The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-07-02
THE THEATERS

Lyceum-i'Cleopatra."
1t would have been more satisfactory
II the historians had told us either more
or less about Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt,
central figure in the Sardou play which
the Ferris Stock company will present at
the Lyceum next week. No figure in his
tory Is SO fascinating. Helen OF Troy,
whose beauty caused the most superb con-
f1ict the world has ever known, war
that produced the greatest epic in l1tera-
ture and involved gods and men alike, has
no such charm for the imagination. It
Is not recorded that Helen Of Troy had
any intellectual attraction, or, indeed, any
other attraction beyond being a beautiful
woman. Men have become infatuated in
all ages, dynasties have been raised to
thrones and upset by woman's influence,
the whole history Of nations has some
times been governed by the caprices OF q
woman. But no two figures are SO strik-
ingly coupled as Cleopatra and Marc An
tony The truth is, history has been great
ly colored by Shakspere. The ancient writ
ers describe Cleopatra with some detail,
but ono line of Shakspere has given more
interest and aroused more speculation
about her than all else that has been
written. "Age cannot wither her, nor Gus
tom stale her infinite variety, said Shak-
spere, and we have viewed her thru that
line for 800 years.
Still Cleopatra was not so beautiful. She
could hardly have been, with that profile
as we see 1t on the coin, and seeing that
Antony's profile Is so like other pictures
! OF him, we may assume that the artist
was not less true in reproducing her
characteristic face. Marc Antony was not
a man likely to be enchanted by intel
lectual charms. He was conceited, weak
mentally, but indomitably courageous. The
description Shakspere gives to Cleopatra
comes from an outsider, and all that va
riety he speaks Of would have hardly been
| necessary to enslaye Antony. But the
weight Of testimony is In favor Of the
fact that she had brains, she had YER
ga tility, she had magnetism, and, above
all, she had the tact to marry the Roman
whether for love for him or for her owr
selfish ends.
| Yet 1t was not by her literary acquire
ments, her artistic accomplishments hel
wit or her beauty that Antony was fas.
cinated. She was magnetic woman, thai
was all. It needed propinquity to fold
the charm. AS soon as Antony got away
from her, he married Octavia; as soor
as Cleopatra faced him, he forgot his wife
The mooted point in Cleopatra's story |:
the extent Of her love for Antony. An
tony gratified the licentious side Of hi!
nature and he was tremendous weapon
In her hands for state purposes. 1t !:
quite likely that had Octavius yielded t.
her Establishments, strong as was the bono
between her and Antony, she would have
| given Octavlus his place and welded hin
as she had welded his predecessor. Cleo
patra has for these reasons been a diff
cult character to put on the stage.
Sardou has declared that Shakspere
play of Antony and Cleopatra" Is a bat
piece Of work. This has met with SOM
harsh personal criticism. Yet the eminen
Frenchman's opinion has been shared b.
many English writers and most ;Englisl
actors who have tried to produce tn
piece.
The cast for this big production is
large one and Is as follows:
| Marc Antony IA. byron beaSle
Demetrius Observation-Disclosures. Frederic Clar
DercatuS ............. Lawrence barDOu
Governor CnarIeS u. BuEnnaf