The Indianapolis journal., 1903-05-07

nights performance. however. was delight
so good as a whole. In fact, that to ma
fault with Ii at all seems almost ungener-
GUS The uncompromising ShaksJearean
scholar might hold that some Of the players
failed to enact their parts In accordance
with the well-established standards, but
other equally thoughtful people find 1t hard
be forever held down by traditions to a GER
tain Interpretation and reading of role j.
Eleanor Robson carried off the honors OF
of Juliet. By her own youthful beauty she
was able to live up to the physical require
ments of the role, this in itself being an
| agreeable novelty so accustomed are play
goers TO seeing a Juliet who does not look
| the part, and her acting throughout merlteo
| high praise. She enacted delicately the
reading of the lines was good to hear. Only
once did she seem at all arthclal-durlng
| the scene when Juliet parts from her young
| husband at the dawning OF the morning.
| when she says
''Hie hence, be gone, away;
| 1T Is the lark that sings so out or tune,
Straining harsh discords and unpleasant
o now be gone-more light and light it
grows"
No two Juliets have ever played this scene
| alike. Miss Robson. for her part. In at
| tempting to keep the scene from pecomlns
| too emotional. made Ii seem lacking some
what in deep feeling. But In the tragic
scenes later on she was excellent. Careful
study and earnestneSS were eVluent III hei
acting. which was seldom other than very
artistic.
Kyrle Bellew is the ideal Romeo in form
and feature; he is handsome ana graceIui
In every movement, but he is at the present
time greatly handicapped by cold tnat
has affected his vocal chords TO sucn an
extent that his voice, usually musicai, was
quite husky and his enunciatlon as IuIe
very distinct, was so poor at times last
night that IL is doubtful If the auditors
| in the rear of the theater could understand
him at all. In less capable company tnls
drawback would not have been so noucea-
ble perhaps, but, surrounded as he was
with an exceptionally fine COLLECTION OF
players, Mr.. Bellew did not shine last even
| ing as he has often shone before. 1t must
have been apparent to everybody, however,
that 1T was not the actor himself who was at
fault for cold Is tnlng b .nao ost iISns1s inens
potune times. Excellent was Eben Plymp-
toms portrayal of Mercutio. Mr.. Plymp-
ton has not been seen In indianapolis IN
many years, but the older playgoers remem-
Der him as a fine Romeo who was once
wont to make ardent love to the Jullet
of the fair Mary Anderson. He evidently
has his own ideas about the role or Mer-
| QUITO and does not pretend to give stan
dard" Interpretation of the part. He was
| warmly received last night his long Queen
| Nab" speech in the first act, when Mer-
Quito jests with Romeo about the latter 9
dreams of love, receiving round or ap-
plause, while his duel scene, In which he
| is slain by Tybalt. made such an inn
preston upon the audience that the dead
| Mercutio was obliged to come back to life
and bow his Acknowledgements or the de-
monstrations of approval
W. H Thompson, who has time and again
| been called the best character actor on the
American stage, and who of late years has
portrayed priests and other dignitaries of
| the church to the exclusion of everything
else, was the Friar Laurence of the cast,
and he played the part as 1t has never been
played before on a local stage-with a dis
tinction that made ii stand out very prom
| inently and caused one to feel that the pos
sibilities of the character had never been
realized before.
| a few years ago as Sir John Oxen in
Julia Arthurs production of "A Lady of
Quality" played the part of Paris, and
succeeded in making the character an in
teresting one, while presenting a strikingly
handsome appearance. Forrest Robinson
read the lines of Benvolio in a most satis-
flying manner and Edmund Breese as Es-
calus, Frank c. Bangs as Montague. Geogre
Clark Capulet and John Kellerd as
Tybalt. were all finished in their roles to
the slightest detail. W. j. Ferguson. a
splendid actor, who has often been seen in
this city in a variety of parts in modern
comedies made more out of the small part
of Peter than any other actor has ever
succeeded in doing before. and the character
of the apothecary from whom Romeo pur-
chases the poison with which to kill him.
SELF was pictured in admirable style by
w. v. Ranous. Mrs. w. G.. Jones gave
was absolutely flawless and Ada Dwyer
was excellent in the role of Lady Capulet
The stage management of the presentation
was admira BILE, the settings were all at
tractive and the costumes were beautiful
Liebler & Co. have succeeded In a most
praiseworthy undertaking and are to be
congratulated. Last nights performance
star company will fill one night engage
ments in Cincinnati and other Ohio cities
during the rest of the week and will open
in Chicago Monday night for seven perform