The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-04
DRAMATIC "REMINISCENCES,
VERSIONS or SHAKEsPEARE PL1JS
THAT EDWIN BOOTH USED.

The Great Trngedinn Revealed ms Also N
Close student-He Meant to Collnbornto
In n History of the American Stage
Notes of the Theatre Here and Abroad.
There is truth in the saying that all come
dams would rather be tragedianB. Perhaps the
reverse of that never happens. Nevertheless.
Edwin Booth found enjoyment In humorous
roles. He liked to play Benedick in Much
Ado About Nothing" and Pet,uchio in
The Tanning OF the Bhrew." although he was
well aware that those performances were not
comparable with his serious achievements
But they were relaxation from the atress Of
tragedy This is asserted on the authority Of
william Winter. a close person al friend and in
innate professional adviser OF the great
ector. To few persons was Booth known or
sven seen, elsewhere than on the stage. He
would never speak or write about himself for
publication. and so there was a vague belief
that he had no theories that he gave no great
thought TO his art. and that his dramatic gem
ius was wholly ali inheritance. But II was not
so. In the three volumes OF The Plays OF Ed
win Booth" edited by Mr. Winter. glmpses
OF his retcent personality are given. He was
Shakespearian scholar az well as interpreter,
as indicated in Mr.. Winter in articles in these
books. which contain the eleven Shakespesrian
plays and five others belonging to the Booth
reperory. Hardly one OF them was nut on the
stage by him as written. and in the alterations
he did not always follow the precedents OF
earlier editors or actors. Mr. Winter tells ne
that the Booth Hamlet" was unlike all
others in construction and embellishments
1t was adapted for theatrical use.
Thousand lines of the original were omit
ted. As printed here from the prompt
book. the excisions are seen to include such
soouuies. coliolues and episodes 40
impede the dramatic effect. Coarse phrases
are cast aside or modified. Certain lines are
transposed. and in a few instances words have
been substituted. though the meaning 10 in no
case tempered with. The madness OF Ophsha
is announced by Mhrce'us. instead Of Horahu
for the reason that had the latter known OF her
calamity he would have told Hamlet sooner
Booth seems to have been alert to find such
flaws as that. For instance. how didthe grave
,y0rirk's Booth had scrap Of testers can adj
horc toit But he respected Shakespeare so
much that he put aside the Cibber version OF
RshoT1 III, il xt long end common use and
In which there are numerou. changes from
the original text. but In which only Shakes
presses tho hope that, by the adoption Of thi.
Booth version. the theatres will cease to re-
hme wh his hsndss
much for Buckin shaml" But he has to admit
thu, n3Pth felt the Of those base
who later went back to Shakespeare's own
tsXt in e rsvya Of his tragedy. said the same
was reverent admirer OF Shakespeare. as
well as theatrical oxpositor. That he had
that rs Protected. in colIaborati9n with Mr.
Winter. "A History Of the Rise and Progress, OF
the American stage But he was slow to be-
gin it, and then death came.
One OF Edwin Booths noteworthy efforts.
though comparative few people remember it
with any particularly. was restoration Of
Richard H. to the stage. The eloauence OF
that tragedy had long been lost in its slow and
evsntless movement. 1t had not been acted
anywhere in many years when in 1875. he
brought out version. The nineteen
scenes were reduced to ten, prolix passages
were cut out or curtailed. some transpositions
were made. and the action was accelerated.
But the work was not successfully popularized.
although 1t interested shakespearean students
deeply The version Of Henry VIII" made
by Booth, or under his direction was free cur
tailment He regarded the piece tedious
full length. though Irving has since made IL
all acceptable BY spectacular means. and so he
out It down to matters relating directly to
Cardinal Wo'sey's ruin and death. Booth
liked to play IdoO in "Othello" rather than the
title part. to which he was physically inade-
Quate. His version Of that tragedy omitted about
nine hundred unessenta lines. besides others
which he did not deem fit to be spoken. His
Mac beth was practically as Shak espeare wrote
It, though there were few eXcsions. including
the character OF Hecote. the slaughter Of Ban
quo. the visible entrance of his ghost and the
killing OF Lady Mdcduf. His King Lear"
was faithful condensation. with recourse
to the late perversion. for which he expressed
contempt. Notwithstanding its use by Garrick
and Forrest Booth used to present The Mer-
chant of Venice =" minus it's fifth act. ending IL
instead with the exit OF the defeated
Shyock at the climax OF the trial. That
was done because the absence OF the
traRedian, and the presence OF great
F0rtid or B1sSnniO would have left the remain
der uninteresting He often gave his much
Ehortened The Tanning Of the Shrew" in the
lame evenings bill. But later. in association
with Lawrence Barrett. he brought out the
whole OF the ct The Merchant OF Venice" hand
somely and very remuneratvely. The plays
other than Shakespeare included in this print
ofthc Booth re pc rtory arc The Fools Revenge"
by Taylor, Richeieu" by Bulwer, Brutus"
by Payne. Ruy Bias" by Hugo. and Don
Caesar de Bszan by Dumanois and Dennery
But in his time Booth played many scores Of
parts. including all in which his father had
sy fond Of It to
as his best performance. One OF his early and
'o to IN psy na Was a1 that q ~ S.v
Orleans. though he always recalled it with.
than ~ @sn d m PSr Of
called Iovss Ordeal and produced briefly
In Boston. The writer OF this article recalls
only one lnstance in which he saw Booth fail OF
the right effect with an audience. II happened
ut the Fifth Avenue Theatre. He was playing
some dramas unfamiliar since his fathers
In which his characterization OF Pescara was
wonderful study in diahoIism His aspect
was maIevolent, and his expressions of hate
fulness by word and motion were extreme At
ono moment OF Internal climax. he leaped clear
OF tho ground with teeth gritted and In . con-
tortion Of silent rage; II was graphic. But 1t
was at the came time ludcrous. The audience
laughed outright. Booth never appeared in
THE Apostate" again.
Jessie Bartlett Davis will go starring in
now opera and several old ones Fanny Rice
will have a Nell Gwynno play by Montgom-
merry Phister. Mrs Langtry wishes to mako
another American tour. Olga NethersolS's
repsrtory this season will contain "Sappho,"
Tho Second Mrs. Tanqusray" and Tho
PRohiGate." all expostionH OF the same sim
kaaI.