The Washington times., 1903-05-24
The Life of a Plau.
Romeo and Juliet" the Vi
CiSsitudes Of It's Fortune,
and It's Many Inter
pTetatiOnS.

" HE energetic Garrick and the ro
mantle Barry played Romeo and
Juliet" simultaneously in London
in the year 1746. The one appeared at
Drury Lane, the ether at Covent Gar
den. The rivalry between them was in
tense. Each was afraid to change his
bill for fear of seeming to retire before
the other. 1t is said society was sun
dered and family ties were destroyed.
But patience has its limits, and para
grapher in the Public Advertiser" one
day put his remonstrance against this
state of affairs into the following form:
'Weu, what's tonight?'' says angry Ned,
As up from bed he
- Romeo again?" He shakes his head;
"A plague o both your houses"
Some readers of The Times may dis
cover in this Miltonic epic an application
to certain local circumstances. 1t is,
however, not quoted on that account. The
intention was rather TO indicate how
much wider and more openly expressed
was the interest in Romeo and Juliet"
in that early day
The long run of this tragedy was in
reality-as we today measure such
undertaking. Mr. Barry appeared
as Romeo eighteen nights in succession
and then abandoned the field. Mr.. Gar
rick acted the role one day longer and
then also changed his bill. In the TWEEN
tieth century a play which could not
hold the boards more than three weeks
when first produced would be regarded
as fat failure.
How the Play Was Neglected.
Some one may be surprised that
''Romeo and Juliet should be regarded
as a new play in 174S. The truth of
the matter is, it was piteousIy neglected
for over hundred years. Shakespeare
wrote it while still in the freshness o.
his youth and it was first printed about
the year 1897 We know accurately when
it was first played. The genial and
ubiquitous Mr.. Pepys records a visit 10
the Opera" (Davenants Theater).
March l, 1862. where he saw Romeo
and Juliet the first time it was ever
acted" His comment is characteristic.
1T is a play of itself" he said; the
worst that ever I heard and the wors;
acted that ever l saw these people do
and am resolved to go no more TO see
the first time of acting, for they were
all out of them. more or less"
The Juliet of this unhappy occasion
was Mrs Sanderson, who was actually
the wife of the great Betterton. Romeo
was the venerable Mr.. Harris. Mr.. Bet
terton appeared as Mercuto. The cast
was enterprising. if nothing else
Romeo and Juliet" pleased some in its
ending and disturbed others. So these
people acted it '-tragically one day and
tragi-comical another" One other fes-
ture of their production deserves at
tention-the role of the Nurse was al
ways taken by a man.
Miserably Rewritten.
Under such circumstances it is 40
wonder Romeo and Juliet" did rot
thrive. But there was too much %hicn
was good in it 20 be disregarded. Ac-
cordingly the poet Otway rewrote It in
1850 as the romance of "Caius Marius.
and 1t was played in that miserable
fantasy of medieval romance clothed
IN the tunic of ancient Rome.
After nearly seventy years this tunic
was torn off. The reformer was Theo-
philus Cibber. He was son of Cc!ly
Cibber and was an actor. In 1874 he him
self appeared as Romeo TO the Juliet of
his daughter Jennie. But his version Of
Romeo and Juliet" was still much
tainted.
Garrick endeavored TO restore me
drama to its original form He could
not Withstand. however, the temptation
to write into it passages of Characters
tic melodramatic tendency. One he stole
from Congreve. The latter wrote:
Nay-quickly speak to me and let me hear
Thy voice-iny own afTrights me with its echoes.
Carrick altered this broadly:
Oh, let me hear some voice
Besides my own in this drear vault Of death.
Others of his interpretations are com
parativeIy crude:
III not we'd Paris; Romeo is my husband.
Fathers have iinty hearts:
No tears viii move them--naturc pleads in vain.
And children must be Uretched.
But these additions-which Garricl's
friends said were written with a spirit
not unworthy OF Shakespeare'-reac
the height of absurdity at the beginning
Of the fifth act. The body of Juliet was
borne across the stage accompanied by
choir which sang dolefuIly the following
chorus.
Rise. rise.
Heart-breaking signs
Tie love-fraught bosom swell;
For signs alone
And dismal moan
Should echo Juliet's kncll.
Poor Romeos and Good Juliets.