The San Francisco call., 1905-05-02

womanliness. Delicately quizzical one
sees her ask herself; sAm what they
say?' Wistfully she asks again: Can
this be true L stand condemned for
pride?" and so on. 1t is all most elo-
quent. most charming. Acting one
thinks of not at all in the connection;
the thing seems very nature.
Moment after moment comes up. for
recognition. The half Saucy, half
deferential fashion of her scenes with
the. Prince: her teasing lovableness
with Leonato; her tender dominance
over and protection of Hero; her gra-
ciouS self-effa cement in the marriage
scene, and of course the arch, win
some, spirited, willful and all-woman-
" way OF her. throughout with Bene-
dick. How grateful, how rarely CRATE
ful one is first and last, too, for Miss
Marlowe's elocution, loveliness itself.
It is as clear as may be, accented, col
ored with as just beauty as-as a bit
of Bach played by Kreisler. Every
shade of the meaning of the lines is
illumined; and moreover every vocal
beauty lent. Poor Shakespeare To
Imagine Beatrice in his time played
only by boys.
Mr.. Sothern' has done many things
better than his Benedick it may be
prefaced. but Mr. Sothern can do
nothing i'll. That it is not likable,
that you laugh at, rather than with
it, is the most poignant fault of the
figure. Mr.. Sothern takes his Bene-
dick in rather the light comedy view
than as a character portrait. Up TO
: the scene in the church one finds the
figure lacking much of manliness,
robustness. sturdihess. Take the scene
in the garden after the plotters have
convinced Benedick that Beatrice
loves him. Benedick' is here puzzled
l@l
his honesty, and blundering a bluff
way through; but it is rather a
Malvolio-like conceif, something. of
the scoXcomb, that one finds Mr.. .Soth-
ern affecting to the discovery. A
rather effeminate makeup further
combines against the Illusion, and one
is led frequently to wonder what over
whelming attraction this particular
Benedick has for this particular Beat
rice. In the church scene things alter.
Mr.. Sothern here becomes spirited,
virile, convincing - how other with
that bewitching damsel to inspire
There is to thank Mr.. Sothern
further. for a performance most per-
feet in detail and of a smoothness of
ensemble, beauty of picture that re-
I minds of some of Herr Conried's IS
beautifully staged, Is a triumph OF
stage management, and the masque
scene is yet another.
The support is very adequate, curl
ously shining in an unusual place, the
I Don Pedro Of the cast played with
royal aplomb by G. Harrison Hunter.
: The Hero is played in a simple, girlish
and most appealing fashion by Eleanor
Sanford. Norman Hackett, from whom
I, we have had good Shakespearean work
before, does a youthful and manly
Claudio. William Harris is good
Leonato, and the Dogberry and Verges
parts are effectively filed in by Row
land Blackstone and Malcolm Bradley.
Sydney c. Mather lives up to traditions
by playing the Don John as badly as II
is generally played, so what more car
) one ask2
The settings. lastly, as before men.
toned, deserve all praise. and there Is
f; really helpful entr' acte and incidental
/ music. The performances begin at 7:4s
! O'clock, ii is to be remembered be-
cause one wishes to miss nothing o1
{ them. BLANCHE PARTINGTON.