Temple Bar (Volume 53) (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1878. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... (c)nr (c)lfc DEGREESttits. BARTON BOOTH, AND THE ACTORS OP QUEEN ANNE'S DAYS. The readers who have accompanied me through this series of papers may be inclined to smile, sceptically, at the number of times I have quoted contemporary opinion, from the days of Burbadge to those of Mrs. Siddons, to the effect that posterity could never hope to see u successor to this or that actor or actress. The actors of our youth must ever remain to us the actors without peer, since it is upon their interpretations our dramatic taste has been formed, and, missing their familiar tones and gestures in our favourite parts, we have the sensation that something is wanting to our sense of completeness, and too frequently ascribe that want to inferiority of talent. Those who saw Burbadge in 'Othello' would have considered Hart inferior to him, those who received their conception of the character from Hart would find fault with Betterton, and Cibber would have smiled disdainfully at a comparison between Garrick and the great tragedians of his youth. Yet all were right and all were wrong: each of these were of the greatest actors that ever lived, but their degrees of excellency could only be decided by the partial standard of individual taste. But do not let us therefore fall back upon the heretical idea that acting is all a matter of opinion. If it was so it would not be entitled to rank as a fine art, a position which no man of culture can refuse it. Before turning to the personages who give the title to this paper, I must touch upon two great names of the Charles period that want of space obliged me to omit in my last article--Mrs. Bracegirdle and Mrs. Barry. The former may be said to have been reared upon the stage, for she made her first appearance, as a page, at six years old. She