Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-16
SHAKESPEARE STILL REIGNS.
Twelfth Night Admirably Played-siboria
Revived-One of the Finest-Variety
shows In Plenty.

Twelfth Night Admirably Played-sibcria
Revived-One of the Finest-variety
shows In Plenrv.
The charm of such performance as that
which graced the Grand Opera House stage
last night can hardly be properly described.
In comparison with the usual production Of
Shakespeare by travelling combinations ir
is as a well-cut diamond to a
glass chip with backing Of
tin foil, or as peach with the bloom upon it
beside. counterfeint presentment In worsted
or wax. Twelfth Night" as Marie VAIN
wright and her admirable assistants play 1t.
would delight the author as much, we do not
doubt, as 1t did large audience at the Opera
House last night. 1t is a perfect piece of art
not only in the playing, but in the circum-
stantial details of scenery, costumes and stage
management. This treatment of the play, of
course, is no more than 1t deserves, but heaven
knows, more than It receives in nine eases out
of ten. As matter of fact, most Shake
spearean plays are produced as cheaply
and inadequately in these days as they
IN the Globe Theatsr Sos or the %tia Inns
himself in the cast Miss Wainwright
and her managers deserve the gratitude of the
public for this practical and daring innova-
with more respect than a brass monkey or
wooden horse comedy from the pen OF nine
teenth century genius receives at the hands of
modern manager.
Perhaps no comedy of Shakespeare bet
ter deserves sympathetic treatment; that ",
gives Detter returns for pains spent upon IL.
With much Ado About Nothing" and "As
You Like It." Twelfth Night" represents the
fruit of shakespeare's golden summer, These
three comedies are the choicest gems of the
casket. They were all produced between the
years 1898 and 1901, and Twelfth Night"
we think, Is the most highly
wrought the most thoroughly polished and
pointed of the three. Swinburne, speaking of
TINS era in Shakespeares life, says: ITO this
stage belongs the special faculty Of faultless,
Joyous facile command upon each faculty re-
CURED OF the presiding genius for service or
work that the language of Shakespeare is most
limped in its fullness, the style most pure, the
thought most transparent through the close
and luminous raiment of perfect expression"
Shakespeare possibly played in Twelfth
Night" himself when it was given for "the first
time on any stage in the hall of the Middle Tenn
pie. Wemay be sure that he had no such subtle
andpersuastve aids to the actors art as the scene
painter, the costumer and the gas man fur
nished Miss Wainwright and her companions
last night The bower of roses was probably
distinguished from the seaport and the
91.iy,v quay by moonlight sn13 positively, but but
wood, curiously chased and carved, at the
end of the lawyers banquet hall was used as a
playground, but not much else. Nor was the
audience which had the glory and delight OF
the nrst laugh at the humors of Sir TOBY en-
rlcned by the presence of the illustrious Etizd-
oeth and her court. No doubt the comedy
stirred in them the same feelings that respond
thereto in Pittsburg to-day.
To come back to facts and the present. the
pfotG of Miss Wainwright is delicate and de-
lclous embodiment of one of the tenderest and
truest pictures ofgood women in Shakespeare's
gallery. Marie Wainwrights Viola Is worthy
wit thn Tir1do of NaI1.
son, the POrtid of Ellen Terry. There is some
thing of Rosulind in ViOld's saucy self-con-
graduation at OlfUia's love, but on the whole
Itotd is more like Julia in The Two Gentle
colors and placed in more poetical surround
lngs. The tenderness of Viola, her soft, loving
heart are admirably brought out by Miss
wainwright, and the character serves. as it
should, as foil to the noisy mrth of Sir Io6y
MartG and the rest. She is a star OF course. but
MISS Wainwright does not attempt to o'ercloud
the brilliancy of her associates. That they are
able to shine, and by right do shine.
the performance. Every actor deserves to be
praised by name. but we must content our
selves with but a tlthe of them. The yellow
legged stork" MalUotio IS very well played by
Toby or could be than Mr.. OWENS he has not
been revealed in this latitude Miss Louise
Muldener is the perfection of the frollc.
some below. stairs, and Miss Blanche
walsh should have been mentioned before
this as graceful and spirited Oltvia. Miss
Walsh's elocutionary powers are remarkable.
Mr.. Backus, Percy Brooke, as Sir ANDREW.
were exceedingly well cast, and no exception
can be taken to the rest of the company which
seems to be very nearly the same as last year in
it's makeup. The newcomer Mr. Granger, as
The Duke. Is an Improvement
The scenery is exquisite. The garden scene
is particularly pretty, but it is all perfectly in
harmony with the play. The costumes are
accurate and handsome and the incidental
music not only does credit to the arranger.
Mr.. Frank Hawson. but was played exceed
ingly well by Mr.. Schwartz's orchestra. and
vet last nights was the first performance Of
Twelfth NighLn this season.