Mr. Gustavus V. Brooke, a provincial actor of celebrity, who
has made a most successful debfit at the Olympic Theatre, has set a problem before the critics, which the future alone can solve. The style of tragic acting has of late been so much under the influence, direct or indirect, of Mr. Macready, that a performer who starts from another foundation at once comes forward as a striking novelty. The sonorous voice of Mr. G. Brooke, and his sustained and even delivery, stand in strong contrast to that disjointed manner to which we have been so long accustomed. The part of Othello, the only one in which be has yet appeared, is evidently the result of a most careful study, and totally free from anything like servile imitation. As a piece of " reading " it is unexceptionable; and it is rarely that an actor is seen who can exhibit so much vehemence without verging in the least upon the ridiculous. The performance throughout is manly, judicious, and well-considered; and the pathetic side of the character is brought out with a degree of truth and delicacy which touches while it surprises. The question to be solved is, whether Mr. Brooke is a creative genius, or merely an accomplished elocutionist. Whichever he may turn out to be, his merits are sufficient to claim respect from the London public.
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