William Hazlitt, A View of the English Stage

Hazlitt contrasts Edmund Kean’s style of acting with that of the Italian improvisatori, noting that his performances are much more polished and better prepared.

Performer Name:
Kean
Performance Venue:
 
Performance Date:
 
Author:
Hazlitt, William
Date Written:
1814
Language:
English
Publication Title:
A View of the English Stage
Article Title:
Mr. Kean's Richard
Page Numbers:
5:202
Additional Info:
Qtd from The Complete Works of William Hazlitt, Ed. P. P. Howe; 21 vols.
Publisher:
Dent
Place of Publication:
London
Date Published:
1930

Text:

Besides, Mr. Kean's style of acting is not in the least of the unpremeditated, improvisatori kind: it is throughout elaborate and systematic, instead of being loose, off-hand, and accidental. He comes upon the stage as little unprepared as any actor we know.

Notes:

Dated 9 October 1814, The Champion.

Collected by:
DP