The New York herald., 1878-10-28
Revival of Shakespeare'S "The Win
i ter's Tale" at Drury Lane.
MRS. HERMANN VEINS SUCCESS.
Spectacular Effects and Mod
ern Inanities.
LONDON, Oct. IL, 1878.

again 10 IND home IN London, according 10 Mr.
Chatteron. And this is done In spite Of Mr. Charles
Reado, who tells us:ssThc great you have 10
avoid the childish notions that ours is email age.
Or an unpoetcal age, unpctoral agc. or an age
not rich in dramas, and that the Western man will
bo reduced 10 the intellectual level OF The East
and con tent himself with eternal representa-
lions of Shakespeare which representations
worst possible school OF acting"
.For." nc goes to say, sthey Shakcspeares pays)
arc IN bank verse; which arc unnatural ana lead
nnc actors out Of ten into mounting and brainlcss
monotony; whereas, If you revise them in the plain
English OF the day, there is some chance Of correct
Ing their tendency to be false ana artificial" Surely
Mr. Reade could well repeat this with more courage
again II he would aKo the trouble to pay visit to
Drury Lanc with patience enough to sit through four
hours Of dlstressingly dull performance IN spite OF
spectacular ments thrown in as sauce to the
TODD supplied by the divine William.
THE PERFORMANCE AT DRuRY LANE.
The "wintcr's Tae,'' as given at Drury Lane, is
attracting good houses 1t is true, though the revival
will not have long The principal reason for
the largo houses s easily to be found The wnter's
Tale" Ia rarely given that theatrical audiences
cannot afford to loso the opportunity OF Witnessing II,
be IL given wretcnedIy. Another reason is In
the glamour OF tradition that clngs perssteny to
all Shakespearc's plays as performed in the
days Of certain old actors whom tho
younger generation OF ploygocrs were asked to
believe were vcritablo geniuscs the like OF
whom the world has never seen since never will
see again. There have bcen several performances Of
the .Winters Tac'' in London during the memory of
old playgoers. Macready gave 1t at Drury Lane In
1929 playing Lcontcs himself, with Mrs. Bum (Miss
SomervlIe) for Hermionc In 1921 at Coyent Garden,
Young Mrs. Faucet took the principal characters.
II was also OF the series OF magn dcent revivals
produced under Charles Kean at the Princess The
ntre, and Mr.. Chatterton has scrup uousy followed
both regards succession OF scenes and costume.
Mr. KeaE, VIC are told, took ''the greatest paias
authorities, SO that no attire seen on his stage
~ the Princess might be without au-
Ihentc precedent "The Winters Tale" is of course.
Of date in particular, and tho criticisms that II
contains an incongruous medley OF Julio Romano
shivary and heathendom, Dclphic oracles and Whit
suntide past0rais is undcnablc. Mr. Kean. however,
decided tnat any costumes would be appropriate, II
they sufficiently antique, and Tischbeins Ham.
iiton vases. Miiiin's peinturcs dcs antiques,
Eerhards Anscresene scnbclder, Hopes costumes,
The Atlas OF the Monument dell Institute di Roma,
various vases In the British Museum anc foreign
collections together with other and authors
lies well known to the student OF ancient history,
werc laid under contribution" Ana these nave been
reproduced by Mr.. Chattcrton at Drury Lane with
result that wish could be deemed satisfactory TO
lovers oil Shakespeare. Had Mr.. Chatierton copied
revival Of tho celebrated play one might probably
have boon able TO write moro appreciativiy Of the
present revival
MEMORIES OF KEAN's REVIVAL
We arc not among those who stand up for the good
old tmcs ms beng the STANDARD dramatic measure Tor
The present year OF grace. At the same time those
who saw the ''Wihter's Tale" as given by Charles
Kean's company at the Princess years ago, cherish
/ remembrance Of II which is soroly offended ny the
present revival TLen everything artistic
thorough ana ldylic; all that Shakespearc's in
tho play was renocrcd In a manner un mistaKably
akospearnn; all that not treated in such
refined manner that its incongruiy vanished, and
you from tho play with strong feeling that the
utmost resources of and taste mad been avished
upon its and that, II the feeling
not ono Of cntra satisfaction, at ieas. no charge
agsment. In the present rovival the .'pear
scene" is entirely done away with; the Drury
there we're no such scrupes a, the Prlncess shake.
speare wroteor AZ loast approved othe bear scene,
and Mr. kcan consccntiousy carried 1t out, and FUR
ther he justified tho existence OF bears in Asia Minor
by quoiation from tho second chapter OF the
Book Kings. Antgonus lays down tho child in the
desert country near tho sea-
Most accurscd AMI
To be by oath cnjoincd to this.
Then comes tho sound OF the chase, drawing ncarcr
upon tho wretched man. 1t was Fate-the swift
Nemesis who avenged the cruel deed. What II the
bear was not all y might have been from geological
point OF view? You saw but ttlo OF hts anatomy. In
the gloom dark monster shuillcd quickly tho
heels Of the crimina there was cry, ~ am gone for
~ and then silence until The old shepherd breaks
In with his comicaity and relieves the ovorwrought
THE MODERN STAGE MANAGER.
With such a revival as Kean's worE from II
scems inoxplicabie why MIR. Chattcrton should have
failed to produce something better than he has DONE
The revival was Tong looked forward TO- critics hnvo
been on the tp-toc OF expectation Tor some weeks
past, and The public were ready TO greet good
VlVal Win entuuSiasHl. OH laSS SutuTuhv evening
tho great event occurred "a Winters Tale" was
revived or, we should rather sny, ''gnlvanized' at
Drury Lane before "a largo and fashionable audi
ence. The boards of this famous old house admit
OF dramatic representations on tho grandest scale
Mere want Of space can never be claimed
excuse Tor the faults OF stage manug EN- ent
that very numerous and very apparent In tho
ting Of the pccc. Tho scenery looked ir IL sadly
needed rcvivng by the artists, and tho costumes
thoueh In the main correct TO cut and trimmings
looked the several characters II great collcc-
lion OF Broadway misnts haa been distributed In a
uap n ~ a ho
garment nearest his or her hard. In the first act
sccnc tho raising OF the curtain discovers the
banqueting hall In the palace Of Leontcs. and the
guests arranged on zach side looking much tf
they waiting for something 10 eat and afraid
60 ask for II. One tall but very hungry looking Sic-
ian lord expression that suggested unlim-
tied capacity for food, quantity not quality being tho
Of L-on,cs should represented by hungry looking
man ono OF those things none but stage manager
can explain.
rmK DANCES AND SPECTACULAR ErFKcrs
The Pyrrhic dance introduced In this act is de.
eidedy out OF place. Tho pbaanx is made up OF a
number OF rather spindle legged young ladies, whose
eyolutiors neither interesting nor Pyrrpic In
deed, familiar ms they mny possibly be with Pyrrhic
movements they show that The driilnastcr has been
ncgcctiuI. The dialogue between Lcontcs, Hcrmiono
And Polxencs Is sustained In tho tamcst manner.
Tho sician King becomes IN Mr. Diilon's hands a
coarse brawcr, whiio Miss Wallis Hcrmione Is
rather too willowy In her mannerisms for the very
respectable character Of Lcontcs injured queen.
Standing between her husband aud his royal guest
she sways her body about II she grew, ike a
delicate shrub, whero she stood and WAS trying 10
Dear up agnins prctty SIN breeze that was blowing
out OF the orchestra The rest OF the actors manage
wihrmmeuse success, to sustain the characters OF
sticks, or, II we might huzard the remark they repre-
sent tho .supes' in the banqneting hall TO pcrcc-
tion For somc reason other not made very clear
10 tho audience by tho actors la tho second net
Queen is suspected by tho King OF having been
entertaining to Poixencs than tho strict requirements
OF hospitality warranted. Leones does not get mad
BY degrees and madder as the evidence ulat,s
In his diseased imagination. He simply exiloues as
II time fuse hud In his temper. He goes Off
on tangent from his orbit IN tho family sysiom lie
decides that the "nthcr snail have charge OF tho
chd' and calls oifcer TO tako charge of the
Queen. This scene is eaiivened w the introduction
oi some of The regular army OF Stella Tho great
Marshal SAKE or whoever IL was who placed such
confidence ~ tho legs OF the soldier, would have
dropped Ia t had hc seen the legs oil the lcgionarcs
Of Stella.
MRS. HERMANN VEIN
But out OF the general ol tho revival there
sbono one light which Drgntened tho picture, and
saved II rom bcDg the duIlcst presented 10 au
audience Mrs. Hermann vezn's Paulina is exceed
ingy good. Her rcading OF the passionate lines IN
which the suspicious tyrnnt is bearded IN his very
den woman. strong BY this. supDle-