New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-02-22
THE DRAMA
" TWELFTH NIGHT" AT DALY,s rup.-
ADA REHAN AS VIOLA

""e"' 'e'e"iS so"e'h'hg more tnan her ntepiion :.
cause she also reveals the steadfast qualv 49, W.
patient endurance with baoyant setcon,ra 's.d"s
lovely character. Concerning the Duke Opano Ia
knows only that he Is reputed noble: that \.
\ bachelor. and that he loves the Lady Olivia nj.
mourning the death of her father and brothe, ~ =
| will admit no one to her presence. Viola IL NJ. ~
| PEELED by passion, or by sentiment, even bv o.,
oslty. She must find a home, and an. r r-s
obtain subsistence. Her first impulse Is 10 serv. !,
Lady Olivia; but that plan is rejected as imu,..s
cable. She will seek service In the household ~ \,
Duke-for she can sing, am speak to him IN -
sorts OF music-and she will hide her sex and 49,
| thither in disguise. A happy chance has ssru ~
| from the sea, and meanwhile the same happv ,A.
may also Ia saved S bastan, Ter brother She vn,
hopeful and will 60 forward, and the events A -
future shall be trusted to propitiOus time She
sweet constant woman, and she Is especially hs..s
with that cheerful courage, as to worldly fortune Il
which good women usually more rcmarkabl. ia.
| men. And she Is young, handsome, allurIng ana
quite tncon sciOusy-wel fitted 10 prove victoriou,
In "TwelGh Night" the dramatic art Of sbukeso...
always felicitOus. operates with an INDECENT esss ~
Is delightful. Tile touch Is invariably light. N.
m )od-now tender now joyous-is invariably natural
careless seemingly almost indifferent. You arc r-n
vidct with all essential knowledge as to the tvo
households OF Orsno and Olivia and yet you hardly p,,
ceive how IL that you came TO know them a,
how 1t is that they made to dwell In your mind
as pictorial and typical OF much diversified char
accr much human nature, and so much repre-
sentative experience. The Is shifted frequently
from one house the otber but not with violence or
caprcc The changes Gene aholt simply and
APPLY The persons, almost impercepnbly, drift
into their places and into your acquaintance and
favor The style varies, with charming fexitiltv
from verse TO prose, and back again from prose a
verse; preserving absolute harmony with the varia
lions Of the theme. All Is enforced. All Is free ana
careless- proflision Of wild howersan ordered med
ley of whmscality, and drolcry, and sentiment and
grace with abundance OF Kindly satire ard a wealth
OF genial philosophy involved In IT, 10th the houses
are stately and over both the poet has thrown halo
Of romance. In tn. palace OF OrSino that Prince Ia
suffering with IT,. me holy Of hopeless love. Ia
the sober hall that clostered beauty b
suffering with GRIEF her dead brother and iathe.
At the side Of Orsino stands the dis
guscd Volatile page Caesarto-loveorn
for her masters favor AT the side Of Olivia stands
the saturnine eifwor,hipful MalvoIio, nursing hh
conceit that the great lady may yet become his wife.
And around those serious figures eddy the yinou
revels Of stout sir Toby Bech the palng capcrs Of
silly Sir Andrew AeueeFoek, the antics 81 mischevoas
Murba and the romantic adventures OF rescued and
nv stifed sebastian. II l. picture In little Of tas
way OF all things. Love Is blind and viii not see u
own comfort, which is close at hand. selfopnn
makes Itself fool. and comes amid inextlngdsaabs
laughter to utter and irremedable disgrace. FrolA
and rcvel sparkle fer their lit;'e moment, and tun
to nothing Irrational fortune scattcrs her favon
wholly without logic. Truth and devotion are 70
warded by chance. And motley smiles over all
"A great while ago the world begun
with hey, no. the wind and tho rain.'
After the action of the piece his opened seversl
concaI situations devised Tor Viola. together with
,l.xffy
tend TO create a comic effect Ior tle auditor. In
those situations vIoas geeul spirit is lberatedass
irreprcssible CHARITY, being expected to play the
part Of a masculine lover and her feminine consier.
nation when confronted with tine necessity OF eomoat
being arfuy conasted. Tor the sake Of humorous
results The tue note Of the character, however, 3
serious Viola Is n woman Of deep sensibility and
that way Miss Rehan has comprehended ana
reproduced her-permitting certain wistul SAD.
ness to glimmer through tie gauLe VI
Kindly vivaclty with which. otherwise, her
whole bright and gentle figure is artfuLy swathed.
That WAS the pervadng beauty OF the mpersonaton'
Those frolic scores I'm which Viola participates are
perfectly consonant with Miss Rehan, propensity Tor
mlrth and with her faculty for comic action me re-
j0iccd In them and 81" made Tho listener rel"ce ~
thcn But the great underlying caise oil her pnii'n'
success In them WAS the profound sincerity Vi W.T.
feellng-over which her dec was seen 10 pa'' d.
moonlight plays upon III, ripping surface OF ihe oeS
depth. In this embodiment. more than III a'' AZ
sumption OF character previously pe''hnd pS n''
she has relied upon Il soft and gentle poetry OF con-
dition. She discarded oil strong emphasis. wne'a"
OF color demcanor or speech. Her action was eA'
ceedingiy delicate. ara II ~ any moment she oec'm'
conspic uous In n II was rs The oohseda'"e
OF dramatic necessity and reason OF seilas'e''
ton Lovely reserve aud aristc,ratic dls'inca0a
blended In the performance. and dlsl'heo anu s1'
deared II. The melody OF shakespeare 'c'Se
pecially In the passage OF Nlolas renuhcau'"-'
from her lips In strain OF fnent sweetness 'na' Gu"
HANGED its bea Ity ard dcepenei lie pahos o. us 'es
der significance. In such tones tue neart sp'aAs' .
not simply the warmth OF an excited lmaK'"'''
and the Ihcommanicablc something tha' uAe SUI
knows OF love and sorrow finds Mt least m n''ea"s'
~ nor nm Ineligible expression. .Uhuety OF perrep'
ton naturally accompanies deep feeling VIOLA WIN
As Caesaro she has captured the fancy oil ohVia' ~
though she may view that ludicrous dilemma aNn''
and even with spice Of innocent miseh'c' wv
womanS sympathy with the emotions Oh ner s'A %
all her conduct toward Olivia is refined ana 'vA
siderate. Miss Rehan admirably true p" ~
ideal In that particular as also sHs
was In expressing the large generosity oil Ni"' -
OlivIa's beauty. 1t Is only n woman in''ihS"'
noble who can b. Just Dwaru ~"
prosperous rival IN matters OF the nea ,
Miss Rehan, In her embodiment Of Nloa. has ooe.
the finest OF all artistic impulses-the Impulse "
no effort. Her performance was as naturn " IN.
sweet rs the opening Of the rose. she aioSN
pcnsve tenderness and the sweet gravity wn'" CIV
her nature to DRIFT into her portraiture oil ule
ter and 10 express themselves honestly ana 'rS
Her eocuiion was at its best-conc,aling III P,
ita,ion. and flowing, as the brook flows. Win co".
nous music and spontaneous and acclde"'i "a
she wore the boy-drc with all her usual srao''
woman plays the boy better. Few actresses .,hs,
paycd Il 80 well. The local public mas See" 80.
by Miss Rehan, more comp', A
elaborate, more powerful: no other impcrsoha'
allnring so essentially poetcal, 80 Significant go,
tic growth, and of the rich resources OF sp"'
nature. Her by-play alone, In the scene 49,.
Viola attends Orsino while he Is listening 10 -.
song was a sufficient evidence OF the true ihsp"as
u genius Her success with the house WAS IN,
great and she recalled with en'hus" ,,r.r
lines The dresses, three in number, are Oh 20