The Saint Paul globe., 1897-10-03

increasing the interest of Stage Pc tormances.
With more "Cats and Cherubs,'' Hearts
of Maryland and Secret Services" the
most dissipated citizens would borrow part
OF the Empirer's blue ribbon.
Camille never reddened the nose, the
only libations in Hamlet are from Ger
trude's cups, Fedora is against the liquor
business.
Coming down to vaudeville which claims
intemperance as privilege Yyette Gutlberts
performance is total abstinence. Cheyaier is
a Father Mathew man, Loie Futer docs not
dance in a cork room. The writer sat for
two hours one hot night recently in Weber
& Fields without necessity of vinous re-
freshment. 1t is not vaudeville, but the
frequent Qreariness of vaudeville that drives
honest people to drink. If there were more
Glad Hands there would be fewer heavy
heads This column is as temperate as any
newspaper not avowedly for the Prohibition
part. Yet, after a song and dance team.
exhausted nature calls imperatively for some
thing with stick in it.
There seems to be a general agreement
among the most trustworthy London critics
that the Hamlet of Forbes Robertson, now
to be seen in Sir Henry Irving theater, Is
a very graceful, refined, intelligent, and at
tractive performance, especially noticeable for
the absence of the mere theatrical tr.ckery
resorted to by more bumptious and less cul-
tivated actors. One commentator writes
There is no question raised as to Hamiets S
insanity. From first to last this latest Ham
let is sane as hts friend Horatio. In the
height of his excitement at the discovery
Of the kings treachery, he writes upon his
tablets as naturally as a business man max
ing a memorandum: he does not break the
pipe that illustrates his argument with Rosen-
crantz and Guilderstern; in the play scene he
6oss not wriggle across the floor on his stom-
ach in his eagerness to watch the king, but
retains a rational degree of composure; nor
a moment afterwards, when the alarmed
monarch has fled from the scene. does he
leap upon the vacated throne and launch his
wild and whirling words with the shrek OF
a Bedlamite. He is sane always-perhaps the
sanest of all the Hamlets who have ever trod
the boards Mr.. Archer, in the World, says:
"It indeed an admirable performance,
falling short IN only one respect of what may
be called a reasonable ideal. The grace and
distinction of Hamlet, his affabiity (to use
needlessly degraded word) his melancholy, his
intellectual Giscursiveness-all these aspects
of the many-sded character of Mr.. Robertson
brought out to perfection. He shOne eSpe-
caIly in the monoiogues. l have never heard
any similar passage Of Shakespeare better de-
Hyered than the oh. what rogue and pleas
ant slave am / solioquy, as treated oy MI.
Robertson. His method OF introducing 1t,
while coming a prompt book OF the play
handed him by the first actor, is at once IN
gen;ous and unforced and the way in which
he graduates and varies it is quite mastery.
He makes it little drama in itself. Not quite
so happy in his treatment of the To be or rot
to be- speech. His face seems to light UP at
the phrase To sleep-perchance to dream!-
whereas the thought should clearly overcloud
the mcmentary- serenity with which Hamlet
has been contemplating the consummatlon
devoutly to be wished. On the who.e, how
ever Mr. Robertson'S handling Of the medita-
tive passages could scarcely have been i'm
proved" Mr.. Archer, however, laments the
tameness of Mr. Robertson in his scenes with
the Ghost and Ophelia. He intimates that ar
tistic restraint is one thing and timidity
another Judging from the bulk of testimony,
il would seem that Mrs. Patrick CampbelPs
Ophelia u failure.