Kean and Booth; and their contemporariesBrander Matthews Cassell, lim., 1886 - Actors |
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acter acting actor actress admirable America applause artistic audience beautiful Benedick Booth Boston Brutus Buckstone Burton chap char character Charles James Mathews Charles Kemble Charles Mathews charm comedian comedy comic Covent Garden dramatic Drury Lane Duff Edmund Kean elder Elliston engagement English expression eyes face Fanny Fanny Kemble farce father favorite FRANCES ANN KEMBLE friends gave genius gentleman grace Hackett Hamlet Haymarket heart honor humor Iago imitation James James William Wallack John Brougham Kean's Kemble Lady last appearance LAURENCE HUTTON London Lyceum Macbeth Madame Vestris manager manner married ment nature never night Olympic Opera Othello Park Theatre Payne peculiar performance person piece play play-goers produced rehearsal Richard Richard III scene season seemed seen Sept Shakspere Shakspere's Shylock spirit stage Street Theatre success talent theatrical tion tones tragedian tragedy voice Wallack Webster William York young
Popular passages
Page 114 - Apostate," was sure to draw a crowded house. (Remember heavy pieces were much more in demand those days than now. ) He was also unapproachably grand in Sir Giles Overreach, in " A New Way to Pay Old Debts," and the principal character in "The Iron Chest.
Page 234 - O PRECIOUS evenings! all too swiftly sped! Leaving us heirs to amplest heritages Of all the best thoughts of the greatest sages, And giving tongues unto the silent dead!
Page 11 - Before the piece was brought out, I had a number of children brought to me, that I might choose a Cupid. One struck me, with a fine pair of black eyes, who seemed by his looks and little gestures to be most anxious to be chosen as the representative of the God of Love ; I chose him, and little then did I imagine that my little Cupid would eventually become a great actor ; the then little urchin, was neither more nor less than Edmund Kean.
Page 25 - On the demise of a person of eminence, it is confidently averred that he had a hand "open as day to melting charity," and that "take him for all in all, we ne'er shall look upon his like again.
Page 243 - I saw Miss Fanny Kemble for the first time on Friday, and was disappointed. She is short, ill made, with large hands and feet, an expressive countenance, though not handsome, fine eyes, teeth, and hair, not devoid of grace, and with great energy and spirit, her voice good, though she has a little of the drawl of her family. She wants the pathos and tenderness of Miss O'Neill, and she excites no emotion ; but she is very young, clever, and may become a very good, perhaps a fine actress. Mrs. Siddons...
Page 96 - The Worldly Hope men set their Hearts upon Turns Ashes — or it prospers; and anon, Like Snow upon the Desert's dusty Face, Lighting a little hour or two — is gone.
Page 21 - So, his delivery of Othello's "Farewell" ran on the same tones and semitones, had the same rests and breaks, the same forte and piano, the same crescendo and diminuendo, night after night, as if he spoke it from a musical score.
Page 26 - I saw, — a small pale man with a fur cap, and wrapped in a fur cloak. He looked to me as if come from the grave. A stray lock of very dark hair crossed his forehead, under which shone eyes which looked dark, and yet bright as lamps. So large were they, so piercing, so absorbing, I could see no other feature.
Page 242 - I did not return into myself till all was over, and amid a tumultuous storm of applause, congratulation, tears, embraces, and a general joyous explosion of unutterable relief at the fortunate termination of my attempt, we went home. And so my life was determined, and I devoted myself to an avocation which I never liked or honored, and about the very nature of which I have never been able to come to any decided opinion. It is in vain that the undoubted specific gifts of great actors and actresses...
Page 18 - Just returned from seeing Kean in Richard. By Jove, he is a soul ! Life — nature — truth without exaggeration or diminution. Kemble's Hamlet is perfect ; — but Hamlet is not Nature. Richard is a man ; and Kean is Richard.