New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-02-28
THE DRAMA.
SHAKESPEARE AT THE REPUBLIC.
MISS cRosMAN AS RosAL1ND.


careful and creditable production Of CAS- You
Like It."-a production thoughtful and tasteful
TO details of stage business and intelligent and
to details of acting.-was made last night at the
Republic. and Miss Crosman acted Rosalind for
the first time in New-York. This actress possesses
several of the qualifications essential to repre-
sentative of this character slender 1.-THE figure;
a handsome expressive face; a gentle voice;
joyous temperament; buoyant animal spirits phys
ical alacrity; aptitude for playful banter; and
the artistic skill to indicate feeling yelled by froc
Rosalind is the most brilliant OF Shakespeares
women; all sprightlness the surface. but all
passion at heart; not more blithe than Beatrice,
but more tender; the absolute ideal of pure. beau
tful ardent. gay, sensuous and enchanting wom-
anhood. The part, accordingly, exacts great opu-
Ience OF nature.-an inherent quality OF enchant-
ment, certain bewilderng charm in the actress
hersef-which capability OF art. however felici-
tous. has ever in any case, supplied Dora Jor-
dan must have possessed that opulence OF nature.
If the chronicles of her acting have spoken truth.
Adelaide Nelson possessed It. Ada Rehan has
shown it,-giving the best performance OF Rosalind
with which our stage is acquainted The part ex-
acts. likewise because of the accumulatve
weight imposed it throughout the last three
acts of the comedy. prodgious animation, a
wealth of eXuberant vitality. such as. simulta-
neously will force the movement and thrill the
auditor.
1t would be difficult for any woman. however
richly endowed with personal charm. to give
ample experience of its needs and exactions. Miss
Crosman has played 1t only few times; never with
thoroughly competent associates in the interocutory
characters OF Orlando, Jacques, Tombstone and the
exed Duke; and. yet. she has not acquired per-
feet freedom in 1.-THE freedom that dissipateS
iety and conceas effort. Her embodiment has glitter.
but it is the glitter of ice Her ideal is obviously
good. but her expression of II is nica Her acting
is 1uent-because eager brisk and dashng,-but IL is
hard. In a word. the personality has to become
become spontaneous: the embodiment TO gain
in distinction. tenderness and irresistible potency
of enticng and enthralling charm. One helpful in
iuence that Miss Crosman lacks (and that every
good and worthily ambitious player lacks in this
period is thoroughly competent shakespearian as
ISOLATION. The old actors of Shakespeare's plays
sympathetic with their theme and with each other,
were not oversolicitous aboVt the audience. The
shakespearian aspirant of to-day must fight the
battle almost alone and. in most cases. this isola
ton prompts anxiety-which ever an enemy to
art Miss Crosman. however. has shown herself TO
be woman OF signal talent and splendid sincerity
and 1t cannot be doubted that little time will
grace her with every laurel that her exceptional
merit deserves. if not. perhaps. with every one
that her noble ambition covets. To give an
suspicious performance of Rosalind is to enter
upon the right road. There much TO commend
In this spirited endeavor-not the least of its
meritorious attributes being clarity Of articulation
easiness of speech. grace of movement and a
sweet wistful earnestness beautiful see
The radical defect OF the embodiment is weak
ness-showing itself in metallic tones OF voice in n
dry. brittle. executive manner. and In occasional
monotony. There is lack OF exuberance in the
gee of physic al opulence. OF warmth and color of
breadth OF gesture (hitherto one OF the special
merits of this actress and OF emphasis on points
OF illuminative business" Something OF this de-
hciency is ascrihabo to WEAKNESS; something 10
anxiety; something 10 the great difficulties OF a
complex character. IN which the actress has 10
represent nrst. a certain ideal of woman then a
woman pretending to be boy and then a bow
pretending TO be a woman,-and. all the while a
woman assuming 10 be heart whole while being
deeply In love But, beyond all this something OF
the defect is due to constitutional causes The
achievement is one OF talent. not of genius: n
pleases good taste. but il does not arouse the
imagination and IL does not touch the heart Its
chief attributes of conquest are msehievous pio
nancy and pretty petulance-the aliuring playful
ways OF sweet. lovely. childlike woman one bit
OF stage business, closing the fourth act-Rosalind's
detection of the FIRST love OF oliver and Celia
seemed new and certainly II is neat Among the
auxiiiar performances. those OF John Malone as
Jacques and Barton Hin as the exiled duke wera
conspicuous for right feeling and sympathetic ae-
Avn ~1'o apeecn " w.