Pictorial Shakespeare, 1880-1890 - eTheses Repository - University ...

haa never been genarous to the Bard; and, secondly,
while admitting i/lr Barrett's general soundness a»
an r ctor, we have yet to see him propel fcicjany
of those striking linlis of evidence likely to
convince us that PS Hamlet he would be anything
aporoaching a revelation. (25 October 1884)
It was a criticism with which Barrett met often in the
professional journals - in 1888, on his return to the Princess's
The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic flev/s declared him to
be sure of success "if only he ?/ould not trouble cbou^ \
Shakespeare and that sort of thing 1* (2 June 1888, reviewing
The Ben-my-Chree). In other quarters his cultivation of
literary and artistic society was viewed with some suspicion.
iVilliam Archer observed the presence of Lord Lytton, John
Ruskin and ^irtt.iew Arnold among the first-night audience of
Hamlet, and described them in The World as a superior sort of
claquei
The ^-icricans have a convenient term for the
managerial miracle by which this ana other
squally surprising results are broa ;;-Y\t about.
They call it "getting up a boom"; and of this
art Mr Barrett is past master.
(22 October 1C~'4)
It v;:.s ironic that Barrett, whose fear of Irving's supposedly
unfair nanf-;Tcri.?l tactics h: c been mentioned (p.^3above),
should OG accused of "getting up a boom".
i'he measures trie en by Barrett to oublicise his productions
wore probably no more or lecc devious th. n those of noct
managerss he v/ac a .ueloOr.araatic actor who v/i:.-heo to broaden
hio repertoire, and he suffered in consequence from the
jcaloir.y or snobbishness of fellow-artists. Hie :laua^omcnt was
remarkable for its ambitious contemporary repertoire - in
which rocnect it cumocced the Lyceum - and its o>ise...blo. Not
only C±(L Barrett employ Gocwin as on adviser ,and Bevcrloy
anonrct his ^rintiiir ctrff: he was praised for t..ie unity and
consistently hi la stcnc'.-.rc! of acting in hie c >mpany. Plat
Arnold observed in his ^ovicw of '2~:.c Silver \inr-t
Inctead of tlie company v;ith a ein,^lo ()o- orful
and intclli:r;o'-"'t performer, . ith t?.o o r three
.nic'dli'ir ones, and the rest moping ant mowing