The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-30
NOVELTIES on BROADWAY.
"THE PRINCE or INDIA"-HATE
WE NOT HTREN HERE?
"a Midsummer Nights Dream'-The
Puck OF Shakespeare and OF ADnle
Russell -%T1tania's lowe and the Ns1slc
OF TOnKs Inc Bones the straw MAN.

MLUuUNIVlNE NN0hNa
Puck Of Shakespeare u OF ADnie
Russell -I1tanIa's Bower and the Music
OF TOnKs and Bones the straw MAN.
Three centuries and more before the
dramatization OF Lew Wallace's Prince OF
India" the En- lish stage witnessed the
story Of The Turkish Mahomet and Hiren
the Fair Greek" Down, down. dogs''
cried the ancient Pistol, quoting from the
popular drama Of George Peele, Have We
not Hiren here!' and the timorous Hostess
besought him to -a~ggravate his choier.
But though Bully Bottom saw fit in behalf
Of his audience to ~aggravate his voice until
he roared II as gently an any sucking love,
Pistol was not Of his cooling kidney. Die,
menl Die like dogsl" he still barked. Give
crowns like pins! Have We not HiTen
here!" IL il in a similar vein that the pur-
yevors Of the spectacle at the Broadway
interpret their calling. And not only the
actors bark, but the scenery. For once the
drama has gone to the bow-wows. '
This time, however. the bow-wows do
not spell demnition. The scenery-the real
p~rotagonist in such a production-ts Tor
the most part muddy and unillusive, but
in sheer acreage it is impressive. The
lights are fat and garish, but In some cases
II is better TO dazzle than to charm. And
In the final act, which represents the fall
Of Constantinople before Ndhomet and the
union Of the Grecian maiden Irene with her
Turkish lover, there Is a mighty clamor OF
arms, a breathing Of operate passions. The
production lacks both the novelty and the
sheer excitement OF the Standardization Of
-Ben-Hur." but il seems likely to achieve
- MAI ---,l.- .,.onaa W. harn usrln
here, and there are plenty OF those for
whom the pins Of drama are worth more
than its crowns. And so TO mettle more
attractive.
Never in the memory Of the present
generation Of playgoers has there been
a production Of "A Midsummer Nights
Dream" which was, on the whole, more
respectful Of the text, more Elusive as
regards it's scenic features and more capable
In the acting than that with which the rev
Aston Theatre lately opened. Never has
Puck been rendered with s'ch taste. spirit
and imaginative feeling a. in the person
Of Miss Annie Russell; and, by the same
token, never has the poetic element In
Miss Russell been so charmingly and 80
potently in evidence.
II has been said that she lacks the dash
Of sheer deviltry, he spice OF demoniac
abandon. But since when has Robin Good
fellow, the merrie wanderer Of the night.
been anything but a kindly and a helpful
spirit? Puck il a goblin, but not a goblin
damned; and It lie so that Miss Russell in
terprets him-as likewise, beyond reason
able doubt. the beardless boy who created
the part on the boards OF the Globe. Her
greatest triumph, in fact, is the manner
in which she denotes the light masculine
kroteequery Of the sprite. at once friendly
and impish. 1t is many centuries since
creative artists have regarded the gar
goyle as a creature Of poetic delight; but in
this matter, as in man another, Shake
speare was OF the Middle Ages. In CdIibdR
the element of poetry and philosophy, which
. 90 charmed Browning. is less obvious than
his grotesque appearance. This monster
a man or a fish . he smells like a fish; a
very ancient and fishlike smell " legged
like a man and his fins like arms no fish,
but a salamander," might be own brother
10 the Devil Of the Cathedral Of Lincoln
or to the Demon Of Paris. And 30 Miss Rus
sells Puck. with his fiaring, Mephistophe-
Ian eyebrows, his slanting eyes, his jaunty,
manlike stride from the heels, at once
abrupt and rhythmical, his finging OF
arms and his scratching OF toes, is a crea-
ture OF the amiably grotesque Imagination.
In which poetic feeling mingles with delight
In the uncouth. This is no diabolic goblin;
ftsnot, perhaps, even the rustic. hairy COB
lin OF Millions -L'Allegro'; but it Is de-
l~iciously in tune with the Puck Of Shake
speare. rollioking companion and delight
Of the exquisite OberoN.
such defects as there are in the produc-
ton arise, as it seems, from ignorance.
In the invention Of business the actors
are a. reckless as ever. The Athenian
lovers play hide and seek among the col
umns OF the audiences chamber Of Thsseus.
Bottom and his crew, while casting their
play, make mummery with classical masks
which were clearly undreamed Of by Shake
speare. and which they do not use in their
actual performance. But to many OF the
obvious demands Of Shakespeare's text and
stagecraft they pay no heed.
Whatever the comparative merits Of
the ancient and the modern theatre
there can be little doubt that in the
case Of this play certain notable ad.
vantages lie with the stage composed
Of an ampitheatrical platform backed
by an Above with a proscenium. Ir
Titdnid's scenes the lack Of a remote anc
curtained bower proves an almost fata
handicap. When the back Of the stage
10 occupied by shrubbery, shading into q
back drop painted in perspective, the bower
Of the fairy queen is Of necessity place.
forward; and in the present production i
has the further disadvantage Of being In
front OF a:solid cluster Of trees which oc
cupies the centre. The rehearsal Of tn
artisan actors and the vociferous distress
Of the Athenian lovers thus take place il
the nearest proximity to the supposed!
sleeping queen. Nor is the situation bet
tered by the fact that Bottom twice offer
TO sit down on her and is prevented b,
some occult prohibition-to indicate, as
seems. that she ia invisible. Though unseen
TitGnid can hardly be supposed TO be I'm
seeing-and unhearing. For such absurdi
ties IN the action the pictorial realism o
the modern stage is scant compensation.
Surprising as well as Disappointing Is tn.
fact that there is less dancing than the tex
plainly calls FOR. When Titdnid enterI
her first worCs TO her train are:
Come. now. a rounded and a fairy song.
The commentato-H have made IL euf