The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-03-11
PRODUCTION
WAS GRAND / Y U:
Scene at the Academy Last
Evening Magnificent.
FINISHED AND ARTISTIC
There Was No More Splendid Por-
trayal Ever Seen Here Than Thet
Of Mr.. Richard Mansfield and
His Splendid Support.

Surely, tho most magnificent produc-
ton OF shakespearian play ever present.
ed upon d Richmond stage WAS that OF
Julius CAesnr'' as produced last eve;
ming at the Academy by Mr.. Richard ll'tl.
Mansfield and his company, Nor nave nave
there been may occasions when q more NOR
brilliant audience has assembled in that
playhouse than that which gathered there
last night to witness this tho event OF
the season. Though the hour appointed
Tor tho rise Of the curtain was an early
one, the audience gathered in time and
at 7:45 there were few vacant seats IN the
house. .rhe balcony was filed to over
flowing, and the gallery held an audenoe
such as seldom gathers in that portion OF
the House. Every box WAS filled, and
not q vacant seat was to be found IN the
orchestra when the entire audience had
assembled. lit was an audence In which
all classes were represented-an audience
such as should have made even a Mans
field feel proud. 81
4 The performance, which lasted very
nearly four hours, we'll merlted the at
tendance A moro finished cand more
artistic production has rarely. II ever,
been seen here. There were nine scenes,
and the setting for each was superb. The
production was massive In It's scenic In.
vestlture Every mechanical means
known to modern stage craft was em-
lployed In producing the play, making
his revival OF Shakespeare immoral
tragedy a most notable ono In the annals
of the stage. The light effects were espe-
cially we'll handled, and did much to en-;
nance the beauty Of the stage pictures;
nlxy{iv n n nj.
cal. given before the artistic worth Of tho
production is men Toned may seem out Of
place. but It Is to the former that much
OF the credit Of this magnificent presen-
tation mus be accorded. 55$ $ 3.i ia
\ The stage pictures and groupin go wore
arranged on a scale seldom attempted
by any touring company. The erect Of
many OF the Shakespearian predictions
is often weakened and sometimes the
scene even made to seem ridiculous. by
the shalf-do1en scared looking supers, with
helmets and spears, who mako up the
army, or train Of attendants for the oc-s
casion. In this. production Of Mr.. Mans
field, however, the stage is crowded with
these supernumaeraries all properly CO.'S
TUNED, and the result Is q picture thai
idazzles tn 2eeye. a8i5s!. EsSi n b
THE MOB "a FACTOR 81 s8S
In the tragedy Of julius Caesar II Is
the. mob that lends much Of the. color4to
the play and some students OF
the work hold that this mob.
taken as whole, Is as impor-s
tant as any character in, the sdrama.l
The mob in this production was certainly
a factor In its success. The supernu-.
merarles had been we'll trained, and es
-pecially4in the great scene OF, Marc An
itony's grafton over the dead body Of
Caesar, did they make their work eff
fective. y N z 33i35it t3355 ssSf} ny
Mr.. Mansfield admirably portrayed the
character of Brutus, "the modest Roman
of them ALL" He gave q splcAdid reading
of the lines, and in the quarrel scene with
Cassus he was superb. and carried the
audience away with his 4 delivery. 81 Mr..
Frederick Paulding. an actor OF sterling
worth, and known to the majority OF
theatre goers was cast as Cassius. and
Well rendered that part Tia Marc An
tony OF Mr., Arthur Forrest was mas
terful effort. and after the famous ora
tion. in which he sways the populace. he
was twice called before the curtain.
Portia was we'll played by Miss Doro-
thy, Hammond. B. G.