The San Francisco call., 1903-09-27
TWELFTH NIGHT"
ON CREEK STAGE
Shakespearean Play Is
Well Acted by Greet's
Company.

AS uniquely interesting as the perform
ance itself yesterday, in the production
Of Twelfth Night" at the University of
California, was the opportunity of seeing
a Shakespearean play against the back
ground of a Greek theater. Something
like ballet in ST. Mary's one would
imagine the effect of the ordinary COM
edy on Berkeley's classic stage to be-
Pitiful enough it Is with all It's makeup,
but what Of it without its dusty hand
box of tricks. without the merciful rouge
and calcium? Picture any one of a late
half dozen comedies with which you are
familiar playing under the light of day,
with, for incidental music, rustling trees
and singing birds; for settings, table.
three chairs and some potted plants: for
background, the cool and stately columned
wall of the Greek stage, the Twelfth
Night" was given yesterday. Picture
there, for example, The Tanning Of
! Heen"-but that is enough.
How glitteringly we'll the old comedy
stood the test of these conditions will
be known only to the fortunate four or
five thousand who saw it yesterday. The
illusion was complete. Even the dog that
| wandered in past the tollkeepers into the
middle of a scene between Malvolio and
Viola seemed under its spell. He took
| the center Of the stage soberly until the
scene was over and got hand all to him
| self as he trotted off solemnly again at
Ben Greet's amused invitation. But the
| comedy was at one with the big verities
| that surrounded it. There wasn't line
of It rang falsely. It's humor bubbled up
| as spontaneously as the bird songs that
accompanied 1t, its poetry fell as tenderly
as the light of the Turner sunset that
| blessed It's close Viola seemed never
more womanly gracious. Malvolio more
quantity conceited nor that immortal trio
And
Feste-more tickingly humorous. 1t was
one more triumph for Shakespeare the
| immortal, one more proof that the plays
| the thing.
| 1t is true that Mr.. Ben Greet and his
| company of English players who gave the
play were particularly happy in it's inter
pretation There was also the interest
| of Mr. Greet's own first appearance upon
| the local stage, and another matter of
| fascinating moment was the emerging of
the rest of the company from the Eliza
bethan incognito of 'Everyman."
The chief interest naturally centered
upon the Viola of Miss Constance Craw-
| ley, who has been winning golden opin-
| ions by her Everyman Possibly
to accentuate the difference between
the two characters, Miss Crawley's
Viola leaned little more to-
ward the comedy possibilities of the role
rather than to its sentimental side, though
there was no lack of emotional variety.
| And very charmingly she looked the part.
and as the maid d-turned-serving-man to
| Orsino as embassy of her masters love
to Olivia, as the sister Of Sebastian, as
the terrified adversary Of Sir Andrew
Aguecheek, as true love to Orsino she
showed herself in all phases of the char
! acter ripely sufficient. She was tender,
sad, gay by times and all happily. Pc
culiarly clear and agreeable is her die
ton, her every word clearly to be heard
all over the vast auditorium. Miss Craw-
| ley's Viola all around ranks with the best
| conceptions of the character seen here.
AS Malvolio Mr.. Greet gave a striking
| and richly humorous performance. Every
| point was made to tell. and the intended
! conflict of sympathy and ridicule in the
| audience for the character was excited to
utmost extent. The scene of the yellow
stockings with cross-garters" was comic
gem, and one sees Mr.. Greet in this only
to regret that we have not had his Touch
stone and other such parts. in which the
actor has so much to bestow. Curiously,
! there was some slight uncertainty in the
lines, the actor showing, however, a nota-
bit gift of improvisation in supplying the
deficiency. Tomorrow night, however,
when we shall have the comedy locally In
Lyric Hall. the great stage manager will
doubtless not have to give us Greet how
ever good for Mr.. Shakespeare.
J9hn Sayer d5s1inSyivbed Tas the infejranc
and virile poetry in his conception So
commonly sighted, the character was
here given with the weight and dignity
necessary to give the full value to love
of Viola. The picture gained tremendous
ly thereby, and Mr.. Crawley's few scenes
were wholly grateful.
A bit Of thoroughly satisfying acting
was the Sir Toby BelCh of Robert Smiley.
Voice, gait, makeup, everything COM
| bined to make the portrait of the joVial
! toss-pot a sheer joy. Mr.. Smiley was ex-
! cellently foiled by the beautiful faulty
| of Robert Halford Forster's Sir Andrew,
that was every foolish thing that the
| playwright has so slyly painted it. The
| clown was Dallas Andersons care, and
! excellently handled. Mr.. Anderson has an
unusually pleasing voice, and sang two
songs by Oscar Well In fashion that
gave much pleasure. There would have
/ been more, but the Lyric Quintet, that
| accompanied, was accompanying any
| thing but Mr.. Anderson.
Of these songs of Mr.. Wells, by the
way. Come Away, Death" is one Of the
most charming and characteristic lyrics
that l have heard for some time Mr.
/ Well has caught exactly the Shakes
| pearean color, and the haunting yet gentle
| melancholy of the phrase fingers with one
long after its singing. But the songs are
both rarely beautiful.
And now Olivia. The Good Decides OF
"Everyman," whose sweet voice and face
so charmed there, is equally charming as
anly and spirited grasp of the role and
fails in none of its requirements. Miss
Rees' diction Is notably clear.
Margaret Bucklin is the Maria, and hu-
| rnorous and spontaneous in the part Her
delivery IS overturned. however, at times.
and she has something yet to learn of
clear speaking. The rest are all sufficient.
and the local performance of the play
should by no means be missed
BLANCHE PARTINGTON.