magnifier
Original Document
magbottom
 
Original Document
An assessment of Edwin Forrest's skills as an actor, 1837

This young gentleman, not yet arrived at the age of twenty-one, as I have learned, from an authority entitled to full belief, has already exhibited a development of powers, a maturity of mind, an adaptation for, and advancement in, the arduous profession he has undertaken, which at once excite the wonder and admiration of all who behold him. Like the enchanted edifices of oriental story, he seems to have sprung into a beautiful existence, without the aid of time; and, while we were complaining that the stage was lighted only by borrowed luminaries of Europe, a star has arisen in our own hemisphere, which promises, ere long, to be hailed as the cynosure of the dramatic horizon.

The person of Mr. Forrest is well formed and commanding; his leg, arm, and hand, in particular, are molded with the most perfect symmetry. His face is handsome and expressive, and flexible to a degree which is seldom surpassed. His eyes are black, and capable of exhibiting, with equal truth, every gradation of feeling, from the meltings of love, to the lightning glances of revenge. His voice is sonorous and sweet, except when exerted for a long time, in giving vent to some demoniac passion; it then becomes somewhat harsh and dissonant, though still powerfully expressive. His attitudes are, in general, easy and graceful; and they invariably seem the result of the impulse of the moment, or of the circumstances of the scene, as they arise. We never see, in him, what so often disgusts us in others, a visible preparation for some particular attitude or start, which is to be ostensibly occasioned by a yet unuttered or unacted part of the drama. To illustrate my meaning, take the play of Pizarro, for example. I have seen many persons in the character of Rolla, some of them very good actors, and almost invariably there has been discoverable, to a close observer, a getting ready on the part of the Peruvian to seize the child of Cora. before that mode of rescue could properly suggest itself to his mind. Not so with Mr. Forrest. Let him be inspected ever so minutely, and I will venture to say, that no person, unacquainted with the incidents of the story, could possibly foretell, in what a beautifully effective manner the preservation of the infant is to be accomplished. A neglect of propriety in this respect, is sometimes attended with very laughable circumstances when the scene, rightly conducted, would have created feelings of the deepest seriousness.. . .

Mr. Forrest has played since his first appearance in this city a variety of characters, and the rapturous applause, which has attended upon every effort, speaks volumes in favor of the ability he has displayed, His Damon, Othello, William Tell, and Sir Edward Mortimer, in particular, have created an impression in the minds of all who beheld him, that will never be effaced. His delineation of these characters, young as he is, displays evidence of a close and discriminating study, of a brilliancy of genius, a depth of feeling, and acquaintance with the working of the human soul; and a grasp of intellect, which, while they already rank him among the greatest, must eventually, if (as is but fair to suppose he will) be increased in mental vigor as he increases in years and experience, upon as proud a summit as has ever been attained by histrionic exertions.


Credit: New York Mirror, and Ladies Literary Gazette 4:31 (February 24, 1837).
Back to Top