Mr. Wallace as Othello and Mr. Macready as Iago at the Haymarket Theatre.

From The Illustrated London News, 1 December 1849. The News reviewer writes: "The part of Iago, as played by Mr. Macready, is a unique performance... It is, in our opinion, his very best character. Mr. Macready aims in it at an immense variety. Iago, according to his conception, is one who, not to write it profanely, becomes all things to all men, in order that he may win them over to his purposes. His intellect is fertile in invention, and his assumption of character is that of the perfect artiste in real life, who is, by whatever means, to make his fortune out of the infirmity of his associates. Marked differences and surprising contrasts distinguish Mr. Macready's iago, in his intercourse with Rodrigo, with Cassio, with Desdemona, with Emilia, and with Othello. He is frivoous, or moody, sympathetic or contemptuous, polite or irascible, according to the occasion and the person. The part, therefore, as Mr.Macready performs it, is not one, but manifold. It is many characters artistically harmonised in an intangible unity; and, as such, presents an amount of ability and an extent of resources almost astonishing. But, though thus "various and contrarious" in his relation with others, to himself Iago is intensely individualised. In his soliloquies, Mr. Macready is , indeed, mighty. Iago's jealousy, revengeful, cunning, and unscrupulous disposition - with all its subtle traits and intricate involutions - is brought out and interpreted with wonderful intelligence, power and effect." As for Mr. Waller's Othello: "If deficient in passion, his rhetorical points had frequently extraordinary merit; and sometimes a passage was enounced with equally remarkable energy and precision." (pp. 365-6) UCB SP Collection.