The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-04-26
AT THE THEATERS
MetropoIitan-vioIa AlIer, In "T'weIf

~ /, ~ - : 3
Shakspere in Twelfth Night is in his
most joyous meod-as., indeed, BELTS a
play intended for presentation, as the
name indicates, in the holiday season
Having reached the. full maturity of his
powers, when his mastery over his art
was complete, the poet-playwright had
not yet begun to succumb to the deep
seated melancholy that found expression
IN the later tragedies. And while he Dor
roWed the main story, as was his custom,
It Is generally agreed that the comedy
characters and the comedy action are en-
tlrely his own invention The marvel APP
pears in the magic art with which he
blended, the romantic and the comic into
one beautiful, artistic whole. Thru it all
there blow the fresh breezes of pure and
wholesome fun. laden with the fragrance
Of his daintiest flowers of poesy.
Rarely If ever has more beautiful
presentation Of this beautiful play been
seen on any stage than that given by Miss
Viola Allen and her players Not merely
does Miss Allen illumine with rare art
the tender witchery of Viola: not merely
do her fellow artists deli1leate, some sub
thy and some broadly, the variant charac-
| tiers OF the play; not merely is the play
set with a painstaking snunificence that
leaves naught to be- desired; but all things
needfuI are done in such a way as to cor
relate and knit them into a consistent,
homogeneous and thoroly adequate pro-
duction. ~
It is difficult to speak of Miss Aliens
| Viola temporarily, so compelling is it's APP
| peal to the admiration. The disguise Of
| male attire is usually a dramatic fiction,
accepted like other conventions of the
stage without question. In point of fact it
/ is very seldom a disguise at all. But Miss
Allen gives to the supposed Cesario q
boyish air that is very fetching as well as
convincing. Her voice has depth and
sorority that aid, the Illusion. And thus
1 the deception practieed on the duke, Olivia
and the others seems not at all impos-
slble while the little lapses into feminin-
/ 1ty observed only. by the audience give
the Characterization added piquancy. The
| tender romance of the false pages love
for her master the pathos of her mission
as his vicar to the lady he loves the
mockery of fate when that lady falls in
love with servant instead of master
| these and the other romantic aspects of
the story are told by Miss Allen with sim
| plicity and clearness and yet with rare
| poetic feeling. And her comedy is deli
| cious-as in the ridiculous duel with
Aguecheek, where the eternal feminine
in Viola triumphs over her desire to
maintain her character as page The con-
/ trast when Sebastian, real man, appears
| and swings his sword Justify is one of the
| most effective conceivable. James Young,
who plays this part, and plays it well, is
of a height with Miss Allen and makes up
to resemble her. closely. This resem-
blance of the twins, on which so much
depends, is such a rtclever and effective
idea that one wonders why more atten-
ton has not hitherto been paid to it in
productions of Twelfth Night
| May Taverner Is the Olivia and is both
beautiful and gracious. When love- over.
! flowing the barriers of maidenly reserve
forces her into a declaration to. the sup
posed page, Miss Taverner is at her best
Orsino, the dull, who. is personally pre-
sented by John Craig, makes the fourth
member in this quartet SO romantically
entangled. %-%Ele
Turning now to the purely comic char.
acters Of the play, one is struck with the
strength and adequacy of the company
First must be mentioned the Malvolio d
John Blair, who pictures the sublime ego
tism of the steward with toploftica
poise that IS irreproac enable. This role
) was once considered the most importan
in the play, and certainly it is a comic
creation unrivaled in Shakspere. Thel
there, is the arch7josher Sir Toby Belch
impersonated in bluff and jolly fashion b!
: Clarence Handyside,e Miss Zeffie Tilbur.
, is Maria, his, fellow zconspirator, and thu
precious pair. cozen1 first Malyolio.s thel
4 Aguecheek and Gesagietto the top of thei
bent. Miss aTilP2ury has an irrepressibl
: giggle that bursts tAHtt at critical moment
, and adds to the hiarty. Frank Currie
is the Sir Andrew -Aguecheek and a fun
nier man never got drunk or fought
duel. The time" he has with Sir lob.
, in the servants hall is an example O
; | what can be done in the way of pure an
unoffending fun in a scene that nigh
easily become gross and bestial y
Feste, the jester, as played by Edwi
: Howard. is more tuneful than funny. Blu
f the word chopping wit Of the Shakspe
, rean fool long since lost its interest 1t
! a questionable form of humor that is no
e immortal - but the real comedy q
$ Twelfth Night will never die. Almos
2 without exception the other characters
: even those who merely attend upon tn
duke or Olivia, are excellently imperson
D lated. In short, the production is a rar
s delight, whose flaws if any are not paten
to the general. -
w. b: Chamberlain