The evening world., 1894-09-25
THE MERRY WIVES or WINDSOR

The successful actor always seems to
have some dark and secret am
biton preyng upon his peace of mind,
and leading him to unexpected eccen-
trlclties. He grows tired Of the roles In
which the public has accepted him lie
pines for fresh fields, and there IL NJ
reasoning with him until he has tried
them william II. Crane has made his
reputation In spick-and-span up-to-datc
INN, rsonations. He brenthcs the spirit
Of lSD4-whatever that IL. He II dis
tinctly en- rapport with the times. He
suggests New York. and you can't even
think Of him In Strattori-on-AvOn. He
hasn't a speck Of Elzabethanlsm about
his constitution.
Yet MIR Crane appeared as FalstaE
In THE Merry wives Of Windsor at the
Star Theatre last night, and the laughing
nineteenth century lads who found his
Hannibal Rivers so excrutiatlngly funny
went to see what this Shakespearian
uutlurst meant. They saw the comedian
padded out to an almost apoplectic
obesity; his face made up to look ex-
cessivey scrofulous and ugly, and his
costume that OF the fifteenth century.
They didn't care 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 pecularties
cropped up every moment He intro
duced his Senator chuckle and his
! ION Probation" laugh. His was not the
round and paunch-born iollity that we
associate with Shakespeare's fat come
/ dams
THE Merry Wives Of Windsor" Is not
an edifying play 1t Is coarseness, with
| out the necessary sugar coating In
which playwrghts of to-day envelop
their little naughty qulps. Falstaff' 8
amours with Mistress Page and Mistress
Ford are. OF course, no more glaring
/ 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. 1.-The Merry Wives
of Windsor" Is "A very probable play
to read-like n good many other Shakes
pearian efforts-but there Is nothing to
The production to-day Is merely due to
a rampant spirit of humbug and ny
pochrisy. Good people, who would never
forgive II modern author for the clothes.
basket episode, are afraid to express
their opinions when Shakespeare is an
nounced as the authority for the Incl
dent. The bump Of excessive veneratior
sometimes leads its possessor in un
canny avenues.
Mr.. Crane treats THE Merry Wives
OF Windsor" very reverently. 1t 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 Llzzi
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 New England instead c
an Old England accent. Orrin Johr
son. as Master Ford was as vigorou
as the hero of n modern fve-act mel'
drama. You half expected to see
n limited mail come dnshing on In ord,
a that he might rescue somebody frol
;, impending death. Percy Brooke wa
irritatingly elaborate as DIR. Caius. Mis-
Anne ONeill was pretty and effectiN
n as sweet Anne Page. and Kate DEM
n Wilson was impressive as Dan
. Quickly.
4 This presentation OF THE Meri
= Wives" however, rather disturbs one
A.. illusion. ALAN DALE.