New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-12-27
s.beciaiIyi Appealing In the Tender Pas
saoes iof the Earlier Acts-PIay
Well Staged.

Il revival in which sincerity of purpose
"a good taste are so manifest as in the
! zee Of " The Winters Tale" IN which Miss
Tsla Ale2 was seen at the Knickerbocker
rseatre last evening, the spirit of carping
r.aticism nag well be stilled and the efforts
n the players received with some degree
q thankfglress by those persons who still
asd pleasure in the acted versions of Will
In Shakaspeare's plays. OF these :. The
winters Tale, written in the rich late
y.srs OF the poets life. is seen all too rare
Il In the present revival a closer consid-
ssauon than is possible now may disclose
ssne Inconsistencies and some points where
snendations might be made with advau-
,sge; but.l generally speaking, high level
4excelleSce is sought and maintained. The
5sy is condensed to four acts, the chorus
4 Tine being among the scenes entirely
snitted.
ID none OF his plays has Shakespeare
Ia less mindful of the unities OF time and
gre The incident of Hermione's supposed
tzth ana concealment for sixteen years
! in itself made possible only by the broad
81 possible poetic license. And one may
~ reasonably demand, therefore, too close
saherence to the text on the part Of those
no are charged with the difficult task of
lEapting the play to the requirements of
iEe modem theatre.
Ia the main the cuts have been Judi
Dusty made, and if there is any vague
rs IN the minds OF uniformed persons as
& the exact relations of the characters one
j not called upon TO sympathize with II.
ii is to be assumed that persons who 60
Il see z play Of this kind viii at least take
tie trouble of scanning ii through be-
isrehands This remark is made necessary
here by the fact that II was the misfor-
tfne OF the reviewer TO hear unnecessarily
i3ud anot dlSconcertng iamentS on the point
h ShakeSpeare's YaguenesS. One heard
cher thtpgs last night There were those,
81 couhss, who remembered Mary Ander-
sep il the roles of Hermione and Perdita,
md who were not loath to make COMPARE
spns
iaemory to be trusted. Miss Anderson s
EsraiOne in g quality Of statuesque grand
SUI Wes probably more imposing than Miss
Aliens. But the actress of last evening
played Hermione's earlier scenes with a
rare dignity that made her denotement of
per5ita's pastoral simplicity and airy spirit
an altogether noteworthy achievement
Fer be6ring in the difficult trial scene
vas ma Iestic. yet marked by sweetness
that added a touch of eloquent pathos to
ihe .subSequent collapse; In the reading
If the longer speeches Miss Allen suffers
somewhat from a lack o. variety, and there
5 q ANONYMOUSLY saccharine cadence to
her voice at times that might well be
snd her Perdita were pictures of engaging
sweetness and insistent charm.
& In ne. scene with Mamillius and her la
dH fhele was abundant tenderness, which
again made itself felt in the parting with
iAontesi after his first speech OF accusa-
Ton
Henry Jewett, the Leontes, satisfied the
sge with natural poise of royal grandeur,
strong. manly physique. and a yirile face,
shicn, however, is lacking in mobility. He
Has a bad habit of mouthing. and his read
ng of verse is often unintelligible. OF the
sther supporting actors Frank Vernon,
despite very obvious physical deficiencies,
vas most satisfying, his Camille being sin
1ere Throughout. The PoliXines of Boyd
Putnam and the Paulina of Zeffie Tilbury
gere adequate, and the Autolycus of Frank
Surrier was amusing, although not par
cularlY mellow. The F'lorizel of James
Young vas not without some merit, and the
Shepherd and Clown were well played by
G. Leslie Allen and Sidney Bracy.
Although several of the scenes were pic
l0riaily effective. there was no apparent
iendencE TO make them overpowering. A
notabiyi beautiful picture was the forest of
beeches. near the Shepherds Hut, where in
me abandon of the rustic dance Florizel
an6 Perdita are first disclosed TO Polixines
Although carried forward with spirit that
I0used the audience to prolonged applause
this scene was somewhat too noisly played
10 be entirely atmospheric. But the diff
Guilty of inducing restraint where so many
minor People are on the stage is one that
asn hardly be oVerestimated. and the fault
perhaps was not entirely in the stage man
sgement