New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-12-26
An UNsATTSF4CToRY PERFoRMANCE.

One night last week dramatic company which
is engaged in tearing the legitimate to tatters TO
very rags throughout the country, presented the
MAY of julius Caesar at Miflin Centre Pennsyl-
vania. From The Mifflin Centre Blade
gather that the leading citizens strongly crt1c1se
some things in the way it was placed before them
1t seems that during the Senate scene before
the assassination, Cassius sat down, put his
feet on the back Of Popilius Lenas chair, and
pulled out a copy of a Philadelphia morning paper
and began looking over the want columns The
probate judge living in Miffin Centre denounces
this rs an anachronism, and The Blade leans TO
the same view. There were no newspapers in
those DAYS. they argue. We could readily for
give Cassius" says the editor for placing his feet
on the back Of the Senator's chair and smoking
q cigarette because doubtless those old Romans
had TO relax once in while, it hardly being pos
s7le for q man to stand around all the time with
his arms folded under his chin and his nose high ;
and we know that even in our own Senate a
certain member frequently slams his hat on the
floor. dances up and down on it, and In loud
and distinct voice swears at the president pro
tempore: so, as we said can overlook the
elevated feet and the tobacco, but must cr1icise
the newspaper. It showed want of tact. Nothing
serves to break up the illusion surrounding a
Roman Senate scene like The crisp. dry rattle
OF a Philadelphia paper rs a hamfatter searches
for the sporting column
The point The Blade makes seems to us 10
be well taken. Cassius should have waited till
after he had killed himself and the play was
over before perusing the Philadelphia daily To
show that 50" The Blade" is not hypercritical it is
| only necessary to note what 1t says on another
point Some people, says the editor in the
course Of his able criticism object to the little
I off sayInO
See. what a rent the envous Casca made!' he
turned TO the audience and added If Caesar had
bought his clothes of Nose Rosenstein the popular
AIleghany.ave. clothier, this wouldn't have hap
pened.' We admit that this is wandering somewhat
from Shakespeare's version, but it was business
and not to be measured by the narrow rules OF
dram attic criticism. Mr.. Rosenstein gave Antony
| scventy-hve cents to introduce it,
| Tho Blade also mentions the inferior way
| in which the soothsayer's beard was draped
Long chin WHISPERS on the natural human be-
| ing says the Mifflin Centre journal, do
not WIG back and forth in the air like frozen
| nillow-casc on a clothes-1ne when their owner
moves his lower jaw. A billy goats do but
mans do not. This soothsayers beard was a
| foot long, and it pointed straight toward spot
on the floor ten feet in front of him. il ap
peared 10 be made of broom corn and it had
been starched When he kneeled and held uT
his face 10 Caesar saying, Beware the ides Of
| March, his whisl1ers Topped up and down in Q
way that grated very harshly on the nerves of oul
better Shakespearian scholars. Wire whisker'
are not popular in MiIlin Centre
The Blade also notes. in the case Of Casca
that he got on his bald head wrong end front
thus, where he should have appeared with higi
and expansive forehead running up over his bum
OF bencvolencc the fact was he played with hang
reaching 10 his eyes, while the back of his necl
extended to the TOP of his head The elect wa
far from pleasing says " The Blade espe
cialy from rear view
But the thing looked upon with least favor by
our Pennsylvania contemporary was the death o
Brutus It appears that in dying this mobiles
Roman of them all rolled too far front. and whei
the curtain descended he found himself outside o
il and close to the footlghts. Turning over n
struggled onto his hands and knees and crawle'
away toward the wings, TO the disgust OF man!
of the leading citizens. Is il asking too much,
inouires THE Blade THAT our actors SHOULD
die five or six feet further backP We thlnl
not The spectacle of one Of the greatest mel
known TO Roman history crawling OIL on hi
hands and feet after he is supposed to be dead l
far from pleasing This man Brutus stabhc
himself with n sword that looked like criclSe
bat. and then be crawled off with about as grace
full motions as are made by a douhle-humpc
dromedary dancing the Highland fling This
not art Neither is il nature. II Is simply a
exhibition of how n transformer from Barnstorr
Junction cannot play Shakespeare. The critica
Miffiin Centre audience demands that its actor