Omaha daily bee., 1903-04-26
ABOUT PLAYS PLAYERS AND ~PLAYHOUStS

When the body Of Marcus Brutus Is car
ried on the field at Phillppi on wednes-
day evening. amid the hypocritical lamen-
tations OF one Marcus Antonius. the cur
tain will go down on the most successful
season for the drama known in Omaba's
annals. II is not the purpose at this time
to give a review OF the last year IN the
theatrical world, but It Is enough 10 state
that from every point Of view the season
has been most notable. Probably the best
result that emanates from this condition
is that all managers Of companies are
anxious to renew their bookings In Omaha,
the support the people have given the
theater being such as gives the city a high
standing In the list of good show towns.
II is too early to make any Definite prom
Uses for next season, but enough Is already
known TO promise that It will not hold less
OF merit than the one Just closing. Man
ager Burgess has preliminary contracts
with a number OF the higher class attrae-
tions. and looks forward to visits from a
number Of the stars that did not get TO
Omaha this season. In this list II Is known
that Mrs. Carter and her great 'DuBarry"
production is included. During the week
IL became known that another Of the post
season attractions was assured, the COM
ing Of Mr.. and Mrs. n. c. Goodwin, jE,
being dated for May 20 and 80. Others OF
the spring tours may be extended TO reach
Omaha, but definite arrangements are not
yet made.
At the Creighton Orpheum the season
yet has two weeks to run, closing on May
o. This house. too, has enjoyed prosperity
in a degree that is most gratifying to
the management. SO popular has vaudeville
become under the methods Of the Orpheum
Circuit company no one longer doubts Its
permanency, and the circuit is to be
strengthened by the addition Of a new
theater at Denver, which will be opened in
September. This will be welcome news
to the performers, who will be spared the
long unbroken jump from San Francisco TO
. Omaha or from Los Angeles to New Or
leans. Manager Reiter. who has won a
large measure Of local esteem by his bust
ness-like ways and his faculty for max
ing ali who come to his theater feel at
home, has no plans for his summer, save
his annual visit to his home at San Fran
cisco. After that he expects to return to
Omaha and busy himself looking after the
interests Of the company in Omaha.
Mr.. Ben Greet and his company OF play
ers who made such q very successful tour
OF the east with the Elizabethan morality,
"Everyman," are to give al fresco per-
formances Of two and maybe more OF the
Shakespearean plays at Columbia univer-
sity. This in itself is no novelty, for outdoor
performances Of THE Tempest" "As You
Like It," "A Midsummer Nights Dream"
Twelfth Night" and others Of the list
have been frequent enough, but the venture
serves to renew the discussion Of Shakes
peare without scenery. Mr.. John Corbin,
the erudIte and scholarly critic Of the New
York Times, argues ably and at some
length for the presentation Of Shakespeare
without scenery. he says among other
things:
One of the difaculties in the way of re-
producing the condi ions OF the Shake
spearean stage is the Denighted ignora.ce
OF II in which the historians Of the drama
have left us. 1t has been their unva. yinS
custom 70 tgTsat the drama L as p1re AM uaef ia-
tegral part OF a theatric representation.
Yet nothing IL clearer tnan that, as Frot.
Brander Matthews has lately pointed out.
are effected by the material aspects of the
theater for which II is written. Ii the
character drawing, light and shade, am ali
the Intimate variety OF life, this Is In tome
measure due 70 the fact hat Il was write \ !
only the largest attitudes ana gestures wer
appreciable, IN which the actors fund II
pie features and to speak through. a re,
Verberator concealed In the mask, the
eject OF when must have been sometnins
evitable quality OF plays written. fDr t-e
Grecian theater is singleness OF idea and
The Eizabethan theater, on the othet
hand, took It's form from the inn yards Of
In which the actors were almost an arm.
length from their audiences. Sach ton
tiguity made It possible TO project an "a
fnite variety of effects. TO cary the audi
ence In imaginable from gave 10 gay
from court 70 country. froin land to sea
tor the Elizabethan theater Is variety O
character ana OF incident. This in1uenc'
OF the theater on the drama extends into
many, perhaps most, OF the details OF rep
resentation. A knowledge of what tcenerJ
and what properties were used is' often es
sential to an understanding OF the drama
tlst's Intention. But what have the com
mentators and historians told us of al
these things? Less than nothing. In read
ing the quartos and tolios II Is possihl, Il
form a pretty clear idea OF the main efect
OF the representa- lion. But almost to a ma
ing scrupulously the least word OF the text
have not hesitated to ind cafe scenic al
r9ngements which, were maniiestiy impos
sible on the Elizabethan stage. ArcheJlo
gists of the archaeologists in matters o
language, they print the plays as II the!
irving " or Richard Mansfield. OY II s Is H to
hoped that the labors OF the German Shake
spedTe bocleyt 10 Mhlcn the lovers o
will arouse the word OF schOl rs to 10
importance or studying the Elizatethal
drama In It's relation TO the Eltzabethal
theater.
Mr.. Corbip then proceeds to speculate t
some extent as TO what sort OF scenic en-
vironment the players Of Shakespeare
time we're accustomed to. 1t is admitte
without dispute that the inn yards I
which the ~stroliers we're won't to give thei
productions absolutely preeluded the us
Of scenery, and the auditors we're require
by the very conditions to supply the seen
through Imagination, or to do what s
many Of the moderns do. 'let It go q
that" But the Globe theater, as Judge
from such representations OF 1t as are ex
tant. gives external evidence OF a stas
adapted for the handling of scenery; frol
this Mr. Corbin deduces the conclusion this