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

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aioting of two short scenes in Caesar's house, dispatching
all the events in Rome, and a third giving a "view of Rome,
and grand Roman Festival in honour of Antony and Gctavia",
Antony and Octavia passed down a "path of flo.vers" whilst a
choir of thirty boys aang Andrew Levey's setting of The Merry
of ."fay and a S'iiss Banks performed a "new and ori ;inal
song" entitled The May Song. Act Three consisted of two chert
scenes in Cleopatra's palace, followed by the oea-shore and
a naval battle between the Roman and Egyptian fleets. Act
Pour had three scenes, the final catastrophe taking place in
"The Temple of Isiol" (Chatterton's exclamation mark).
The Illustrated London News did not wholly disapprove
of this mutilation, but pointed out its consequences for tae
actress, Ellen
It may seem a slight thing whether a scene
coTimencea .ith a discovery or an entrance,
but frequently it is a natter of ^rcat
importance, in an artictic point of view.
The former rives occasion for a quiet
beginning and a gradual working up of a
climax, a process v;hich recommends itself
to the judicious auditor by a craduatee
sense of beauty, which is inconsistent vith
the treatment indicted on by the latter.
There was, accordingly, a lack of repose in
the general style of ~'iss Wallis's nerformonce.
(27 September 1~73)
the most distinguished performance was that of John ; sydcr as
£nobarbus, James Anderson»s Antony having little power or
feelin,-;. Although :.ome (including the a'ineo critic) considered
her pov/erful and pat;si jnr te, :iss ..allic seemed hysterical
and unconvincing to nu ny observers. Put ton Cook wrote that
she failed "to display the exaltation of poetic temper.' .ment
of the character", and was "somewhat torpid" v ith "intervale
of vociferation 11 :
...an actress competent to apnerr as Cleopatra
could aardly perhaps bo I'ound in the -nreceiit
condition of the stage.^
ii. tfrc Lcn:"try's St.:ice Cnroer.
Born in 1^52, Emily Charlotte Lr.-jagtry was by her o-..n accouat
"launched on a career of pleasurable striving after the un-