Part 12 (1/2)

APPEARANCE IN LONDON

In Paris I found a letter froo to London with an Italian cohts of the opera I was in doubt for a considerable tie the verdict of the British public; but in teeks after reaching Italy, by dint of telegraether the force of artists necessary, and I presentedof 1875

Hardly had I arrived, when I noticed the posting, on the bill-boards of the city, of the announceht of ”Ha in the title-role

I had contracted with Mapleson to give only three plays in my season, ”Othello,” ”The Gladiator,” and ”Ha been insisted upon by Mapleson himself, who, as a speculator, well knew that curiosity as to a Comparison would draw the public to Drury Lane

IMPRESSIONS OF IRVING'S ”HAMLET”

I was very anxious to see the illustrious English artist in that part, and I secured a box and went to the Lyceu as it were concealed in ood opportunity to satisfy my curiosity I arrived at the theatre a little too late, so that I host of his father, the scene which in e character, and from which all the synthetic ideas of Hamlet are developed I was in time to hear only the last words of the oath of secrecy I was struck by the perfection of the stage-setting There was a perfect iht, which at the proper tie with its rays or left it in darkness Every detail was excellently and exactly reproduced The scene was shi+fted, and Haan his allusions, his sallies of sarcass, his points of satire with the courtiers, who sought to study and to penetrate the senti was sihts The subtle penetration of his phrases, so perfect in shading and incisiveness, showed him to be a master of art I do not believe there is an actor who can stand beside him in this respect, and I was so much impressed by it, that at the end of the second act I said to myself, ”I will not play Hamlet! Mapleson can say what he likes, but I will not play it”; and I said it with the fullest resolution In thewas adhest praise; in that of the Players he was , and in all this part of the play he appeared to my eyes to be the most perfect interpreter of that eccentric character But further on it was not so, and for the sake of art I regretted it From the tisee in power, and strained, and it is not in hin actors

There seems to be a limit of passion within which they re of nature; but beyond that limit they become transforeration in their gestures, andto myself: ”I too can do Ha is exceptionally fine I am convinced that it would be difficult to interpret Shylock or Mephistopheles better than he He is e; and in addition to his intelligence he does not lack the power to cos Withal he is an accoentleman in society, and is loved and respected by his fellow-citizens, who justly look upon hilory to their country

He should, however, for his own sake, avoid playing such pants as Romeo and Macbeth, which are not adapted to his somewhat scanty physical and vocal power

THE DECLINE OF TRAGEDY

The traditions of the English draained the highest pinnacle of fareat artists as Garrick, Ke; and the literary and dramatic critics of the whole world have studied and analysed both author and actor At present, however, tragedy is abandoned on ales of Europe Actors who devote theedy, whether classical roer exist

Society-coe, and the inundation causes the seed to rot which more conscientious and prudent planters had sown in the fields of art It is desirable that the feeling and taste for the works of the great draland, which is for special reasons, and with justice, proud of enjoying the primacy in dramatic composition, should have also worthy and fae of the great name of Garrick do not attract modern actors to follow in his footsteps Do not tell me that the works of Shakespeare are out of fashi+on, and that the public no longer wants them Shakespeare is always new--so new that not even yet is he understood by everybody, and if, as they say, the public is no longer attracted by his plays, it is because they are superficially presented To win the approval of the audience, a dazzling and conspicuous _ine, to make up deficiency in interpretation; a more profound study of the characters represented is indispensable If in art you can join the beautiful and the good, so ive the public the alternative, it will always prefer the good to the beautiful

TRAGEDY IN TWO LANGUAGES

In 1880 the agent of an impresario and theatre-owner of Boston cao to North America for the second time, to play in Italian supported by an Aht the man had lost his senses But after a tihtand costly journey simply to play a joke, and I took his extraordinary proposition into serious consideration and asked hient made answer; ”it is very simple You found favour the last time with the American public with your Italian company, when not a word that was said was understood, and the proprietor of the Globe Theatre of Boston thinks that if he puts with you English-speaking actors, you will yourself be better understood, since all the dialogues of your supporters will be plain The audience will concern itself only with following you with the aid of the play-books in both languages, and will not have to pay attention to the others, whose words it will understand”

”But how shall I take lish? And hoill your American actors knohen to speak, since they do not know Italian?”

”Have no anxiety about that,” said the agent ”Our American actors are mathematicians, and can memorise perfectly the last words of your speeches, and they ith the precision of h I do not think it will be so easy; but it will in any case be much easier for them, ill have to deal withtwenty or twenty-four, than for ent, however, closed n yourself 'Salvini' for nothing!” He had an answer for everything, he was prepared to convince , and to sh alalised by a contract in due form, by which I undertook to be at New York not later than November 05, 1880, and to be ready to open at Philadelphia with ”Othello” on the 29th of the same month

I was still doht was pleasant to ht it back to rave responsibilities, a novel and difficult undertaking of uncertain outco to risk all siet I have never in ambler, but that tile card Failure would have been a new erievous, it is true, but still different from that which filled my mind I played, and I won! The friends whom I had made in the United States in 1873, and hom I had kept up ues, wrotewas not believed, so eccentric did it seem I arrived in New York nervous and feverish, but not discouraged or depressed

When the day of the first rehearsal came, all the theatres were occupied, and I had to et into touch with the actors ere to support me An Italian as employed in a newspaper office served ent of an the rehearsal without a prompter, and with a sureness to be envied especially by our Italian actors, who usually ested to them My turn came, and the feords which Othello pronounces in the first scene came in smoothly and without difficulty When the scene with the Council of Ten caraph, and I hesitated; I began a line, but it was not that; I tried another with no better success; a third, but the interpreter told lish was of no assistance towhich of my speeches corresponded to that addressed to me, which I did not understand I was all at sea, and I told the interpreter to beg the actors to overlook my moht in five minutes I went off to a corner of the hall and bowedto h” I set out to nuraphs of ain”

During the reht that I understood English, and that the American actors understood Italian, No further mistake was made by either side; there was not even the smallest hesitation, and when I finished the final scene of the third act between Othello and Iago, the actors applauded, filled with joy and pleasure The exactitude hich the subsequent rehearsals of ”Othello,” and those of ”Hamlet,” proceeded was due to the memory, the application, and the scrupulous attention to their work of the American actors, as well as to my own force of will and practical acquaintance with all the parts of the play, and to the natural intuition which helpedas addressed to ht inflection of the voice Gradually a feords, a few short phrases, remained in my ear, and in course of time I came to understand perfectly every word of all the characters; I became so sure of myself that if an actor substituted one word for another I perceived it I understood the words of Shakespeare, but not those of the spoken language