Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-03-16
MUSIC

propounded by one of the wiseacres of the
stage last week. The hypothesis is an in
VOlved one. and is. indeed, an absurdity. for
Hamlet has exercised great an infiu-
ence in forming the tastes of the theater-
goers that it's existence has warped man
agerial judgment to preclude consfd-
Grafton of it as an independent quantity 1t
contains nearly all the elements of the
higher drama. and is unconsciously Dor
rowed from BY a multitude of authors. But
suppOsing public taste at it's present state,
if the play of Hamlet were offered, the
manager, an alert. practical person would
probably start the conversation with the
Realistically inclined author something in
this manner:
. You want to chop that soliloquy, To be
. or not to be- It's too long and there's
nothing doing"
But that is one of the most poetic things
in the piece
People don't pay to hear somebody recite
poetry. They want action And that bunch
Of crazy patter Ophelia unties this is sup
posed 10 be an ultra-practical manascr)
ought to be cut out. tits disappointment
Every now and then you think she is go
ing to hand out a good speciality. But she
gIides off the key. POlonius is all right
but he ought to be funnier, and that grave
digger scene has nothing to do with the
action of the piece that couldn't be told IN
two lines of dialogue. You've got an m
teresting story, clever situations and great
climaxes But it's too talky, my boy; too
taIky."
And when the changes demanded had
been made and the poetry which has so
long held honorcd pages in the school read
ers and volumes of quotations had been
excisad Hamlet would still be a great
- 10 !.
bandicap to its success as q current at
traction at period like the present, when
he who is most expert in cleaning the
slang of the street and unfolding it in
story or song is deemed the most accept
aFls writer But so strong is custom that
some of the speeches which most delay the
Mot could not now be dispensed with, with
ont raising a howl from the litterateurs
and causing the 'pIaygoer to suspect he had
Tot had his moneys worth. There was
not a person in the audience who was
not waiting for the ITO be- solloquy on
the Monday night. But when Sothern got
as far as that is the question:, some
one down near the drummer started cough
I; was taken up in the gallery, echoed IN
the dress circle and banded from place
To place in the orchestra chairs. Inc
s,eacb was A beautiful bit OF recitation,
cough
..bon.s.' could have done that the audience
did not care for it. This coughing was al
most as great an annoyance as the loud
cc,,ersation of a box party whose tastes
were evidently not for the legitimate and
who had TO be silenced with a shower of
Misses.
Rut these discourtesies did not prevent
the recaption accorded Mr.. Sothern from
b.ing most splendid and sincere Most OF
the auditors came early, and all stayed I'LL
the close Of the play, at nearly midnight
rho irteusa sceneste were followed with
b,aa,hlass interest and at the close OF
each act the star was called upon to bow
his thanks He appeared on these occa-
sinus in the midst of the scene which had
hut a moment before been animated by the
play The contrast was depressing. II was
a strange thing for an artist like sothern
10 do. Such acknowledgment ought to be
made before the curtain rather than in the
a,unsphere Of the play itself. The actor
may for the moment be transferred from
Illusion to reality without loss of effect.
F1It for Iath and canvas scenery, this IS
impossible.
MIR. Sothern has of course, had TO en-
counter the critics who believe that
really great Hamlet is. like the mince pie
mother used to make. a thing of the past
But TO the auditor who Is willing to live In
the present and believe that history is
being made and that art standards are
being created today just as they were IN
previous generations, Mr.. Sothern's Ham
Lot" is brilliantly satisfying. He has made
many concessions to the popular taste, and
has ruthlessly chopped speeches which
have held honored positions in the gems OF
poetry books. He deserves thanks for
awakening many members of the present
generation that Hamlet is live flesh and
blood drama, and not a mere series of
poetic recitative.
Turn gentle reader, for the moment from
classic loves and consider the mournful
story of "Buttsey" Haley and Tough Lou
Use" 1t has not yet had the tragic finale
that attended the attachment of Pyramus
and Thisbe or of Romeo and Juliet, but it
is a melancholy bit Of history none the
less ''Buttsey." who has his name be-
cause of an abutting brow which has puz-
zIed phrenOlogistS, met his affinity In
Tough Louise who is so called because
of the part she takes In the production at
Kernan's this week. and not on account
of any especial personal traits. He had
been a gay and careless Bowery Bohemian,
but he came under the gentle spell Of
Tough Louise" and longed to get away
as Ingomar 1Onged to become a gentleman
for the sake of Parthenia. But a cruel
fate asserted itself Their Cupid was the
same old god who laughs at locksmths.
hut who trembles before poverty. They
Ionged to marry and settle down, but their
positions In the theatrical world are not
Yet lofty. and their salaries are but slight
When il became known that their attach
ulsnt was earnest and genuine. even unto
natFimouy, it was agreed to make the
wedding Il public festival, to occur under
the auspices OF the management, with all
the expenses appertainng thereto betrayed
from the box office. II was an opportunity
for a big wedding which was promptly
grasped. \ justice OF the peace. a Mr..
O'DonneII. prevailed upon TO perform
the ceremony. That they were not with
out a sense of discriminating propriety is
shown by the inquiry propounded by
fl,- ,la1