The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-29
EDWIN VARREY As POLONIUS,
urn EDMIND RUSSELL SINGING
.BtuLET, IN SOPRANO.
A Comic op-r. Performance At wshacs.'.
with several Curious Effects ANA
.Ia.Curtsin CAN for the Man IN the
.n,et Ro,e -"Ha inlet" Hardly Beauty

Hamlet at wallsck's Yesterday afternoon
WAS Poionips. that Is. the chamoeriah OF
,he veteran Edwin Varrey was the chief
,,o,, NJ Hamlet, out OF which the Hom'ef
had dropped, leaving nothing but the rim.
~ relnouish to entomologists the task
s,o,nlainins the reason why hot weather
,',ahas from their winter lairs all the queer.
s,a,ic exotic and comical apparitions
,,., hire theatres in the springtide and
w.. foolish things before the footlights.
Ih.rs WAS no reason why Mr.. Russell
.tould not essay the part OF the melancholy
p.ns before his friend from India. tho
v.harsiah, hut why in New York, why at
Wallacks?
Ne recall Mr.. Russell slightly az lecturer
-, .nrecious' subjects lined with Tyrian
,nrple A decade ago he was pensive--
,boush always well-fed. an amateur OF
rare costly sensations, and evidently
ike the character In the old playa man
within the cortical cells somewhere; Mr..
Rnssell's il Hamlet. He believes there are
shades upon shades Of the character I'M
explored He has evidently read the SON
nets in the light thrown upon them by
contemporary psychologists. His ideal
Bernhardts, who was-pardon the slang
absolutely husky In the role compared
10 the Russell Sistine choir version. In
deed. vastly to paraphrase Coleridge-
Rlssell's Hamlet Is read in a flash OF
Kraft-Ebing
Not even the swarm Of swarthy Svomis-
for they were both oleaginous and sibilant-
who sat in boxes and passed flowers across
the orchestra to the coy Russell. could
attract the attention OF the house from
yarrey's Poionius, which on this occasion
fairly doomed to heaven by sheer contrast.
Mr. varrey underlined his speeches; he
seemed to be enjoying joke that he could
barely keep to himself His audience recog-
nized this and the climax came when Mr..
Russell was called out thirteen times and
made frightened speech. As he Is man
Of intelligence and an Englishman he must
have appreciated the irony OF the cries for
a speech. He has doubtless been In Lon
don az first night this accounted for
the grudging way he took the call. He
seemed in an agony OF expectation and the
curtain man-also In the humorous vein
yes,erday--could not get the protecting
medium am. down own, quickly enough enc ..., x.. n.
airy soprano; the ghost q De Reezke; bet
ter say a Carl Formes tasso profundo who
chanted sepulchrally his lines; the First
Player, daring tenor and the contralto-.
everybody was alto. When we discovered
the rent IN the stars tights. we foresaw a
new reading. IL came not. Some gossip
had them sewed up before the third act
Naturally analysis balks at the amateurish
action. effeminate poses and various &C.
centricities OF the Hamlet. One OF the most
characteristic actions was the patting down
II revealed q taste for the neat and sweet
in the House Beautiful Of Russell's life.
We had expected much In the matter OF
costumes. rare, exoteric, soulful. But Rus
sell was content to dress conventionally.
Nor was his Wanted personal beauty on
view.
His makeup about his ankles gagged
despondinsly and his legs did not prove
either subtle or poetic. The face, especially
in profile, has Neronic cut; II Is decadent-
a. the slang goes; though II does not register
S Within s"' f H,1 sentis%sn may b nil
lionaire Of moods; TO the world he. 10 far
from charming or mobile In expression.
Perhaps the best thing he did during the
afternoon was bis mounting the steps Of the
work. Otherwise his conception was pif-
fling his voice nasal and monotonous.
His elocution Ia Of the scheepins' order.
In the company were William Hazeltine,
Edward Brigham, Guy Bates Post, Frank
acEntee. Louise Morewin. Jane Schenck
and Doris Mitchell.
There were many surprises. An audience
that guyed; footlights that had the jumps
slow, shaky curtains; an enthusiast who
whistled In the darkened auditorium. and
a ghost who went on like r gasolene auto
when he disappeared. But Papa Varrey
was the star Of the show and there were
moments when he seemed about to speak Of
his eagle brain, so much like Uncle Bar
nabee did he look. The one grand compeh-
sation Of the affair was the absence OF an
orchestra, though solitary trumpet
unhousebroken did the honors for the Kings
rouse On Friday afternoon Mr. Russi,
will repeat his notion Of Hamlet with wrung
withers.