English: Mrs. William J. Florence, or Malvina Pray, actress
Identifier: lifeartofedwinbo00matt (find matches)
Title: The life and art of Edwin Booth and his contemporaries
Year: 1906 (1900s)
Authors: Matthews, Brander, 1852-1929, comp Hutton, Laurence, 1843-1904
Subjects: Actors Actors
Publisher: Boston, L.C. Page
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress
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ral Gilflory isstrained to caricature. George Augustus Sala, in the Illustrated Lon-don News, Sept. 4, 1880. The American actor showed that he was thoroughlyskilful, and had a strong sense of humor, by his per-formance of Bardwell Slote in a bad play, and per-haps shows it still more by his performance of CaptainCuttle in an even worse play. His rendering of pathosmisses the true ring, but avoids condemnation. Inthe general interpretation of the character he has tomeet the same kind of difficulties which beset theillustrator of a familiar book, and he gets over thesedifficulties, as well as those which arise from his beingan American, with much success. Both in BardwellSlote and in Captain Cuttle Mr. Florence has displayed,besides the merits which belong to a clever andthoroughly practised actor, that indefinable quality bywhich a player is enabled to create at once a sympa-thetic feeling between himself and his audience. Walter Herries Pollock, in the Saturday Re-view, Nov. 27, 1880.
Text Appearing After Image:
MRS. W. J. FLORENCE. MR. AND MRS. FLORENCE. 127 Although new to a metropolitan audience Mr.Florences Captain Cuttle has been seen in this countrybefore. In 1862 I believe he played the part in Man-chester, on which occasion the cast included Mr.Henry Irving as Dombey, while Mr. Florences imper-sonation of the old captain won warm recognitionfrom Mr. Dickens himself, who declared that itthoroughly realized his conception of the character.And it is easy to understand that such was the case, fora more thoroughly breezy, natural and lifelike presenta-tion of the old man than Mr. Florences, it would bedifficult to conceive. . . . Mr. Florences acting is asgood as his inimitable make-up, and the personationis a most finished one. He is irresistibly humorousand delightfully in earnest when he wants to presenthis teaspoons to Mr. Dombey; and the way in whichhe tacks to the door with Florence Dombey in hisarms, as if under a heavy press of sail, was a capitalpiece of business. There was pathos
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