The Goodland republic., 1907-01-18

aRO8EO AND JULIET PLAYED
AT THE GRAND.
Sanford Dodge and Louise Marshall
Unfold the shakespearean Tag
edy to Big Audience.

The first Shakespearean play, the |
tragedy OF Romeo and Juliet" ever
produced in this city, was presented
at the Grand Wednesday night by the
Sanford Dodge company This play,
as was the one on the night previous,
ssIngomar, the Barbarian" was widely
advertised, but the theater goers
seemed almost to absent themselves
purposely the first night, presumably
for the reason that they wanted to
meet Romeo and Juliet with fresh
and unwearied affection At any rate,
the second nights performance was
very generously patronized, and Good
land greeted Shakespeare with open
arms.
For more than 500 years, actors OF
the world have been living over and
over again for heart-hungry audi
enees, the melancholy signing OF that
immortal pair by greatest love en-
braced- And the story seemed alto
gether charming, and modern as the
morn that comes tripping Ger the
hills in russet mantle clad, because
/ Shakespeare has beautifully shown that
/ in every maiden's heart there is a
! Romeo, and in the youth, a fair Juliet.
The play was not intended to lacer-
| ate the feelings, but it nevertheless
i
i mOurns at the dissolution Of promised
/ joy. Schlegel, In an essay upon
| Romeo and Juliet" wrote the fol-
| lowing famous passage, often quoted
/ and altogether true and beautiful:
/ Whatever is most intoxicating In
/ the OdOr Of a southern spring langu-
/ ishing in the song Of the nightingale,
/ or voluptuOus upon the first opening
/ Of the rose, is breathed into this poem.
i But, even more rapidly than the ear
/ iest blossoms OF youth and beauty
! decay, it hurries on from the first
/ timidly-bold decis ration Of love and
/ modest return, TO the most unlimited
/ passion, Of an irreY OcabIe union; then
| amidst altering storms Of rapture and
1 despair, to the death Of the two low
ers, who still appear enviable as their
/ love survives them, and as by their
death they have obtained a triumph
/ over every separating power. The
sweetest and the bitterest, love and
hatred, festivity and dark forebodings,
| tender embraces and gepulchres, the
| fullness Of life and standardization,
/ are all here brought close to each
/ other; and all these contrasts are so
/ blended in the harmonious and won
/ derful work into a unity Of impress
! sion that the echo which the whole
leaves behind in the mind resembles a
| single but endless sigh
Mr.. Sanford Dodge was Romeo,
Miss Louise Marshall, Juliet, and Mr.
Herbert DeGuerre, MercutiO-Ro-
/ meO's buoyant and heroic friend.
! These were the @triumvirate," on
whose actions the audience hung with
| great intent. The popular admiration
/ for Mr.. DeGuerre was a hard rival
/ for that Of Mr.. Dodge. Indeed, it
/ seemed as though Mercutio should be
| the precipitate and raging lover. He
/ was brave, and died that way; he was
| demOnstrative and naturally enthusi-
| astic-capable Of a rare passion, If
/ he were a Romeo MercutiO's sketch
| Of Queen Mab,'' the little fairy that
| had played havoc with RomeO's heart,
was masterfu1; and his versatile turns
from serious to amusing thought and
| jest Of Romeo was a victory for his
art
Miss Louise Marshall as Juliet, BY
reason Of a-swOman's gentIer nature
and burden Of loving sorrow, stole
away the name Of Louise Marshall
from the minds Of the audience by
her art, and they loved her only as
Juliet She was strong in the por-
trayal Of fOrebodings and consuming
grief; an agOnizing heart sends its
witheIing upon her countenance. with
power, but her moments Of Joy were
sIenderly shown and she did not feed
her audience with that passionate hap
piness Of heart, which, we think, is
intended to be elevated to a higher
pitch than the part was carried. She
can express sorrow and woe intensive
ly, but such depression seems to rob
her Of portrayal Of passionate Joy.
Mr.. Dodge as Romeo, would seem,
from a standpoint Of advertising to
wear the shoulder straps Of this ag-
gregatiOn OF actors. But as between
Mr. Dodge and Mr.. DeGuerre, we
think the latter is the general Of
the two. Dodge has a sympathetic
voice, but his rather mechanical man
ner OF repeating his part his some
times painful legarthy Of body, and
his overlooking his audience, de-
tracts from a Romeo alive in every
fiber" At several junctures in the
tragedy, Mr.. Dodge warmed up to
high pitch, and his hearers would
have experienced greater feeling If
Romeo had oftener reached that high
er plane Of action
But leaving aside these defects in
the writer's conception OF what should
be, the hearers Of this immortal
story Of love, bridging over the hatred
Of the two houses OF Capulet and
Montague, rests like a blessing upon
the soul One may read and study the
play, but after all, the work OF the
Dodge company was very commend
able, and helps to a better and grand
er conception Of Romeo and Juliet