Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1905-07-20
THE ROLE OF HAMLET
MANY FAMOUS ACTRESSES EssAYED
1T AND FAILED.
Sven the Gifted sarah Siddons and
the Brilliant Charlotte Cushman
Wer. Not Equal to the Task-Anna
Dickinson In the Part.

Although many of the cleverest ac-
tresses the world has known have es-.
aged the part, they have, with few
Exceptions, failed in it.
Even Sarah Siddons, probably the
greatest tragic actress Of all time, was
failure as Hamlet, largely owing to
he nondescript nature of her garments,
which We're neither masculine nor femi-
line and when made it almost i1npos-
;ibe to forget that her Hamlet was a
woman and not man, says London
Bits
Charlotte Cushman was perhaps the
most brilliant player Of male parts Of
1er or, indeed, of any other generation.
She was equally brilliant and convinc-
ng as Romeo, Cardinal Wolsey or
,laude Melnotte, but when she made
he crucial experiment of playing the
melancholy Dane even she proved
Unequal to the task. In fact, her Ham
ct was so badly received in Dublin
hat she there and then made up her
mind never to play 1t again
And yet her Romeo was such a tri-
lmpn Of acting that James Sheridan
Knowles. the great dramatist and crit
c, was completely carried away by it,
IF her acting of the passage where Ro-
neo filings himself upon the ground,
taking the measure of an unmade
rave" he says: 1T was scene Of top
most passion, not simulated passion;
10 such thing-real, palpably real. The
genuine heart storm was on In it's Wild
est fuliness of fury and listened and
guzed and held my breath, while my
blood ran hot and cold. am sure it
must have been the case with every
sorbed in Romeo till thunder of ap-
plause recalled nae to myself"
And of her assumption Of the difficult
| part Of Claude Melnotte in ''The Lady
Of Lyons" Justin Mccarthy says: 81
have seen Claude Melnotte played by
many great actors, from Macready to
/ Irving, but Miss Cushman eclipsed
them all. She created for me the only
! human, the only possible and the only
endurable Claude Melnotte have ever
SEEN"
Miss Julia Seaman, once popular
| actress, was so severely criticised when
| she played 4iamlet some years ago that
she turned round on her critics and as
sailed them in a very vigorous manner.
The late Miss Marriott, who had one Of
the msst beautiful voices ever heard on
any stage, was more fortunate, al
though it was one of her least success
full assumptions, and in the f1fties an
American actress, Miss Percy Knowles,
made such an unfortunate exhibition
of herself as the melancholy one that a
countr.~manager actually issued no
tice warning his patrons against going
| to see her.
Ellen Tree (AIrs. Charles Kean) was
| the first to put on Hamlet's doubet
| and hose; Mrs. Glover won Edmund
Kean's approval by her playing Of the
part, and Nine. Sarah Bernhardt gave
picturesque and clever rendering OF
Hamlet, although it was not to be com
pared with many of her brilliant as
sumptions.
Charlotte Champion was noted for
hers;elever acting of masculine parts.
wRfGh would have been even more con
,vincing if she had not been such tiny
| womaH '"There Is woman" Mac
ready once said, referring to her, "who
would startle the world If she were but
two inches taller" She was such a
magnificent swordswoman that few
men cared to try their skill against hel
on the stage, and she was undoubtedly
a genius in her way, with a courage
commensurate with her skill
She was one of the finest personators
Of Richard III. ever seen on the stage
her Shylock was among the most bril-
liant pieces Of acting in her day, and
she was almost equally clever as Iago
! Romeo and Don Caesar de Bazan, and
| yet when Charlotte Champion chal-
!enged criticism with Hamlet she fail.
ed as signally as her rival, Charlotte
Cushmae. had done.
Probably the most successful of all
lady Hamlcss was Anna Dickinson
who made considerable reputation as
Macbeth and Claude Melnotte. g.,
,gnl,er Of women have tried Harnlet. :
he said. - ''.hone, believe. with any
rccess. Yet in my opinion. the char
cter of H;l.iet is eminently suited fo1
woman's capabilities. Hamlet was
/ cry young "a mere college boy, il,
fact Besides. a fine actress is more
likely to bring out the wonderful wo
nanlike delcacy of Hamlet's charac
ter than a very young actor" And she
supported her views by giving an at
| tractiye and clever rendering of the
part.
Crfnoltne.
In the World Of Fashion of 1880 Ii
a reference to "the new stuff called
crinoiinc.' CTi1oiine was partly thread
partly horsehair, its name being com
pounded of the French tcrin" horse
hair and 'lin." fax. Hats, skirts and
all sorts of things that We're wanted te
/, possess a certain stiffness were made
!, Of this material
Preferred Tenants.
\ Servant These rooms will be rentei
- artists. sAnnlicant--And VIII