Sir Henry Irving—A Record of Over Twenty Years at the LyceumFitzgerald, Percy
General
Sir Henry Irving—A Record of Over Twenty Years at the Lyceum
Fitzgerald, Percy
Irving, Henry, Sir, 1838-1905
Of the regular scenes or structures put on the stage, it would be
difficult to say too much. The grandly-built porch of the Church of St.
Lorentz Platz at Nuremberg, and the buildings grouped round it, were
extraordinary works of construction, the porch being “moulded” in all its
details, and of the real or natural size. Another scene that lingers in
the memory with a sort of twilight melancholy is the garden scene, which
again illustrates the admirable instinct of the manager. Red-brick walls
of calm, quiet tones, old trees, and, above all, the sombre towers of
the city, were seen in the distance. The dresses of the characters were
chosen to harmonize, and the deep sunset cast a melancholy glow or tinge
over all. The most striking effects were contrived by changes of the
lights and “mediums.”
The Brocken scene, for its vastness and ambitious attempt to suggest
space and atmosphere, has never been surpassed. Most people were struck
by the bewildering crowd of unearthly spirits, witches, and demons, etc.;
but the real marvel was the simulation of the chill mountain atmosphere,
the air of dizziness, of mists that hover over vast crevasses and depths,
and make one shiver to look at. The designing, direction, and controlling
of the elements in this wonderful scene seemed a bewildering and gigantic
task.
The vision of Angels in the last act seemed a little conventional. There
were many objections, too, taken mostly by Germans, to the treatment of
the great story, such as the fixing of the scene at Nuremberg instead of
at Leipsic, the placing the drinking bout in the open air, and at the
tavern door, instead of in Auerbach’s cellar. These changes could not, of
course, be justified, save on the ground of theatrical expediency.
For seven months, though ‘Faust’ continued to attract vast houses, it had
really, as the manager said, “only started on its wild career.” On the
occasion of Miss Terry’s benefit, he made an interesting, half-jocular
speech announcing his plans.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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