Dramatic Notes Volume 8; An Illustrated Year-Book of Thestage (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1887 Excerpt: ...or at the audience. Mr. Henley's feverishness seems to have imparted itself to Mr. Eben Plympton, an American actor of the robust school, who played Jack Beamish in a manly style, but with great lackof refinement and moderation. In contrast to all this excitement came the Madge of Miss Dorothy Dene, a gentle, lady-like impersonation, well considered and capitally brought out. Miss Dene has much in her favour. She is intelligent, youthful, well to look at, and endowed with a telling voice, but she must beware of a tendency to occasionally over-emphasise. The tragic look and tones of a Lady Macbeth are not needed to portray disappointment at an act of thoughtlessness on the part of a selfish brute. But, considering her surroundings, Miss Dorothy Dene did exceedingly well. The impetuosity and exaggeration of the younger actors were also to a certain extent counteracted by the finished acting of Miss Carlotta Leclercq, whose experience has taught her that noise and jerkiness are not absolutely necessary for effect on the stage. A revival of A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Crystal Palace on the 16th calls for a brief notice. More than one Shakespearean commentator has rebelled against the introduction on the stage of this comedy, but fiercest of all the denunciators was Hazlitt, who waxed exceeding wrath at the bare idea of such a thing. And good Samuel Pepys, who was, as a rule, pleased easily enough, thought the comedy the "most insipid and ridiculous play" he had ever seen. It is probable that Hazlitt's objections to the representation would have been modified, and that Pepys might have changed his opinion, had the play been presented before those worthies as it has been in our own time. Samuel Phelps made a thoughtful revival of the piece at Sadle...