The sun., 1903-03-26
OLD and new IN STAGELAND.
LAST or SOTHERN'S "HAMLET"
1T rs WORTH SEEING TWICE.

Is place Beside the Great "IIa mlets" Past
and Gone--Honest Melodrauia at the
Academy With Real Thrtils-Phrase
That stirred Henry Arthur Jones.
This is the last week Of Hamlet at the
Garden Theatre. 1t may be necessary to in
form pessimists that as all the great Hdmlets
are dead and gone, the present generation
Is. perforce, compelled to see Mr. Sothern
in the role. We have been button-holed
and told that in the Lambs or the Players
any midnight there are a dozen better
Hamiets than Sothern's, fairly eating their
heads N in their histrionic stalls-if we
NAV be permitted the sporting simile.
instead Of -on- the boardsp Why hasn't
some manager been hypnotized into giving
them chance? This sounds like nothing
succeeds like success but a. matter Of
cold, hard fact, Il Is only a business state
ment. While others have dreamed, Mr..
S"thern has studied; above all, he shot his
arrow high in air. II II has missed the
greater Hdmietit has hit the lesser. 80 let
Us not be hypercrtical
The same conditions obtain in the musi-
cal world. Some one sang Trisfan before
the Incompatible Jean de Reszke; some
one has sung il here since he left US. The
acting OF Shakespeare 10 one-third the
battle but you can't spoil Shakespeare
entirely, even with mediocre acting. Mr..
Spthern is not mediocre, nor Ii he a second
Booth But the main thing is that he acts
Hamlet in a beautiful production, acts
lntelligently, earnestly, and. In spots, salts
fyingy. Shakespeare lovers with memo
res are willing to ooncede certain points for
the pleasure OF hearing the magic music
of this play; and those too young to recollect
the great dead are naturally interested.
The entire performance is much smoother
now than at the beginning Of Mr., Sothern's
~eason. That actor Is less colloquial In
his diction, he has achieved more repose,
though he Is still too nervously intense.
Miss LOTUS seems more sincere. Techni-
cqlly her Ophelid has gained vastly. Miss
Eustace as the Gertrude gives a very artistic
presentation. Decidedly, Hamlet worth
seeing twice.
II is gratifying to see with what zeal the
students. many Of them Germans. Poles
and Scandnavians, follow this master
piece from the gallery Of the Garden. On
Tuesday night when Hamlet makes his
rather prolonged pause in the soliloquy
TO be- a murmur swept through the
audience; it was the almost ghostly whis-
pering Of cor not to be- So familiar is the
phrase, 30 a part OF our cerebral tissue,
that it was unconsciously published by Mr..
Sotherns audience because Of his protracted
puusd.
We have overheard a like occurrence
when the first four notes of Beethoven's
Fifth Symphony were played by Sci dl.
The retard 30 strained the attention that his
audience hummed the rest OF the famous
thems, Beethoven's Fate Knocking at the
Gate" All this merely to illustrate the
danger OF altering accepted readings Of
masterpieces.
The audience in the Academy yesterday
must have presented a curious spectacle
to those who were at the back Of the house
near the end Of the third act. Every head
was turned. necks were strained expect
antly as II the big race were really being
run around the building. This illusion was
set in motion and fostered by the stage
people staring across the footlights. some
with racing glasses. and gradually sweep
ing the sem-circle OF the auditorium as
the imaginary horses careered. Valkyr-
like, in space. IL was very exciting. But
there were real horses. plenty Of them, on
the stage, fiery steeds that raced at full
speed. ridden BY live jockeys. 1t is The
suburban. c. 7. Dazey's melodrsma which
presents this thrilling picture. The grand
stand. the judges pavilion. the noise. dust.
heat. hustle. cheering. gay costumes and
twirling OF parasols in agitated feminine
hands. are all put before you with an as
founding verisimilitude. II gets on your
nerves more than the chariot racing in
ben n-Hur.- and that says a lot.
For the rest It is honest melodrama,
calling itself such. and not attempting
70 mask rs tragedy with frills. or comedy
with a problem. The son suspected 81
'heft. the loving. yet unrelenting father;
he Irish servant. foolish bun faithful
he German servitor with an accent. the
weak old attendant with a vicious son;
he unexpect cd robbery. or who had the
k"y2 the little angel -ah. that touch OF all
'pIching effects could be III spared Iittle
B',.is Burr wh, will he an unders, udy
pi Mile james some day. Was the infant
granddaughter Who spoke harsh truths
'o her pranddaddy. and slid down from
q irh fence he latter To the edifica, lon
ant envy of numerous children In the
.aAe- and orchestra Mr. J n Gilmour.
.lfEr ing that he was ever that 'easy-
'rruan uoilsman. uichdd ron Aching
.rsssH. in Tho Joy ~ Living por rAyed
80 su parent Ia the life Mr Gilinour.
10 sddii .on q Icing an az oT ~ Solid worh.
40 yis uf dis incr Ion. lie locke liss
100 m,L of gentle blood Ia pArs demand
fg ia qualify. only you ~"nd"r al HE
T.t.N'- some tnes
II- -rrap' II the lockey aud the -,alIl.
Hs BE- very lively M~-sfs Granville aud
t..ir' az oapiiai lshtSe,ghis A
...u. R'ffg s we'll d1ns by ti.eTse
fil and ihsl y-iefsn actor John Jen-
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