose temperament i
cold and whose voice Is hollow and inhexible .ir
Tree has little tragic power he lacks tender
ness. and he rs not poetlcal. His Hamlet woui
always be accepted good; II has never yet been
designated great. except by a few % those
London CRATES who suppose themselves 10 have an
exclusive key the mysteries Of creation. and who
are forever instructng W. as 10 what We ought to
think upon all subjects underneath the sun
Mr. Tree. It t. understood. deems 1t an advan-
to be substantially ignorant Of the staee-trs-
ditions Of Hamlet.-the usages. that Is to say. 81
earlier representatives. OF the character His pred
ecessOr Mr.. Willard. took the same view o. that
subject II is unfortunate view. because IN"
traditions OF the stage are almost always valuable
and they happen TO be especially valuable In Ham
let. The readings ana business that were ap-
proved by Bet,erton. Kembe. Macreidy. kean
Phelps, Booth and Irving ought to be known no, by
aprlclous innovation " ho' s,sh ., A'"te nv ~,
leet but o. poor judgment Nj Tree iihe NJ
the soliloquy on suicide. Mr.. Tree shifts The so
iiloquy on honor ana inactIon. s,AI iurthrrr
Yorick's skull muddies the matter OF Hame,s
the tragedy with chorus Of distant angels those
mentioned in the beautiful apOsirOPhe Of HoraliSS
ing-c;ass: now you 90 ana wash the ~inder ana
h Mr Tree as %phes ia" da ' not
with the charaeter and IT was not until r she
The part may not afford much opportunity. up TO
tina, point; but, at least oPhtas Is the Pose Of
blooming and beautiful young girl and, further
inIIeetuai and modern. mature. sefconraned and
less lover than woman "ishfui to INSPIRE Iokc
conqueres Then. indeed. her nne powers wore
exerted with fine cffec Hea WaiI'ns yocasm
OF a shattered nervous system and broken mind
and 1T was notable that the actress konl an %f
sented however. was not mad cphela: II mght
have been mad D a5 5n .s snI II was the
best denotement yet given OF Mrs' Tree drahiauc
The only touch OF the weird atmosphere and
the agonizng feeling that appertaln 70 tne trassdg
Within the last forty years Iyo actors-and only
impersonate Hamlet: Those were Edwin Booth
and Henry Irving Booth is dead GT ,a9 n n1 w"
n There is no one else. Nobody on the German.
sb a,lan There are perhaps few tolerable
Hamlers wandering about in the provinces OF
as Haworih. Wardc, whiiesde Willard Rls
mold NanteU Wilson Barrett. and erosion tIaTk"
but AS Curtis once asked Who wants 4 tolera-
BILE cgg?" The question Is readily answered oonI me
dav Derhaps "A tragedian may aiise. 10
whom Nature shall have given the soul, me ten en-
permanent the passion the MINI M nj, ia Ia to dI,
voice and the persOn--tOgcthcr with all the heaIN
burden, Of sorrowful spiritual experience essential
for his pre-ordnation- thai are impernutlve ,or
the true embodiment Of that sublime character
Another generation may see another boo'h. 70,
the present. Hamlet lives but in the library ana
In the heart , .,,,
The tragedy was set in scenes OF renarkaple
beautv-thst OF the graveyard though perhaps IN
seasonable being especially lovely. Inc rrbrs,
sentation Of Polonus. the King, ana Inc fHst
Grave Digger had exceptional merit Inc mouse
was well filed and Mr.. Tree was recalled eleven
times during the first half Of the night the cas-,
is here given
Nc,iffs