Omaha daily bee., 1905-10-05
At THE PLAY HOUSES


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"otheIIO" at the Boyd.
Robert Msntell and Company in "Othello."
by William Shakespeare; under direction
OF william A. Brady. The cast:
othello, noble Moor in the service Of
IaRo. mis- ancient. ............Ha Harry leighton
Observation-Disclosures Holiingsworth
Duke OF Venice walter Campbell
Montana, othelio.s predecessor in the
government Of Cyprus Gordon Burby
Roderiso, Venetian gentleman. 49,;
.........................,. Arthur II. Ebbots
Lodovico, klnsman to Brabantio.. :....;:
Gratlano. brother to Brsbantio. ...........
-, .;....f ....................... Devore Farmer
Desdemons, daughter to Brabantio and
wife to Othello Marie Booth Russell
Emilia, wife TO lago. ............. Emily Dodd
Whatever Shakespeare Intended beyond
writing an extremely clever play, may be
left to conjecture for the present. In
writing "Othello" he descanted with much
wisdom and penetrating shrewdness on a
theme that has ever been popular with the
dramatist. II plays on the elemental pas
sions Of primal man, and as civilization
lies scarcely skin deep above those mas
tering passions even yet, the portrayal OF
them on the stage finds ready hearing. 1t
has nothing Of subtlety in its composition,
but comes directly to the point, and thus
1t touches home to even the dullest of wits
and the lamest of understandings. so,
then. "Othello" will be a. play until mans
nature is finally swallowed up i'm the god
like. And then II may still be read, If not
enacted.
Mr.. Mantel gives a very faithful pre-
sentation OF the play and the character,
making a Moor in whose honest heart there
was no room for two thoughts. His por-
trayal of the character as a whole is very
good; 1t has its faults and at points it al
most touches greatness. II is chiefly to
be commended for the hdelity with which
he holds to the written text and to the
best that tradition affords concerning the
right method of expression for those gales
Of passion that blew his soul in doubt from
love to hate, from affection to detestation,
from the heaven Of a wife's true love to
the hell of a cuckold's realization. His
strong scene with Iago in the third act
has been more effectively rendered by
greater actors, his fault here being a re-
preston of the rage that was later vented
on his wife rather than on her accuser.
Again. he has adopted a method for the
final scene that is effective from the stand
point of the merely theatric but which
lacks warrant both in fact and art 1t is
not at all likely that even as strong a man
as Othello lived to deliver any farewell
whispers with eight or nine inches of steel
in his heart.
Mr.. Leighton's Iago is a carefully studied
production. 1t lacks in spontaneity and
suffers much through the failure of the
young man to invest II with that essen
tial venom and rancor that was so great
part of the character. He delivers his
lines with much effect and acts the part
with quiet insistence that does much to
lift it above the ordinary. Mr.. Hollings-
worth's CASSIE is hardly as commendable
as his other efforts of the week. his one
great scene being marred by robustious
utterance hardly compatible with the re-
morse and shame he felt.
Miss Booths Desdemona Is a finely con-
ceived and splendidly portrayed character.
She misses none of her opportunities. but
carries herself with excellent effect through
all Miss Dodd is also deserving of praise
for her portrayal Of Emilia
The play is staged perfectly, and was
witnessed last night by the largest audi
enee of the week. Mr. MantelI was called
again and again to bow to the applause
bestowed on his efforts. "Othello" will be
given again this evening the curtain to
rise at such hour as the big parade may
determine by its passage This afternoon
at a matinee "Richeleu" will be repeated
The curtain at the matinee will go up at
o'clock sharp