The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-12-14
SBAKESPERIAN REVIVAL.
BRILLIANT RECEPTION AC-
 CORDED MR. MAXWELL.

An Original and Striking Interpretation
 of the Mad King-Suppofted by Conn
 petent Cast-Otheuo This Evening,
 to be Followed by Richard III. and
 Hamlet.
 That Shakespeare is not dead was fully demonstrated at the New Haven theater last night, by the brilliant re- ception accorded to MT. Robert Man tell and his company of players in the revival of the great dramatist's classic plays. Whatever comparison may be made with MT. Mantell and the great Shakespearean actors who have passed over to the great majority, we will not discuss. Suffice it to say that MT. Man tells reception last night by the audi ence was of the most cordial, and the utmost enthusiasm prevailed all through the five acts of the drama. on the fall of the curtain at the end of the fourth act, and after acknowledging repeated curtain calls, Mir. Mantell was compelled to appear before the curtain and make a speech. It was short and sweet, and simply an expression of ap- preciation of the actors gratitude for the generous aplause bestowed on him and his company
 Robert Mantell is among the very foremost opponents of the shakespear- can drama to-day, and the interpreta- ton which he gave the part of Lear last night is one of the most acute and sympathetic renditions of character which he has ever achieved, Mr Man tell departs decidedly from the prevail ing conception of Lear in acting upon the assumption that the greatness of Lear is not in corporeal dimension, but in intellectual, and the resulting study which he gives us Is the triumph of character analysis, The explosions of his passion are terrible as a volcano they are storms turning up and dis mind. with all its vast riches It is Lear's mind which MT. Mantell lays bare This case of flesh and blood seems too insignificant to be thought on even as he himself neglects 1t. In the alterations of his reason we discover a mighty irregular power of reasoning unmeth5dtzed from the ordinary pur- poses of life but exertng its powers, as the wind bloweth where it listeth, at will upon the corruptions and abuses of mankind It is the spiritual Lear, ,rrbi ipl, Mantal1f c interpretation insists upon; and his de- parture upon this vital point from the accepted traditions of the stage Is an evidence of MT. Mantells discernment as a literary critic, as well as proof of his talent as an actor.
 MT. Mantell showed the same sehol- arly discrimination in his choice of an acting version of the play using Wil- liam Winters condensation, which was made thirty or thirty-fye years ago for Edwin Booth, In place of the tradition al version by Yate, which Garrick made famous. Incidentally it may be men, tioned that William Winters version, besides being the only one which pre- serves the spirit of the original, is also the only one to give the story of Glocester and his sons In a connected and intelligent form.
 The supporting cast was one which even the most exaeting of audiences would be satisfied with. Like most of shakespeare's plays, King Lear con- tains half dozen important roles be- sides that of the leading actor, which must be filled adequately or the whole effect of the play will be ruined and Mr. Mantells company is almost the only road organization which Is willing to make the necessary outlay to get these subordinate parts filled as they should be. MT Guy Lindsley took the sadly humorous part of the fool, one of the most difficult parts in the play, to perfection; while MT, Gordon Burley, as the Earl of Kent, Mir. Franklin Bendsten as oswald, and MT Francis McGinn and Edmund illigltimate son to Glocester, gave entire satisfaction, The women's parts were also very com pletely handled Miss Margaret Grey as Goneril doing perhaps the most note worthy work, while the leading lady Miss Marie Booth Russell made the most of the part of Cordelia
 Not in long time has a company come to New Haven with more elaborate scenry and costuming than has MT I Mantell in this tetralogy of Shake speare tragedies, which he is now per forming. The storm on the heath was perhaps the greatest scenic effect in King Lear last night, and the realistic presentation of the terrible storm call ed forth rounds of applause from all over the house. MT Charles A. Brady, who is managing this tour of MT, Man tells never produced more sumptuous settings for any play, and these produc- tions are well worth attending to see how Shakespeare should be staged, if for no other reason.
 MT. Mantell will play at the New Ha- ven theater two more nights and at the Saturday matinee, Tomorrow night "Othello" will be produced, while Sat urday nights attraction will be Rich ard III, with Hamlet for the matinee. The version of "0thello" to be given will be the same as that used by Ed win Booth,