The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-09-25
THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR

The successful actor always seems to
have some dark and secret am
billion preying upon his peace OF mind,
and leading him to unexpected eccen-
tricites. lie grows tired Of the roles In
which the public has accepted him. lie
pines for fresh fields, and there IL no
reasoning with him until he has tried
them william II. Crane has made his
reputation in spick -and-span up-to-date
impersonations He brenthes the spirit
OF ls94-whatever that Is. He Is dis
tinctly en- rapport with the times. lie
suggests New York. and you can't even
think Of him in STANDARDIZATION. lie
hasn't a speck OF Elizabethanism about
his constitution.
Yet Mr.. Crane appeared as Falstan
In THE Merry Wives Of Windsor at the
Star Theatre last night, and the laughing
nineteenth century lads who found his
Hannibal Rivers so excrutiatingly funny
went to sec what this Shakespearian
outhurst meant. They saw the comedian
padded out to an almost apoplectic
obesity: his face made up to look ex-
cessively scrofulous and ugly, and his
costume that Of the fifteenth century.
They didn't care a snap for the long
TRADE on the programme that explained
why Crane dressed his characters In
the clothes Of the fifteenth rather than
in those OF the traditional seventeenth
century Perhaps they wished that he
could have discovered some equally
plausible reasons for nineteenth century
garbs In spite OF his disguise. Crane
as quite unconcerted. His pecularities
10 int
duced his Senator" chuckle and his
ION Probation" laugh. His was not the
round and paunch-born jollity that we
associate with Shakespeares fat come
dams.
THE Merry wives OF Windsor" is not
an edifying play. II Is coarseness, with
out the necessary sugar coating In
which playwrights of to-day envelop
their little naughty quips. Falstaff' 3
amours with Mistress Page and Mistress
Ford are. OF course. no more glazing
than those which we enjoy in the thea
tres of now. but they are set forth SO
very frankly, and their brutality Is alb
solutely unalloyed THE Merry Wives
OF Windsor" Is very probable play
to read-like a good many other Shakes
pearian efforts-but there Is nothing &c
excuse It's presentation on the stage
The production to-day Ia merely due &c
rampant spirit OF humbug and ny
pochrisy Good people. who would never
forgive a modern author for the clothes
basket episode. are afraid to expires,
their opinions when Shakespeare is an
nounced as the authority for the Incl
dent. The bump OF excessive veneratioi
| do IA In -
canny avenues.
Mr.. Crane treats THE Merry Wive
Of Windsor very reverently. II Il
beautifully mounted, and the scene
representing Ye Garter Inn, Frogmore
and Ford's house are extremely hand
some. His company. however, was no
at ease in the comedy. Miss Ffolliot
Paget was perhaps the most pictur
esque and eloquent member OF the cast
Her diction was excellent and she di
not seem to be out OF place. Miss Lizzi
Hudson Collier suggested modern dres
and modern manners, and you coul
scarcely realize that she was Mistres
Page. Joseph Wheelock, jr.. was yer
funny as Abraham Slender, but
spoke with a New England instead c
an Old England accent. Orrin Johr
son. as Master Ford. was as vigorou
as the hero OF a modern five-act melc
drama. You half expected to see
limited mail come dashing on in orde
that he might rescue somebody froI
? impending death. Percy Brooke wa
irritatingly elaborate as DIR. Caius. Mis-
Anne o'Neill was pretty and effectiy
. as sweet Anne Page, and Kate Deni