The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1898-04-07
AT THE THEATERS.

/ With a degree Of sumptuousness that
! has never been surpassed in giving a
| Shakcspearian comedy in this city, Mr..
/ Richard Mansfield put on The Merchant
Of Venice" last night at the CO.
iiumhia Theater The presentation, in
every sense OF the word, was a treat 10
the two senses concerned. Scenery and
( accessories were perfect. and elaborate
I while a special orchestra Of twenty pieces
I rendered tho music. or course, Mir.
Mansfield was the Shylock and. of course.
the Interpretation. like everything the ac-
tor does. was at once scholarly and mas
terful. Perhaps 1t had the fault Of con-
tanning a trifie too much intelligence and
too little of natural fire. Not that the
reading was stiltod or stUnted in any
sense but that Mr.. Mansfield Jew was
rather the result OF art and artifice than
Of nature. II was tn" ShyloCk one might
picture but hardly that which one might
see. On the other hand. only genius OF
the most pronounced type and fidelity to
detail rare even in the most Consummate
are were evident from the first until the
last line spoken Bits OF meaning hard
~ discerniho from cautious reading OF
the play became evident under the &C,
tors handling Of the character and pOr-
tions that men like Sir Henry Irving have
touched lightly were thrown into strong
relief by a reading wonderful in the
paiuStaking care bestowed in giving the
correct accent to every word. A notable
example Of this was in that often mis-
spoken line in the street scene: And for
this. forsooth. l am TO lend you monies.
The courtroom scene was a fitting Gull
mination or Climax to the prior portions
Of the portrayal and drew enthusiastic
applause from the house. The many
differences between the Interpretation of
Mr.. Mansfield and that of other players
of note are too well known and have been
too much argued TO need further COM
ment
The supporting company were uniform
~ excellent Mr.. Kingdom was the An
tonic. Mr. Forrest the Bassanio. Mr.
Johnson the Gratino, Mr.. Courtenay the
Lorenzo. Mr.. Andrews the Launcelot. |
Miss Case the Jessica. Miss Blanchard
the Nerissa and Miss Oliver the Portia.
It is rather a libel upon the many beau |
ties of Bulwer's romance. The Lady of |
Lyons" that it should almost invari- |
ably be chosen for a Wednesday after |
noon performance. A long list of excel !
lent actors have made this concession |
to the festive matinee girl, however and |
perhaps it was not unseemly that Mr.. |
+. H. Sothern should have done yester- |
day what line of players. beginning |
with the elder Booth and ending with Otis |
Skinner have see fit to do and staged 1
the piece for distinctly feminine au-
dience. There is really no more reason |
why 1.-The Lady of Lyons" should be
given to an accompaniment of girlish gig
giles and the crunch OF candies than for /
Romeo and Juliet" To be played i'm the
same manner. Claude Melnotte does !
not make more ardent love than does
Romeo and the French wooer's speech |
in the garden is certainly not less mas
terly than the Italians prayer to a bal
cony.
II is only justice. however. to say of
Mr.. Sothern that he made concessions to
art yesterday rather unusual in him.
There was absolutely no ranting in his
work while some of the better passages |
were given with fine qualities of emo
ton This was not only true of certain
Of the speeches to Pauline, but of both
Of the brilliant bits of repartee between
Claude and Col. Damas. The two sets
Of lines gave remarkable evidence of the
truth of a general opinion that "Sothern
fights and makes love better than any
other actor on the stage"
But even Mr.. Sotherns work was COM
Dletely outclassed by the delightful rem
lering given Pauline by Virginia Harmed.
Now emotional, then simply and lightly
pathetic; here powerful and there ingen-
Gus: at one time the Pauline of Julia |
Marlowe and at another that which one
night imagine from Ada Rehan, Miss
Harmed was always sincere, charming, |
md, above all, convincing. Her portrayal |
II the title role was simply above criti- |
,ism-the master creation of a master |
mind. Rowland auckland, Arthur Law
ence. Marshall Stedman and Kate Pat
ison-Selten all won and were deserving
# the highest praise.
The Lilliputians In their newest and
What is declared to be their lightest and |
brightest bit of mirth and jollity are to be
he attraction next week at the Columbia