The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-10-25
Charming Actress Is lrresiSt-
ible as Perdita and Queen
ly as Hermione-Beaus
tiful Production.
Blanche Walsh Impressive in
TOlStOy 5 Resurrection.
MelOdrama at Lafay-
ette-Other Bills.

al the National Theater this week by
Viola Alien and company OF admirable
players. The work enacted ls Snakes
peare S Winters Tale perhaps the
last Of his plays, richly colored with the
sunset glow Of his genius and refreshed
with the sweet air of the poets coun-
try. Both players and play delight the
mind but the production is not the less
measurable beaause II borders the poem
with decorations which are accurate,
rich. beautifully colOred. and unfailingly
tasteful.
With "Cymbeline" and 'The Tempest"
s-The Winters Tale" reflects the last
period of the great poets development
Ills genius had risen from the revision
and partial rewriting OF plays produced
by others. such as THE Comedy Of Er-
roIs" and Loves LabOur Lost TO
rnagnihcent series Of historical plays ana
q double series OF brilliant comedies,
such as Henry N'' and Twelfth
Night and had then progressed to the
four great tragedies OF Hamlet Mac
BETH "OtheuO.' ana Lear which
represent the highest reach OF the mas
tiers dramatic power.
Rejecting the Calm Of Authority.
To these the three closing dramas are
supplementary. In them, as the Eng
nsh critic Baynes has fairly said. the
deeper discOrds OF life arc not finally
resolved. bur the virtues which soOthe
their perpIeziJies and give courage and
endurance 10 Walt-the virtues OF for
giveness, generosity. 1orbaarauce. and
self-conIrOl-are taught as nowhere else
ia ali the range OF Shakespeare.
In 'The Winters Tale as In The
Tempest" Eve see the great magician,
having gained by the wonderful expert
ence OF life and the no less wonderful
practice Of his art. serene wisdom, clear
and enlarged vision. and beuehcent self
control. break his magical wand and re-
tire from the scene OF his triumphs 10
the home he had chosen amidst the
woods and meadows OF the Avon"
Secure ia the power OF his craft and
conscious Of the beauty Of his text at
this period OF his life. Shakespeare took
the freest liberty with anachronisms.
in The Winters Tale" he opens navi-
cation between Sicily and Bohemia and
makes Giull0 Romano. who was the
friend OF Raphael. q contemporary Of
the Deiphic oracle. TO the natural crit
icism which such fancy eFokes, d.
Johnson has made ufhcient answer IN
pointing out thar al the unities OF time
and place arise only from the SUD-
posed necessity or making the drama
credible and that Shakespeare mas
achieved the same end without their
help But here this Inconsistency has q
reward In the form OF XCGpLiOually
bright and impressive settiugs-the
Greek architecture and classic costumes
OF Sicily are emphasized and in their
turn emphasize the pasUOraiE OF Arcadia
IA the dreamy forests of Bohemia.
ldyils and epics ere not so distantly
related after alli and In THE Winter
Tale as produced by Miss Allen they
vie with each other in charming the
spectator.
Three Important Characters.
AS a medium for the progress Of a
theatrical star the play depends chiefly
upon the three characters OF Hermi0ne,
Ferdita, and Leontes.
The FIRST is "a queen a matrou, and a
mother: she IS good and beautiful and
royalty descended" Her spirit IS ma
1estic her nature simple, her dignity
innate Mrs. jameson, Ia her female
characters,'' describes her as one whose
passions are not vehement. but ia her
settled mind the sources OF pain or
pleasure. love or resentment. are like
the springs that feed mountain lakes,
llnpenetrable, un1athOmable, and mex
Aausrlble.'
Perdita is daughter 10 all these quail
L.esi sWeeJly modified into a pastoral
she IS child born 10 grace and majesty
proud in character rather than iu spirit.
LeauTlru- as the wild flowers are beau
tllLl ana free IN fancy action. ana love
- tle ar llsr-L hudson refused 10 Call
her DOetical being, saying -'she is
FaLneF poetry itself; and everything
lends ana D0rrOWs beauty al her touch
as he wrote he must have regarded her
g lyric Ike one Of the songs Of
Le6ntes has the person Of Xerxes and
less than the mind OF OLleIl0. A Ger
man commentator called him zone OF
the most cisagreeable men on Cod 6
eaith- ~ mere the Moor OF the tragedy
was persuaded by craft and eXaREera-
lion 10 hang suspicion on "rrlnes light
as air. LeOures must manufacture the
E ID ~
shadow OF proof. His queens very iL-
uoceuce convicted her OF cunning. Yet
excepting Tor his moral sickness which
wasted itself I'm its one dreadful mani
1estaucu Le5ures' nature was large. His
SIN was great and he suffered greatly
for a.
Two Roles Superlatively Acted
IL has long been the custom OF the
stage that the actress who essays "The
Winters Tale" enact both the role OF
HermiOue and thai OF FerdiLa. III Is
well for many reasons that this is So
and A1iss Allen. in following the custom
adds largely 20 the interest In her pro-
ducrion Of the play. Her career Ia
Shakespeare IS thus made 20 include the
lovely, gentle. noble Viola. the calm, ma
5estic. matrouIy Heruione. and the play
ful. childish. free-hearted Perdlta. up
listing characters al and rarely embOd-
led il was a pleasure 10 Washington
where this actress hrst appeared as a
star-to note her marked success ia
"'4WelrrL Night" III 81 srll more Of "a
pleasure 10 record that her Hermioue
and FeEdiLl rival all the EecOuecJl0us OF
ANS generation
A comparison with Mary Anderson $
enacLmeuLs Of these roles need not be
made But IL ~ IS made. IT. was last
night the Judgment OF many who saw
that actress with mature eyes that Miss
allen appears not less lovely than She.
and notably more responsive and ans
mated. Her HeTmiuuc is irTesriDly
sweet but I'D is queelly and calm self
contained as we'll The violent outrage
OF her husband unjust accuse ton, the
loss " her son. and the suppOslLitious
. murder OF her lter-tLese Affections
HaFe an reflected as deep uudescurFeUt
OF grief too terrible 10 De eased by tears.
Bat the pride In her childreu-aud it is
noticeable that Heruloue speaks first
10 her daughter after All her long siege
81 suneriIg-iike her love for her hus-
band. write themselves 10 q thousand
little touches which those who know
Miss alien win recognize as pG-r or her
personality and beyond the power OK