Los Angeles herald., 1891-03-06
AMusEMENrs.
The Merchant Of Venice, and Katherin
and Petruchio.

~~------~ - y e>se~~t eea>1 4Ao$s4C& A1AG
and Petruchio.
The Warde-Bowers company produced
a great double bill last night, opening
with the Merchant Of Venice, and clos
ing with David Garrick's version of The
Tanning of the Shrew, known as Rather
inc and Petruchio.
The audience was very large and
thoroughly intelligent one, as it was on
the former night. The finished produc-
tions were greatly enjoyed, but not SO
uniformly nor SO cordially as Henry
VIII. The casts were excellent all
through, particularly SO in The Merchant
Of Venice. All the artistic details were
perfectly reproduced in correct taste,
and the incidents ran smoothly, while
the reading of all the members was per-
feet.
AS Shylock, Mr.. Warde was thorough
ly artistic in all excepting the trial
scene. His reading and action in the
opening scenes were very self-con-
tanned, and revealed most intimate
knowledge of the character as portrayed
by the great creator of the conception.
In the trial scene Mr.. Warde let him
self fall into the pitfall of extreme in
tensity, to which his disposition ever
leads him. The acting was just sufi-
GENTLY extravagant to inevitably call up
to the mind the pith of Hamlet's advice
to the players, and the passion was the
least bit ragged at the ends. Mr.. Warde
has made such rapid progress toward
the rectification of this natural fault,
that no doubt little more experience
will lead to further bettering in this re-
spect. But, dismissing this bit of ex-
travagance OF action and emphasis, the
role otherwise was a most enjoyable bit
of histrionic art.
Mrs. Bowers, as Portia, was delightful,
and in the trial scene especially so. Her
action and delivery are so natural, and
her Interpretation of the part so artistic,
that one is almost led to forget it is
merely the stage he is looking at, and q
play he is hearing. Her delivery OF
that perfect gem, one of Shakespeare's
best passages, "The quality of mercy is
not strained" was so natural and so
full of pathos and power, that pin
might have been heard drop in the
house, so intense was the attention.
Katherine and Petruchio is, OF course
bit of pure extravaganza. The
Tanning of the Shrew is extrava-
CANT beyond any natural possibility,
and Garrick's reconstruction of the ma
terlal is much more 80. Mr.. Warde
certainly so interpreted it, and won fire.
quent and warm applause blythe way he
tanned the rebellious Katherine. Miss
Coggswell, who played Jessica in the
Merchant, was as captivating as the
cursed Katherine as she was as the gen.
tie Jessica. She has many marked
graces of person that appeal most pow
erfully in her behalf, at least to the
masculine moiety of the audience. Her
shrewishness was of most pronounced
type, rising quite to the height
of Petruchio's assumed roughness
of manner in the first scenes.
She made very pretty picture in her
petulance, which she scarcely would
have produced had she been possessed
of fewer charms of face and form. The
other members of the company play
with their usually careful attention all
the details of their business and COM
mand of their lines, and the delivery of
them. For tonight the play is Othello,
with Warde in the title role, Mrs. Bowa
ers as Emilia and Herman as Iago. IF
this last named person manages to fit
this cast even half way, he is an actor of
no mean rank. It is fully as exigent
role as that of Othello.
DAN'L SULLY. -t
The Los Angeles theater did not open
it's doors last night, owing to the non
arrival of the popular comedian, Danl
Sully. A telegram from him was re-
ceived saying it would be impossible to-
arrive in time to give performance, and
to postpone the opening until tonight,
when they will surely be on hand and
present The Millionaire.
UNCLE TOM.
Next Sunday the McFadden company
will open at the Los Angeles in Uncle
Toms Cabin. 1t will run for three
nights.
BoLossY KIRALFY's WATER QUEEN.
The admirers of the spectacular will
be attracted to the Grand opera house,
to witness the performance on March
10th and 11th-matinee the 11th-of
Bolossy Kiralfy's latest spectacle. The
Water Queen, which comes fresh from
Niblo's theater, New York. 1t is pecu-
liar in its construction, resembling the
pantomime so popular in London at
Christmas time, though the typical ar
lequinade is absent, and for this reason
is specially calculated to please children
and family parties, to whom it's purity
and unobjectionable nature form strong
inducements. The scenery was painted
by the best European and American
artists and possesses unusual beauty.
The submarine Stalactite Grotto is a
wonderful piece of work and exceeding
ly dreamlike in its effects, while the
Forest is novel and weird
of bewitched trees. with
skeletons, enchanted birds, witches, etc.
The final transformation, depicting the
four seasons, is masterpiece of scenic
art, with its elaborate and dazzling
changes and its beautiful allegorical