Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-04-21
Gossip About Plays, Players and PldyhOuses

~ MAHA is 70 be we'll cared for IN
the way OF summer amusements
az the down town theaters. Man
LeAllMl ager burgess announces that the
SAaaa4@ woodward Stock company will
continue indefinitely at the Burwood,
furnishing its patrons with the same ex-
relient character OF entertainment that has
made that house a favorite place with 80
many Omaha people. He says the length
Of the season depends entirely on the
weather. At the Boyd the summer opera
company will be installed for a run that
will carry its activity well up into August
with a program Of two a week" And
now Manager Breed Of the Krug announces
that he, too, will have a summer stock com
pany and will offer some OF the better
known plays with a company Of good
players at his theater. The duration Of the
engagement win be indefinite, but It will
start Immediately after the close Of the
regular season. which has some time yet 20
run. Plans for installing summer vaude-
Vile at the Bijou are under way and the
amusement seeker IL assured that he will
not need to go TO the parks in the early
part Of the summer at any rate. And by
that same token, the parks are going to
hold out even greater attractions during
the summer. Manager Cole OF Krugs park
IL in the east making contracts, and Man
ager Byrne Of Lake Manawa IL outlining
his campaign, so that there will be much
doing all season at these popular resorts.
.
Annie Russell was the bright spot Of the
week in Omaha. Her presentation Of Puck
IN "A Midsummer Nights Dream" very
nearly realized the popular notion Of the
merry sprite Robin Goodfellow has long
been a familiar figure in English folk lore
and fairy tales. To him is ascribed all
sorts Of FRANKS, with a more or less
friendly interest in the AFFAIRS Of mortals.
In addition to his mischief, he has been
credited with doing many favors for folks
who we're difficulty situated, and at odd
times his accommodating spirit has led
20 undertake tasks that would not have
been possible to a mortal Shakespeare
found him quite ready material for this
delightful comedy Of his 1t was in the
spirit Of the play that Puck should APP
pear The comedy is among the lighter
works Of the great poet, and contains no
distinctly star" part, save that OF Nick
Bottom and he is possible alone to a low
comedian. Miss Russell determined,
though, TO make Puck role for her own
talent. and. while not pioneer in the sd-
venture. she has set a mark that will
keep others working for long time It is
doubtful II another of our stage women,
unless It might be Lulu CHASER, could have
approached the role with the same de-
gree Of understanding as did the fair and
slender Annie. She has fairly caught
Puck in his merrest and most mis-
chievous moment, and depicts him as
without malice, but bent on having all
the fun to be extracted from a situation.
In her zeal she does not overstep at any
point the line between good comedy and
buffoonery, but plays the role with rare
discrimination and excellent taste. Bully
Bottom is the clown of the comedy, and
elicits the hearty guffaws of laughter, but
Puck delicately Initiates the senses. and
brings smiles and quiet chuckles Of mirth
that are irresistible; 1t is really con-
trast between wit and humor between
merriment and fun, between comedy and
clowning Miss Russell's triumph IL de-
served, for she did much in directing her
efforts to the undertaking, and her breadth
OF conception and grasp OF details mark
her more and more as the true artist.
Tuesday will be the 443d anniversary
Of the birth of William Shakespeare, one
OF the immortals No tribute that could
be paid to his name would be more effective
than the simple statement that at no time
In history has his work been more popular
than today. No writer of any time has
been more studied more discussed and de-
bated, more misunderstood or more highly
appreciated than Shakespeare. Libraries
have been written In comment on his
works; the language has been exhausted
In praise OF his poetry, and the centuries
that have passed since his day have been
occupied with debates as to the value OF
this, that or the other phase Of his sew
eral characters. Even the intermnable
wrangle as to whether he really wrote his
own plays has had it's advantage In here
and there shedding little light on the man
and his times. And through 1t all he has
Hlumbered sweetly. At the outset 1t must
be admitted that Shakespeare was in
large measure a creature of circumstances.
His early habits we're not such as COM
mended him TO the people of the village
in which he was born, and he drifted very
easily into a life Of vagabondage that led
him TO the stage, just then at discount
In England. The life Of Q strolling player
In the early Elizabethan days was not such
as would commend itself to any seeking
ease and luxury and yet It had its ad-
vantages Then, as now, a community OF
Intellect at least held the players together,
and In this empire of brains talent is sure
of recognition. II was fortunate for
Shakespeare that wit and learning were
coming 20 something like supremacy. Eng
land was drifting away from the brutal
and gross, and the Intellectual was grad
ually rising above the material. In this
atmosphere shakespeare's genius unfolded.
And now. after four and half centuries,
he stands alone at the apex OF the column,
the one poet of all ages His plays are
acted annually to the delight OF more people
than England contained as inhabitants In
his day; they enlist the most serious
thought Of the greatest and best equipped
of actors and managers and absorb the
attention OF the most earnest students of
the language and its literature. In his
day, Shakespeare tasted the sweets Of sue
cess He was welcome member of the
brilliant circle that glistened about the
throne of Elizabeth, and numbered as his
friends men whose names stand out as truly
great in England's history. On his ears fell
plaudits as sincere as any uttered since, and
IN his pockets he tlngied gold that rang as
merrily as any that has since tinkled its
music to delight the ear Of man. In this
reflection some comfort is found. II has