The herald., 1896-08-08
AT THE THEATERS

LOS ANGELES THEATER-Nature
| hath framed strange fellows in her time,
and in framing actors in these later days
few are fashioned who know how to
read Shakespeare's plays. The storied
art of the actor is passing into dtsuse
and dry decay, and the subtle Inning
of the passions of men, as unfolded by
the master mind of Avon has become a
stale and falling fashion.
1t was a cultivated audience that gath
cred to see Mr.. Warde and his company
last night in The Merchant of Venice.
and they witnessed production in which
was eXempliiied both good and bad
stage methods. and consequently an
uneven performance. Shakespeare
plays require to the true lover of the
stage well rounded fullness in all the
teXtUal proportions. diS wonderful word
mosaics cannot be laid by jostling the
artist with the tyro. and the strength of
chain must be measured by It's Meak-
est link. There We're many weak links
in the chain last night. and this can be
ascribed to the superficial manner in
which most actors are now made-peo-
pie of small minds who essay the plastic
delineations Of high mental
of the tragic passions that
sway the souls of men. with the flippant
industry of the clown who puts on false
nose and a flowing wig and fancies he is
god ready to mount the heights of
Helicon and drink of the living waters
of genius.
All this ana more can well be said of
the support vouchsafed to Mr.. Warde
and Miss Coghlan as Shylock and Por-
tia. Mr.. Warde's conception of the man
of the gaberdne possesses many strong
and telling tributes that are we'll defined
in the crucible of comparison with great
actors who have given life to this cur
ious character drawn by Shakespeare
with pen dipped in venom. The
strength of Mr. Warde's presentment
lies in the instant conversion of the
strong feeling of repugnance to the
gloating avarice and the revengefulness
of the Jew into full sympathy with the
stricken father and the friend
less. despised, old man. There was
great force and incety of shading in
Mr.. Wardes reading of the lines. at
times so dangerously provocative of
rantins to the incautious actor, and he
gave to Shylock to many in that large
audience Il new mental investiture. that
stamped the signal talent of the actor.
Miss Coghlan as Portia was gracious
stage presence. albeit. she answered
not physically to the line, BY my troth.
Nerissa. my little body is aweary of this
great world" In the trial scene she
save tit CldSslt opening speech IN Il
singularly felicitious manner. but was
really superb in her scathing arraign-
ment of Shylock. in enuciation of the
conditions OF the bond. Mr.. Sullivan as
Gratiano and Mir. Beach as Bassanio
proved that they We're fully entitled to
play these roles. They read their lines
surprisingly WELL and have right to
entitle themselves actors fitted for
Shakesperian roles-a goodly mead of
praise. Miss divers Nerissa is
pleasantly recalled in the same essen
tials.
THE ORPHEC NAT the matinee in
THIS house this after Son most attrac-
tive bill Will be presented. with several
features especially ada apted to please the
children. Prof. Fred Macart's trio of
animal comedians are the best things of
the Kind ever shown on the stage The
trained baboon, dog and monkey Go all
sorts of wonderful tricks and never fail
to create d deal of amusement. They
furnish a whole show by themselves
Les Donates, the one-limbed grotesque
clowns; the Masons. operate singers;
Frederick's troups of demon acrobats;
Addie FaVart. the charming little song
and-dance artistic: the eccentric mus
ical quartet. the Maisanos and Ryder
and Conlon complete the bill.