The Washington times., 1905-02-05
A Fine Partnership
The Sothern- MarIoWe Com
bination an Artistic Gold
Nine Curious Criticism.
Plays in Sight.

II is Impossible for Washingtoaians
who are genuinely interested in dra-
matte art to lose their interest IN the
current season. Viola Allen, Mrs. Camp
bell, John Drew, ''Parsifal," grand opera
in English, Mr. Sothern and Miss Mar
lowe. and now Mr.. Robertson suggest
themselves out of an array twice as
numerous. and all of them contributed
TO make the Washington theaters places
OF intellectual enjoyment and profitable
thought.
Mr. Sothern and Miss Marlowe have
given the Capital much pleasure. Their
plays were most admirable The in
vestiture with which the plays We're
mounted was more than adequate. And
1he acting has been fine. Next year,
and the next year after that, and so
on until this valuable partnership is
disbaaded their favor will grow and
grow Ii is not too much to say that
the prospect before them Is as bright
as that which spread before Henry Irv-
ing and Ellen Terry.
The tour of these two stars opened in
Chicago. There were present on the
opening night William Winter, of the
New York Tribune. James O'DonneI1
Bennett. Major Hubbard, Amy Leslie,
and all the other critics of that Intel
leetual and erudite community which
touches on Lake Michigan. Mr.. Winter
discounted the combination N advance.
He did rnore-he recounted 70 all the
younger men the enviabIe and glistening
careers Of the great actors who have
gone before and showed conclusively
49, Of, of 70
could hope to rival them. Then the
curtain rose and the two nloderns were
subjected to Mir Winters fatal compar-
ison. scene by scene. line by line.
A Rare Collection.
What happened next morning need
not be told. All the Chicago papers
contained reviews signed by Mr.. Ben
nett or Major Hubbard or nobody knows
whom else, but inspired by Mr.. Winter
1T was u rare collection TemDora! q
Mores! Such reading! Such acting.
Where were Edwin Booth and Adelaide
Nelson? Why had the grim reaper
taken away Lester Wallach and Char
Iotte CushTnan? To think our modern
pismies dared to play the same roles!
Nerve had conquered art, and the stage
was damned.
Well. Mr.. Winter left Chicago soon
afierward. Then the Chicago critics had
to lean on their own judgment The
most curious thing happened. From that
time until the close of the engagement
the acting Of Miss Marlowe, surely, and
of Mr.. Sothern, perhaps, grew better
and better. And when the combination
opened in New York two or three good
criticism addition to Mr.. Winter-hail-
ed the performance as the promise OF
an event OF broad artistic significance
As for MIR. Winter, he began his review
by stating that these two actors had
appeared together, and then, in the
course of a 1900 word dissertation on
the play. never mentioned them again.
1t would be instructive to know what
that group Of Chicago critics think as
they follow Mr.. Sothern and Miss Mar
lowe about the country. The prices are
high, yet public interest in the perform.
Rnces Is so marked that their houses
IRE regularly large and distinguished
OF course, the Chicago criticisms hat
great effect, but in every other city
where there are real critics the reviews
have been as com 7limentary as earnes
actors could desire. In the meantime
Mr.. Booth, and Miss Nelson, and Mr.
Wallach, and Miss Cushman are as dead
as ever they We're.
Good Plays and Good Acting.
The truth OF the matter is. of course
that these productions OF Romeo an,
Juliet Hamlet" and Much Ado
compare fayorabiy in every respect witt
any productions which have ever bee,
made in the history of the stage. Tn
inyestiture is Individually better tina,
that Of any productions earlier tina,
1850. The acting Is probably better. too
but, il that position excites CONTROVERSY
IL may be said with confidence that
though the acting of Mr. Sothern an,
Miss MarloWe may lack a little of III
stalking grandeur of the old school /
has an equally valuable quality of natu
ralness which the older school lacked.
Both Mr.. Sothern and Miss NARROW
have improved noticeably. The man ha
been much Gained down by the wona
and is ready 10 acknowledge his In
debtedness. The woman, on the othe
hand, has been brought back to RICH
standards with a rush. For four or fiv
years she has toyed with heg art-p0ut
ing, biting her neither lip, romping, an
eoquetting back and forth across tn
stage Ike an ingenue beyond her deptf
She Is really noteworthy actress; S
TO reach this level she had further t
IAN than most of her rivals. II now sh
has earned her way back-and IL is Tia
judgment Of the best critics that she Ia
she owes it largely TO Mr.. Sothern'
counsel and example. Yet Miss Mar