THE STAGE BUSINESS OF “HAMLET."

Evening Star, Issue 3899, 23 August 1875, Page 3

THE STAGE BUSINESS OF “HAMLET."

The following letter on the above subject, written by Herr Bandmann, a tragedian whom many of our readers may have seen in Australia appears in the 4 Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News

Sir,— Will you kindly allow me a little of your valuable space on the subject of what in che technical language of our profession,’ is called the business” (in German the “heispiel") of “Hamlet?”

London is at present in a very 'intelligible delight over Signor Salvini’s performance of the Prince of Denmark, and I am not surprised at it. Since the days of Emil Devrient 1 have not seen anything so beautiful and touching as this great actor’s impersonation of t’ne part. It seems to me, as Goethe would have, it, aus ciium Guss (cast in a single jat). Every actor has good reason to be of so distinguished a comrade. But I think, in justice to others wh £> one before him, and to others who are stiH on the stage, it is but fair that the public should be rightly informed as to the origin of a good deal of what, as I gather, London audiences regard as new business in 44 Hamlet ” Great credit has been given both to Signor business* rv * ng * or i nv ention of new

mil™ 1 '!. be b ome in mind, however, that much which may be new, as far as they are concerned, may be old on other stages. I have fell? A erman ° r all °ver Germany Lngland, America, and Australia. I have seen many of the great Hamlets that are gone and all those who are still acting I am tL. ’ i familiar with their by-phiy, and it is in justice to them that I now write. u justice For instance, I find credit given c; Saivini for bringing the Ghost from stage. Ibis is done in every theatre in Par many. Again, the introduction of a MS nf nfo play in tie play scene, and the nervoußtul^ h\Z tL% ’ CS ' lu . l ? Ugtbe Performance to hide the Prince s excitement and to mask his due scrutiny of the King, has, been done bv myself years ago. The introduction of the m, in England at least, due to the ] a te Mr Bellew, who taught it to Mr F ech f „er. He was fe //ll t ;°nf mt ir’ dU< ;- ? ° n fjbe English stage. The fall into Horatios ar ms after the play.scene is over is very old. f. nd is doQe by every rhe originates ll -Devnent, M r I rv inghas been highly K W VlDg 3 baCk tUrDed t0 thG Gho «t Th “ fcusitmsß originated with no lew a Garriok h g imßelf

which will be seen in an excellent little boob called “ The Actor, or a Treatise on the Art of Playing. Lor don: R. loo. ’ I May c'.J.rn to have reintroduced this business at my first appearance as Hamlet in Grata, 1860. The sinking down of Mr Irving after the disappearance of the Ghost, X myself have always practiced. Hamlet’s sudden taking out of his tablets to compose the lines for the play-scene, at the end of the second act. was introduced by Fritz Devi lent (nephew of Emil), and afterwards repeated by Joseph Wagner, and many other German Hamlets. All this cannot, of course, in the slightest degree detract from the excellence of Mr Irying’s or Signor baiyini s performance. Even supposing them not to be the inventors of these poults of business, Goethe says, “Anything lofty and sublime, mutated, embodied, is that less your own ?. mean to assert that either Mr Irving 1 or Signor Salvini has ever seen or heard of the above points. If they, too, have independently invented them, it is an argument in favor of their appropriateness to the situation. But care must betaken not to ascribe to them the introduction for the first time of business which on many stages is already familiar. Besides, as claims to the origination of such points are often set up on insufficient grounds, it seems worth while in the cases of performances so conspicuous, to make public the facts showing the existence of ceitain stage business before the present double run of “ Hamlet ” in London. —Yours truly, Daniel E. Bandmann. Garrick Club, June 7.