The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-10-04
MUSIC AND THE DRAMA.



Last night Tony Deniers Humpty Dumpty
troupe appeared at Music Hall to an audience
that not only filled every seat in the house, but
occupied every inch of standing ROOM 1t was
a warm night out and in the theatre the word
hot does not express the situation. 1t was
tropical as the Black Hale of Calcutta, and yet
every window was opened.
The pantomime we are all familiar with,
but it was acted right up to the mark, and the
house was in a roar of laughter from the begin
ming to the end. Mr.. Adams was immense as
the clown, and all the other parts were well
taken. Little Rosebud was charming. The
business of the Pantomime wassimmense. 1t
was ''rush' all the time, and the auditor found
it necessary to give his entire and constant
attention in order to take in all the fun that
TRANSFERRED. The incidents were numerous,
many of them new, and all humorous. Fun
was rampant and all the auditors were happy.
There will be matinee this afternoon, and
performance tonight.
NOTES.
On Thursday evening the Rev. f. Pember
gave his promised reading of Enoch Arden to
large audience. 1t was listened to through
out with undiminished interest and attention.
Mrs. Pember contributed two pretty songs,
Kingsley's 'Three Fishers and Cherry
Ripe." 1t is gratifying to notice that the pro-
debt for which it was given.
John Gilbert continues to be very low, hav-
ing typhoid fever. There was no change
in his condition late Thursday.
Daniel Bandmann, the great German actor,
appeared in s'Hamlet' at the Standard Theatre
Thursday evening The performance was re,
markable for somewhat specular features, and
for some innovations by Bandmann. The plat"
form before the castle at Elsinore, at the out
set was snow scene, and the stars OF which
Bernardo spoke were twinkling naturally III
the sky The change from this full-stage view
to that of a room in the castle, also occupying
all of the stage, was clever mechanical Trans
formation. A court jester is introduced here,
but his antics are voiceless. An equally sur
prising change reveals the battlements in
the ghost scene. A novelty in Bandmann's act
ing at this point was his holding up the cross
of his sword handle, as though his fathers
shirt was an evil one At the opening of the
second act Rosencranz and Guildenstern were
seen among a large number OF courtlers, IN
stead of afterward entering, as they usually do.
In the third act Bandmanns Hamlet address
ed greater part of his meaning to the listen
ing King than is common. In the ensuing
scene with the players he made Polonius,
Rosencranz and Guldenstern enter and listen
to the speech about acting, while the court jes-
ter kept several children quiet. These child
rem and several pages ran toward Hamlet, IN
the subsequent play scene, when he accused
the King, as though in CONSERVATION. In the
closet scene the life-siZe picture of Hamlet's
father and uncle were pointed out by him
when he spoke ''the counterfeit presentment OF
two brothers." as they stood in row of ances-
trail portraits Booth uses two medallion pic
lures, one hanging from his own neck and the
other from his mothers, and Irving leaves
them wholly to the imagination. Bandmann
took advantage of the portrait gallery idea to
make the ghost step boldly out of the .pictu re
of Hamlet's father, and when he made his exit,
it was through an apparently solid pillar and
through the outer portals Of the castle, which
became weirdly visible for the instant. He
closed the act by retiring at the words Good
night mother" instead of sending the Queen
out of the room. At the close Of the fifth act,
the body of the drowned Ophelia was brought
dripping on the stage. The burial scene of the
last act was close copy of a Roman Catholic
service, with procession Of chanting monks
and careful groupings. The final fight between
Hamlet and Laertes was representedas part of
grand tournament AS for Bandmann's
own performance. it had a picturesqueness
that harmonized with the general presentation
of the play. He had large and enthusiastic
audience