The San Francisco call., 1904-10-02


that Mr.. Greet gave his advance agent
he wrote universities only The reason
L suppose was his appreciation OF the
fact that only in q university commu-
nifty could he find many who would be
interested in a serious attempt to give
the play as it was prepared for the
stage by Shakespeare himself, and II
some such manner as 1t was acted dur
ing his lifetime"
Thus spoke Professor w. d. Armes,
one of our most serious and scholarly
students of the drama, on the ideal OF
the Hamlet" performance given at the
Greek Theater yesterday by Ben
Greet's company Of players.
Professor Armes quotes also In the
afore-quoted leaflet Austin Dobson's
opinion of how it was when Burbage
played the title role and Shakespeare
the ghost in the Globe Theater just 300
years ago" Mr.. Dobson believes that
When Burbage played the stage was bare
OF fount and temple tower and stair;
Two backswords eked battle out.
Two superS made rabble rout:
The throne Of Denmark was a chair.
And yet no less the audience there
Thrilled through all changes Of despair
Hope anger fear delight and doubt,
When Burbage played!
Further, yesterdays programme rath-
er naively informed that "the present
performance should not be judged as
an ordinary theatrical performance
though whether to regard it as Kolb
and Dillic or a Mansfield chef-d oeuvre
is left handsomely to ones discretion.
This the programme promised, how
ever: mo new readings will be at
tempted, the whole endeavor being to
give the play, with the scenes usually
omitted, in primitive manner as near
ly as possible like that in which it was
produced just 800 years ago..
Thus the manager Of yesterday s
production = whom 1 know not. The
programme, delicately reticent cor
cerning the cast, is also alluringly mys-
terious here.
Tt is to be admitted that without the
aforesaid sign posts the errant critic
might have lost his way. He might
have been tempted to Judge the per-
formance as an ordinary theatrical per-
fermance." He might have bothered his
head about small matters like correct
lines, emphasis and sich, or stubbed
his toes upon new readings" Being
relieved from these necessities, he has
only TO say how he likes Hamlet" as
it was done with the Ghost by Mr..
Shakespeare" 300 years ago.
There were probably 5000 people at
the Greek Theater. Fairer> morning
than yesterdays even Shakespeare
never hymned-luckily, for "ParsifaP'
fashion, we took our Hamlet" in in
stallments, the first at the heartless
hour of half past IL a. m. The theater
itself-but where is George Sterling to
immortalize it's grave loveliness {?
'Twould, as yesterday it rose stately
into the washed skies and clean green
of the trees, turn Punch and Judy
show into an epic!
AS when Burbage played the bugle
summoned us inside. There we found
the Elizabethan stage, with its two,
three chairs, a table, a small platform
with steps and so on, to which Mr.
Greet has already accustomed u.s.
You will remember that Bernardo says
almost at the outset that "'tis now
struck twelve" The morning laughed
at the mimic midnight. But, magically.
in a phrase or two, night fell, and the
Ghost stalked in amid strange fears
lent by the day. Curious, too. He-the
programme denies his name-was a
rather dapper little ghost. He had a
strictly corporal string or two hanging
from his ghostly garb, and-nails in his
shoes. Yet the "feeP' of the scene was
mysteriously there.