New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-10-16
London. October /.

10 magic cf Irving 8 lllA0eiiCe oNA NANc9'
:. --,-.-i,ss. 7 think. because Of his con-
-, sn5ezi % the imagination and
,-.,,se Of ne want OF any such appeal
=, s.aee as II is When Sir Herbert
-. produces Henry the Eighth and
-,-,.,ces himself - Cardinal Wclsey,
10 confront the spectre OF Irving s
-,--55.s-- II was tho same when Faust
:. given last wear. the Mephistopheles
-,T-r4nr haunted the stage or His Mai
- theatre. the expression o. his
O., more ss~doni- than ever.
---4nz-s v-olser bore no likeness IN
80 ~ Tenry's great Minister. but in
s,vl and spirit YVES the real thing As
IS, looked upon the actor YOU saw
,+ e-cIesiastic- he had the fnesse
--.i-- < The stamp set by the Roman
,,.4hcIi- Church. then and now. upon al
..s ,e'ef dir-fraries. You ssT him as be
..,-.s about the siege. subtle. evasive
,-.,lsoznls interruptions: Rome in him
- ,hout him, the Seven Hills visible
- rfnsrcry FIe vas an ascetic. There
,ss,,s - he form o. POWER over the
.-i,ss a. men not 20 be had otherwise
.ssr bv the practice Of privaticns. That
,lsa I-r5nE had Z vas not an effect Of
.,sks-pr. but II nature. He was the
,-,ssi-ls ~ the Lvceur1. lean and hun
g.
-nars VS. IN Irving resemblance 70
-s-6fnal Nsnuing-you cannot ssy IN
he eesh. for Manning had uone-bIIt in
skin and Some and. ar moments, in the
ss-ocitv q his look He vas Torque-
ms5s ia al but the power 10 translate
h;s ---,elrv into the concrete form Of the
sex and The stake. I 6isliked Manning
:, -rpcs that I shrink from my oTn
.oInps~fscn s1d from q confusion Of
~,r-,o-v in znv particular between Man
ring whose nature was selfish, and
--,-sng. whose nature vas generous. But
,s-r pro traits. The likeness was there.
ring would not have resented it. His
business was tc produce upon the stage
,be Illusion Of actual life, and he would
have held Il q compliment 20 be told
-bs- as cardinal Wolsey he reminded
--ou Of : Irving Cardinal whether Man
-i-g - another. What he aimed at was
,,a-isf--0tr-lde. He must have met Man
mig. and zhilo he did not consciously
initiate HMM no case did be ever Go
-tst. CT ever reproduce upon the stage
ne 1iuea-euts or bearing or dress Of
-ra- liYe--he may well enough have been
s7s-. he-- Cardinal Manning looked,
and he impression II that austere pres
~ree nav have remained with him
Something may have passed from the
soqr or The one 70 the soul Of the other
far Manning. with all his faults, and
sa-ae OF them unforEivable- vas a figure
IN This great Protestant Community-not
pss Sc because he was a relentless ser
rsnt Of Rome. His bioErephe Purcell
has aid him bare
Irving played three great prelates-
Bicheier II Bulwer Lvttons play Of
hat name: wolsey. IN Henry the Eighth,
and Beckett IN Tennyson's metrical eZ-
pertinent IN play writing. No one Of
-lsse three Representations was like
either Of the other two he had studied
each Of the three Independently. How
ever II is only Wolsev who concerns rs
to-day. and he concerns Us because never
before has there been such an oppor-
tanitv 70 measure Irving's greatness as
By 2 visit to-day 10 His Majesty's The
sTe. Sir Herbert Tree may rightly
enough claim % be judged on his own
merits and not by comparison with the
first of English actors since GarriCk:
51c. fer sught We know. Garrick's equal.
II what IT.. Roosevelt, stepped in liter
Ery calm, would cali strenuousness, Irv-
ing was Garricks superior, since Garrick
1Hsn twice 3 week and Irving six or
seven times. Irving must therefore have
hsd q much larger reserve Of power. and
used Il much more freely than Garrick.
Put am not Judging Sir Herbert Tree.
That s. TO part OF my duty. I use him.
N 10 unkindly spirit 70 bring out Try
ing-s Respondent merits. For once. in
stead II the Iir1eIigFt Of which he is so
f0nd. So Herbert must he content % be
q background. IN sure he VIII not
object He win rejoice 70 offer a sacri-
hcs on this altar. He owes much 10
Irving. What living actor IS there who
ooeE not Moreover. Il Is quite possible
20 praise Sir TTerber--s Wolsev. It has
been PRAISED though with some reserve,
hN The public press II has been ac-
GAINED IN the theatre. Tried by the box
Office test. IL is a highly successful per
loT7nan0s- 7 hear that = large part OF
the theatre is solo OFT 30 the libraries
and sEeneies Until November or Deem
Per TIE play - produced bv SIR Her
e-ff = pageant. Scenarv and costumes
sre splendid. Mr. Bourchier is the King.
plaFed him on the first night with
'nzerui'~ and many > skil41,l to,,cb Of
0ut not IS a King 7 met a friend
curing one OF the entr'ac who said.
nave always hated Henry the
hshtn more than any character in his
Tory Al last 7 feel that an avenged. p"
N unknd speech which am fols no
FEer sppfies. NJ Bourchier has r1odi-
TIE ms rendering and added dignity 20
~ Hls wooing % Anne BoIeyn is less
'us''ul and less comic. But the woIsey
'rrnains The Wolsev OF the first night.
81 Herbert Tree Is . MANAGER of great
'iefgies and great capacities. ana an
accomplished actor Of many parts who
It's % look at his part whatever IL
nay %, with the eyes Of the audience.
ne sits IN front and brings his minds
re 70 bear on ais own conception and
pef1orfnance Of Wolsey- He gives his
audience little or no credit for subtIety
~ perception He assumes that what
I'ey want is the obvious, the common