The Saint Paul globe., 1902-02-10

Mr.. Hanford has ''nodernized' the
STORY, hol py tak1ngl anR liberties with
the text, but by cutting out numerous
passages which do not bhar directly on
the development of astheEcentral theme,
and by greatly changing the "business"
OF the play, as wen asMthe fnterpreta-
ton. AS arranged by h4n, it is all ac-
tion from first to last.
Mr.. Hanferd makds PAruchio a mcst
commanding figure. He holds the stag
at all times and dominatds the NAV with
aash and spirit whichs carries every
thing before it, and to Mbieh All other
elements flow as tributaries 1t ,Muld
seem that no art could produce a more
natural effect than he produces by his
mastery characterization. The actor is
not seen; he is Petruehio in bone and
plood and fiber His Interpretation makes
the play vital, coherent, wholesome and
Jusunable, which cannot be said Of the
interpretations Of many Of the actors Of
the past. He realizes fully the character
as given by HaEIitt: ''Petruehio is a mad
man IN his senses; a very honest fellow,
VINO hardly speaks word Of truth and
succeeds in all his tricks and inpostures.
lie acts his assumed character to the
me with the most fantastical extrava-
gahce, with complete presence of mind
with uatired animal spirits, and without
a particle of i'll humor from beginning to
END. Self-wi1led and inordinate, though
ne be, Kindness and good hIInor are at
the bottom Of it all, and throughout is
the sure feeling that he is playing hon
estIy Tor a game worth while, and that
II he oyermatches violence with greater
violence, 1t is only that the way may be
open for affection 1t is ultimate haDpi-
ness for which he plots, his own and
katherine's. He will awaken Katherines
anectlon, Buried as it is in vanity and
petulanee and obstinacy, believing him
self, as he is, worthy Of it. He will teach
her the real secret Of overcoming opposi-
tion.
Your gentleness shall force,
ness
He that knows better how to tame
shfeW, now let him speak," was not
SPOKEN in any spirit Of arrogance or
bravade.
MI Hanford's magnificent voice. clear
and resonant, finely trained and we'll
III control and handled by one Of the
lew OIL thIs day who know how to read
blank verse intelIigently and well. his
tine figure and his spontaneous hearth
ness his ease and naturalness of action
made his rendition of the part. one long
&c pe remembered as a triumph of intel
lectual Interpretation
MISS Helen Grantly as Katherine. gave
Well-balanced consistant portraftura Of
the shreW. Katherine as represented by
her' has indeed the scolding tongue. the
violent temper, the inordinate pride. the
tyrannlcal obstinacy which makes life
miserable for her father and sister and
al around her. But this is external. Her
better nature is expressed in that beauti
Iul speech wherein she saws: "T am
ashamed that women are so simple; to
oHer war where they should kneel for
peace, and it is only natural that when
the test comes 1t should be Kath-
crime who should give Blanca and the
"ldoW lesson in wifeIy affection and
obedience. Katherine has been much
n-lsJudged by those who give their fealty
70 the trusting Imogen, the COURAGEOUS
Portia, the loving Juliet, but when
Shakespeare created Katherine he did not
design to hold up an obstreperous wona-
an for the worlds scorn.
The supporting company Is excellent.
and only space forbids favorable COM
ment on the individual work William
). Shea as Grumio, the incompatible
cloWnlsh wit, was exceptionally good. /
Preceding the main performance Mr..
Hanford presented a one-act curtain
raiser, ''The Old Guard" an episode Of
the battle Of Waterloo a powerful and
appealing thing, which so took the audi
ehce that the evenings performance be-
gun amid great enthusiasm.
Ii there IS one thing that lyon Yonsons
must be credited with it is age, but tl1is
fact does not seem to detract so far as
its drawing qualities in St Paul are con-
cerned. Probably 1t is because the play
is a product peculiac to the great North
west. 1t certainly had the banner au-
dience Of the season at the Grand la,st
night The story OF lyon Yonson'' -
not one that carries with it any great
moral. The plot Is weak, in fact. #
borders on the impossible, but there is
sufficient of the meIo-dramatic and
enough of the 1udicrous 70 make it inter
esting, and what seemed last night. anus |
ing.
The attraction since last given in a St |
Paul theater has suffered some changes
notably a realistic log jam, some fair
scenery and a sprinkling of vaudeville !
The Swedish dialect is confined to one
person, Knute Erickson, and he exempli-
fies it with a fair amount Of success. He |
is the Yon Yonson Of the story and ne
makes himself sufficiently entertaining TO
call forth an unlimited amount of ap-
plause.
The cast is not the strongest in the
world, but it is adequate The Jennie
Morris. Of Belle Gold, is refreshing Her
vocal numbers last night brought a num-
Der of recalls. Grace Jennings, who later
proves to be the Iong-lost sister OF Yon
Yonson. is in the hands of Miss Beatrice
Norman. She is a trifle overdramatic at
times, but her work as a whole, has fair
degree Of merit. The remainder Of the
company is fair.
lunberman's quartette is, perhaps,
the best of the vaudeville features It
had to respond to numerous encores last
night. Knute Erickson finds favor in this
respect, several musical and vocal num-
bers placing him among the favorites
The scenery was excellent.
Considering that Rice and Barton are
the owners and managers Of Rose Hills
English Folly company, which opened at
the Star yesterday, the performance
ought to be better. A few weeks ago
Rice and Barton brought to the Star the
best show that has been kere this season.
The present company Is not half bad,
but there is ample room for Improvement.
The curtain-raisers and afterpieces of the
average burlesque show are so much
| alike that the natural conclusion is that
one man must have written them all. The
| opening and closing burlettas Of this
| piece are no exception. The olio Is pos
| tive relief and contains several bright
| sketches.
Katheryn Rowe Palmer first on the
| bill, is as gracefully agile as Eva Tan
quay and dances with the same artistic
abandon. Garnella and Shirk furnish
considerable amusement with their bit Of
farce. Nolan and White have gathered
,roI