Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1906-11-15
SOME OF THE MooRs AND LAGOS
or THE PAST.
FEW DARE ATTEMPT 1T
Not Many Famous Actors Have Been
Successful in the Great Tragedy
Edmund kean's Interpretation Of
the Moor-Died While Playing the
Part.


actors who have attempted Othello
and failed in it. The really successful
Othellos are very small and select
company. Burbage. one assumes, was
the original Moor, and was probably
as good in it as in any other part he
played. Bettertou's Othello would ap-
pear to nave been a remarkable per
Torrance. One writer speaks of the
terrible force of his Othello," and
Addison says: The wonderful agony
which he appeared in when ne examin-
ed the circumstance of tue handker
chief in the part of Othello, the mix
ture of love that intruded upon his
mind upon the innocent answers Des-
demona makes, betrayed in his gest-
ure such variety and vicissitude OF
passions as would admonish a man to
be afraid of his own heart
1t was in the Portugal Street thea
ter, sometimes styled the Dukes thea
ter, that Betterton played, but we have
unfortunately but little record of his
appearance in the part, nor do we
know how he was dressed for it. The
costume some of the old actors adopt
ed for the part appears to modern
taste quite fudicrous. In the Auto.
biography" Reynolds tells us he re-
membered seeing Spranger Barry
play Othello in full suit of gold laced
scarlet, small cooked hat. knee
breaches and silk stockings.
Garrick was but a poor Othella ex-
cept in the scene where Iago first i'm
plants the suspicion of Desdemona.
and Quin was very little superior. But
Garrick did, at any rate, adopt Moor
ish costume, startling innovation.
which led one writer to say that he
was unmeaningly dressed On the first
night Quin was In the pit and when
Garrick entered exclaimed in allusion
to Hogarth's black boy: Here's Pom
pey, by, Where's the lamp and the
teakettle?"
John Philip Kemble also did much
to improve the public ideas on the fit
ness OF costume in the theater. The
stin sldrted coat, breecnes, waistcoat
black face. white bottomed wig and
tnree cooked hat which tradition pre-
scmbed for Othello despite Garrick's
laudable endeavor was swept away
AFTER kemble's time. He himself play-
ed Iago much better than Othello. and
Byron said of the performance that II
was perfection.
Another very excellent Iaeo was
george Frederick Cooke. Playing the
part one night at York, he was loudly
missed by two or three men in the an
uience, who cried out, What vii.
han!' 1t was a compliment he much
appreciated :
! coming to Edmund Kean. we find
TINS actor playing Othello and Iago on
a'ennate nights. DIR. Doran says OF
hean's Othello. In the fiercer scenes
ne was indispensable. and in the great
Iihrd act none who remembers him
VIII, think, be prepared to allow that
ne ever had or is likely to have AN
equal. His Iago was quite original "a
careless, cordial. comfortable william :.
as Hazlitt calls him.
subsequently Kean played Othello
TO the Iago of Young. 1t had been ar.
ranged that they should alternate the
parts, but after the first performance
hean preferred to leave Iago to Young
Halter myself" ne said to Whit.
bread, who was then manager NJ
Drury Lane, he could not act othelIo
as !, yet what chance should have in
iago after him with his musical voice.
Means last appearance on the stage
on March 25, 1888, was in Othello .
: with his son Charles as Iago. Kean
went through the play, dying as he
Went, until it came to Farewell
othello's occupation is gone" Then he
gasped ror breath. tried to begin the
next speech and fell forward on his
sons shoulder, moaning: II am diving.
Speak to them for me-"
|, CHARLES Young was excellent as
lago, but when he tried Othello later
to the Iago OF Gacready he failed al.
together. Hazlitt said of the perform
ance; Young in othello was lige /,
great hummiEg top. and Macready in
iago IKE a mischievous boy whipping
him.
Ihere have been other Othellos
since, but few of renown. There was
Gustavus Brookes. who appeared In
tne part at the OLYMPIC in 1s4s; Char.
les hean. at the Princess. in 1858:
Saivini, who played It first at the
queens. in Longacre, in 1875; Fecht ),
PLAYED II without success in 1861:
Phelps played it at the Princess. at
convent Garden, at Sadlers Wells
and elsewhere; sir Henry Irving first
played the part in 1875 and subse-
7uently alternated othero and Iago
With Edwin Booth; and fore recently.
sorbes Robertson and HUBER Carter.