The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-04-28
MUCHADO ABOUT NOTHING
JANET WALDORF'S SUCCESS AS
A PASSIONATE ACTRESS.
The Powerful Church Scene in the
Play Arouses to the Greatest En-
thusiasm.

thusiasm.
Upon the story of Much Ado About /
Nothing several had tried their hands. |
Ariosto treated II from the point of view |
of chivalry. Spencer gave 1t a tragic /
turn, and an Italian novelist made a |
pure love story out of it. Shakespeare |
took it and though following the main |
lines created the light comedy of Beat |
rice and Benedict and the broad humor
of Dogherry, who wishes he had been
writ down IN ass.
However interesting the story of the
wronged Hero may be, however brill
liant the train of Don Pedro may be,
| the characters of the play are Beatrice
| and Benedict. A host of actors and ac-
tresses have played the parts, and as
| long as the English stage lasts a host
more will. Janet Waldorf has made
| herself a place among the Beatrices of
| this brilliant throng and carries out
| the traditions of the stage while i'm
| pressing upon them her own charming
| personality.
Miss Waldorf is treading the path of
| all great actresses. In her youth she
! is giving a round of the youthful he
roines of the classic drama; as time
| goes one we can see that there is latent
power which will compass the tragic
roles. Much Ado" gives a chance not
only for the display of the airy touch
which Miss Waldorf has shown us so
! gracefully in Viola and Rosalind, and
of which she is mistress, but also af-
| fords opportunity for a rendering of
| passion which is almost tragic in its
force.
The scene in the church, after Hero
is borne away by the frar was intense,
and rose from passionate feeling to
passionate feeling, commencing with
| Kill Claudio till it reached its eli
| max i'm the two speeches where the
words 20. that l were a man burst
forth in longing for strength to avenge
the cruelty treated Hero. This Miss
Waldorf accomplished with that true
art which is among her greatest
charms Strong as she made her lines,
tellingly as her passion burst forth
from her pent bosom, and her fiery
heart that must pour forth it's rage
even to crying II would eat his heart
in the market place, 1t was all nat
ural, all womanly. There was no fore
ing of passion, it burst forth in seeth-
Ing, scorching words, but it was al
ways the wrath and scorn of the high
born cultured lady, which the poet had
for his ideal, and which Miss Waldorf
has made her own.
And if Miss Waldorfs Beatrice was
beautiful, dainty and yet strong, Nc
7 Gregors Benedict was in its style as
good. Mr.. MCGregor is probably the
best leading man we have had on the
Honolulu stage, and he stands high in
his profession away from here. He
. gave us z uloGly cncdict-Benedict,
the soldier and Contemner of love and
woman kind, and Benedict whose heart
, is touched at last by the love of
} Sweet Beatrice" His every word and
action were eloquent of the mind with
in and his mobile face mirrored the
passions of his heart.
Taken together, Miss Waldorfs Beat
I rice and Mr.. McGregOrs Benedict may
be regarded as beautiful picture OF
the poets creation. 1t was thoroughly
| artistic, we'll balanced, and pleased
both mind and eye. Like all then
work il leaves a pleasant memory be
hind, upon which one can dwell for
| many O. pleasant reVerie, when the play
is reread in the study. 1t was no Won
der that double recall was demanded
at the close of act V.
But all this would be marred were
not the setting for these two charac-
t-r3 EoCd. II CcC,~s !rEi6iCUs N speak
ing of this company to single out
names for praise where all unite theiI
1 efforts so evenly for success. And if
{ speak Of one more than another, it is
! because the play OF the evening brings
= them more into prominence.
Don Pedro tFrancis Boggs) was a
dignidcd and brilliant prince. Mr.
I Shaws Leonardo was remarkably wei
n played 1t was self-COntained, aptly
portraying the quiet humor of age il
the comedy scenes, rendering the pas
4 sion of the seyageuarian wildly, but
: not too strongly. G. w. Bowman 5
y Don John was well thought out and
showed the villain well. Mir. Bowman's
enunciation was, as it always is, clear
and his rendering OF blank verse thor
ouFhly artistic.
As Dogbeyry. Mr.. McNay gave that
broad hnhor which he is 50 much al
| home IN. II is not every actor that
can give the true flavor 20 Shakespeare
4 low comedy. Mr. McNay can | an
~ glad of the opportunity of tasting il
= again, and IL tastes good. As the Frial
the same actor delivered the two Ions
speeches which fall to that part witt
dignity and thorough appreciation OF
their weight and meaning. In McVaS
we see n sterling actor,
For the rest ! must give words OF
praise TO Hero Miss Ellen BoyerD II
was modest, yet arch, and the text was
delivered in pure liquid accents which
carried every word to the ear.
The dresses We're gorgeous, and alb
= SOlutely accurate. The period pOr-
trayed is about 1929 shortly after the
- "Pa'v des Danes" which gave Naples
to Charles V. Pictures and prints OF
that time are well known to any stu
, dent of art Titan and Holben fur
2 nish costumes, and so does CesarC
- Vecelio, brother Of Titan. The char.
acters looked as if they had walked
out of the paintings i'm the National
Gallery, the Berlin Gallery or the Her,
> mitage. Apart from the acting, the
costumes We're a study. The groupings
and general stage setting reflect the
highest credit ON Mrs. Ada Dow Cur,
rick. THE OLD PLAYGOER