The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-01-29

the only King Richard III" the world
knew.
1t was Sir Henry Irving who, on Jan.
", 1917. gave to the stage a King
Richard III arranged wholly from
shakespeare text Shakespeare 5
play was too long to be restored in
I toto. Irving's version is not more than
+ half, or at most three-ffths of the play
as Shakespeare left it.
Almost all great actors who have es-
sayed Shakespearean parts at all have
essayed the part Of King Richard III.
1t was in the part of King Richard III
that Garrick made his first appearance
on any stage" in the little theatre of
Goodman's Fields The stage-infuriated
young wine merchant appeared incog-
nitO, but the success he won, though it
scandalized his family, determined his
career. His Richard III soon became
the wonder and talk of the town. And
King Richard ever remained one Of
Garrick's greatest parts.
John Philip Kemble included Richard
III in his magnificent repertoire of
Shakespearean characterizations- But
the part was too versatile for KembIe's
stately talents. The great King Rich
ard III of kemble's era was that unfor-
tunate, erratic genius, George Frederick
Cooke, of whom Byron once said. hav-
ing heard that biography of Cooke
had been written, that two things were
marvellous about him-first. that a man
50 continuously drunk should live long
enough to have biography; and, Sec
ond. that man so much in his cups as
COOKE was should ever have known any
one sober enough to. write his biogra-
phy. COOKIES frequent disappointments
OF the patrons who thronged his house
TO hear him in his great part, became
az last too annoying to be endured.
once, when he had vainly endeavored
TO remember his lines, he put his hands
10 MS breast, and. Stimulating sickness.
hlccoughed out the words, MY old
complaint" The aptness of his self
description was too ridiculous to re-
main unrebuked. He was Kissed off the
stage. And yet it is doubtful if a
greater Richard III than Cooke has
ever been known.
Cooke, it may be said, was the first
great actor that ever crossed the Allan
tic to play in the United States. This
he did in 1910. His principal play, of
course, was king Richard III" His
success was enormous. But his old
complaint soon proved too much for
him. He died in New York. untimelv
in 1872
King Richard III was one of the prin-
cipal roles of that greatest of Shake
speaTean actors, Edmund Kean. Crit
les differ as TO the relative excellence
of Kean'S King Richard. and some
other of his Shakespearean parts. Haz-
lit, however, who no doubt was the
greatest dramatic critic Of Kean's day.
says that Kean's Impersonation of the
character was the most refined and the
most appropriately versatile of any the
stage had known. In the scene with
Anne, he said, no one could have
equaled Kean but "the first tempter."
Kean's death scene, too, in King Rich
ard III death scenes, it may be said.
were Kean's fOTtesl was d marvel OF
appropriate representation.
In the estimation of personal friends
Junius Brutus BoOth was Kean's great
rival. Opinions differ very much as to
the quality of Booths genius as COM
pared with that Of Keans in many
parts. But there is no difference of
opinion as to the merit of Booths Rich
ard III. Almost the only adverse Opin-
ion ever pronounced upon it was that
it was an exact initiation of Kean's.
This was in England, however. When
in 1875 Booth came to America he found
himself supreme, not only in King
Richard III. but in every other tragic
part. When he died Gin 1882 it seemed
for the moment as if the grandeur of
the stage had ended.
it viii always be a regret to the lov-
ers Of Edwin Forrest s. name and genius
that he had not in youth the ADVANTAGE
OF familiarity with good stage examples
and noble stage ideals Had this been
50. had he not for years been doomed
10 act amid the demoraIizing influences
Of rough, uncultureG audiences, there