The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1907-01-25
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! THEATRICAL NOTES \
Louls James as Falstan.

rare wit, glowing fancy and delight
full satire, "The Merry Wives OF
Windsor" radiant in all the glow or
harmless and wholesome merriment,
shines forth in resplendent brilliancy
as one of this mater minds greatest
comedy contributions, for he has not
only created novelty in humorous
construction, but has divorced his
method of metric writing and given
a composition purely prose.
There is probably no character in
literature or the drama better known
than Fat John Falstaff" and proba-
bly, no better exponent Of that exact
ing character than Louis James, who
will present it at the Kentucky the
alter next Monday night, January 2S.
"Tne Merry Wives of Windsor" is
masterpiece of good humor, neith-
err lyric, dramatic, narrative nor his
torical, but an excellently well-con-
ceived conceit, constructed solely to
amuse, as wen as to fulfill a regal
edict executed by Good Queen Bess.
who wishing to witness the adroit
cupidity of Sir John Falstaff, COM
manded Shakespeare to write COM
edy depicting the various humors
attendant to the Jolly Knight OF
Windsor in Love-
This Shakespeare did with an
abandon in construction and execu-
ton that startled his followers and
admirers, for he discarded all his
characteristic style and methods of
playwriting and presented to his
queen a play written almost entirely
in prose, and illustrative Of the hui
more and shortcomings of the coun-
try tradespeople and not the court
or the nobility, as had heretofore
been his custom.
"The Merry Wives of Windsor" is
one of this great writer's best eff
forts and fairly bubbles over with
brilliant characterization. "Fal-
staff" is undoubtedly the master com
ic creation of Shakespeare. His close
woven and unfagging mirthfulness,
together with his inexhaustible
wealth of drollery, condones whatev-
er moral shortcomings he may pos
sess by his love for "Sack" and his
hlrtatious propensities for she fair
SEX
As the swagger infinitely jolly Fat
Knight Of Windsor, Sir John, Louis
James seems to have round a more
harmonious and fantastic vehicle to
display his irresistible mirtn pro- ok
ing faculties than has been his for
tune for years. and reports speak
very glowingly of his success.
"Mistress Quickly is entrusted to
the competent hands of Nellie Nc
Henry, who has been especially en-
gagged. Master Ford will be played |
by Norman Hackett, who will be re-
for his excellent work
with Mr.. James last season. Apnie |
James and Charlotte Lambert will
be the merry Wives Mrs. Ford
and Mrs. Page. Lillian Lancaster,
Sweet Anne Page; ]. Arthur Young,
Pistol; Nathan Aronson, Mr.. Page;
VIM. Chrystie Miller. Justice Shallow
and other characters are said to be
in as equally capable hands.
"The Merry Wives of Windsor"
aside from being one of Shakes
most brilliant comedies, af-
fords the scenic artist great oppor-
tunities in reproducing many of the
favorite haunts of England's soyer-
eigns, all Of which Mr.. James, we
believe, has taken special advantage
Of.
The first act represents Mr.. Pages
home on the Windsor road. with an
exact reproduction of Windsor Cas-
tie in the distance. Next there is the
of the famous Garter Inn,"
a hosiery noted for its Bohemian
in the days OF Good queen |
Bess. Ford's house, where the cele-
brated "Buckbasket episode is en-
acted, is faithful reproduction
made from sketches in the British
Museum, and the painting by Marga-
ret Howe of Ford's nome.
The last act discIoses Windsor for
est, with the stately "Herne's Oak"
in the foreground. Here, tradition
says, at the midnight hour the fairies
held sway, and in the shadow of
the moon sang and danced the hour
away in joyous revelry to the CLINT
ing light of the scintillating firefies.
Mr. James promises some really |
beautiful and realistic electrical eff
fects here.
Considerable local interest is
in this engagement, from
the fact tht two of his most talented |
players are associated with Paducah,
Lillian Lancaster, one of our
most beautiful and talented daugh-
-. H. c..oot Arna Dooo with a