The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-01-23
.-----AT ST.
T HEATR RE S
Tanning of the Shrew" at the Metro
poIitan


politan.
Charles Hanford delivers Shake
| speare's matchless lines 'trippingly on
| the tongue" with what Polonius, if
| alive today, would concede to be
good accent
Mr.. Hanford's representation of the
| shrew tanning Petruchio, which was
witnessed at the Metropolitan last
/ night by too few admirers of Shake
| speare, is ansachie vement worth seeing.
1t is the embodiment of highly in
teresting human being born of the
| great dramatist's fancy, for his crea-
| tons are nothing if not human.
After hearing NH. Hanford, or any
other appreciative student of the
! Shakespearean drama, speak the lines
that are destined to live forever, one
wonders how so many actors can do
/ violence to the masters characters. AS
a matter of fact, the player cast for
Shakespearean role is highly favored
/ in point of lines and situations. He has
less excuse for being artificial than
the actor obliged to impersonate the
creatures that infest the modern
/ drama. ShakeSpeare's characters speak
| that which is written them, as people
| do in the real world. A little closer
familiarity with, more frequent i'm
/ pIb1ng Of the we'll of English unde-
fled would help these our actors
Mr.. Hanford reads Shakespeare's
| lines with zest that betrays his adj
m1ration for them, and his desire to
| drive them home, which he invariably
| does. Yet Mr.. Hanford is an actor,
not, thank heaven, an elocutioniSt, as
| the term is popularity understood. He
| delivers himself Of the speeches of Pc
truchio in crisp, breezy, champagny
| style that brooks no attempt to stop
! him. The parliamentary cloture could
! not be applied. He just talks. And he
| doesn't forget to act
With that fine ignoring of the audi
| ence, which looks so easy, but which
! virtue few players seem to possess, Mr..
! Hanford confines his attention to the
! characters with whom Petruchio is
dealing. His Petruchio talks to Kath-
crime, not to the audience. Possessing
| a resonant voice, a distinct enuncia-
ton and reverence for the text, which
/ his extended association with the late
Booth and Barrett must have intenSi-
I fed, Mr.. Hanford stands today as one
| OF the ablest =Shakespearean actors be-
fore the public. His Petruchio, a role
| that few actors since Booth have es-
sayed, is Enthusiastically a surprising
| performance
The elite who missed it because Mr..
| Hanford does not happen to be
fad" VIII be out in full force to see
the next Wizard show.
1t would not be true to say that
Marie Drofnah is an ideal Katherine.
| To so declare would be to credit her
with histrionic powers she does not
| possess. Katherine is nothing if not a
| strenuous young woman, pitched in the
| highest keyed at the very start. The
| physical requirements of the role are
| as robust as those of a Lady Macbeth.
| Miss DrOfnah possesses the intelli-
| gence which commands her delivery Of
| the lines, but her personality does not
| fit Kate the CurSt." But the fact
! that she did read the lines apprecia-
| lively, and accompanied them with ap-
propriate action, contributed much to
the presentation of the comedy. A to-
| tally inadequate Katherine would be
an awful handicap, as local theater-
goers can testify.
The supporting company contains
/ some interesting players. Robert Lee
! Allen impaired much Zest to the role
OF Grumio. Petruchios serving man
which he portrayed in an original
| fashion. The Hortensio of Frederick
| Forester was convincing, and Irving
! Knight manifested an intelligent con-
! ception of Lucentio. Paul Anderson
was painfully artificial in the role of
| Gremio, owing to. some inexpIicable
| affectatiOn of speech.
Miss Rose Curry played the minor
role of Blanca in a demure fashion
| that made her one scene pleasing.
The curtain raiser, THE Old Guard"
| affords Mr.. Hanford an opportunity
| for some effective acting, but as con-
tribution to dramatic literature it
! really won't do. It is a beastly French
| affair. Fred G. Hunt
"San Toy the Oriental musical COM
| edy, which made such q pronounced hit
! in the metropolis upon it's production
some two years ago, will be the at
| traction at the Metropolitan during the
first half of next week, beginning Sum
| day evening.
| The Bostonians, after an absence OF
! several years, will return next week,
| appearing at the Metropolitan Thurs
! day, Friday and Saturday evenings
| and Saturday afternoon in Robin
| Hood" and Maid Marian"
| After a season of musical comedy,
! legitimate drama and romantic drama
the stage Of the Grand opera house the
| coming week will be given over to
! melodrama production and the occa-
| sion will serve to again present to ST.
| Paul theatergoers a favorite in the per-
| son of Anne Blancke, whose work here
in stock is well remembered by many
! local followers of things dramatic. In
| Bob, newsboy, in this play, Miss
| Blancke finds a role eminently suited
/ to her dramatic temperament
| The regular ladies' matinee will be
| given today at the Star. The vaude-
vile bill is full of good things and the
| show generally is unusually attractive.
| The musical and singing numbers are
| most ,meritOriOus and should please
! shopping women who will attend the
matinee. The burlesque features are
! really good and the entire show given
! by the Imperial company is above the
average.
A man in the early thirties with a
leonine name and a Svengali pose did
stunts" rather than played "opuses"
! on his violin last evening at the First
! Swedish church, but so unusual were
| those stunts and with such briIIiance
! were they presented that they drew
from a. big audience present the
! heartiest applause. Ole Theobaldi not
TODAY'S WEATHER.