The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-05-14
ADJUSTMENTS.

I hd1IItII Is pIOVlOlng at the Sail
Lake theatre for the benefit of appreci-
| alive lovers of the Shakespearean drama
| came to an end last night with most
| Impressive presentation of The Merchant
! OF venice. In the afternoon Hamlet
was the bill. Of Mr.. Mantelrs Hamlet
! IL seems only necessary to say that those
| who base been bemoaning the fact that
they never saw Edwin Booths character
lzatIOn OF the Danish prince need be sorry
| no longer. A quarter of a century hence
| they in their turn may refuse to go to
see another Hamlet because they saw
| Mantelfs. Ii does not seem possible that
the Lear of Monday night the Macbeth
of TUESDAY night and the Hamlet of
yesterday afternoon could be one and the
Same INDIVIDUAL The range is so wide
| as to seemingly pass the compass of any
mans dramatic genius
Yet the Hamlet of Mr. Mantell was a
presentation the like of which has GER
talnly not been seen since Booths time.
ana, after allowances have been made
| Tor the mystic glamor with which time
| mas EMBODIED the work of that great play
| er, it is to be doubted if his Hamlet
indeed and in truth surpassed the Ham,
let of Robert Mantell. Here is sane
prince. sane as Shakespeare made him.
ms only madness that with method in
II. No one could find in Hamlets ad-
vice TO the players. as Mr.. Mantell read
the lines. hint of madness. Nor could
any find hint of mind beclOuded in
| the Soliloquy. This Mr. MantelI read
magnificently. There was nothing grand
| lloquent in his manner, no suggestion of
a striving for effect. The words came
softly from his lips. words come some
times from the lips of men alone and
lonely: and sorely tried. This Hamlet was
not talking to an audience. He was com
munlng with himself.
throughout the play the Mantell char
acterlzation was poignantly pervadinsy.
| Ones heart went out to the bIack-rObed
youth whose lines were cast amid such
heavy sorrow. He was real man who
lived ard suffered and died. not pur-
pOselesS cTack-brain who hit out aimlessly
and without knowledge. 1t was good to
have seen it. for it has given to thoEe
VINO were so fortunate wonderful recol-
lection.
Miss Russell made a wistfully beautiful
OpheIla. and again demonstrated that she
has talent of the highest order. A word
too, should be said for the very excellent
POl0nIuS of Walter Campbell All the
members of the company. indeed. acqut-
ted themselves more than creditably.
The bill last night afforded another Op-
pOrtunity to observe the wonderful range
of Shakespedrean Characterization in Mr.
MantelFS repertoire. No Shylock remote
ly approaching his can be found on the
American stage today or will be found
for many years to come. 1t is great. not
only in the great lines Shakespeare put
INTO the mouth of one of his best known
characters; it is great in the voorhees,
feeling Mr.. Mantel puts into his interpre-
tation. The Mantell Jew is sympathy
compelling throughout. from the time of
ms first colloquy with Antonio and Bas-
II,
out of the court room at the end of the
trial scene. And yet he is not exactly
broken. either. For. as he tottered slow
ly out his bent form Straightened his
old eyes flashed a look of bitterest ha-
tired and defiance al the enemies of him
self and his people
There is no rant to the Mantel Shy
lock His Jew talks naturally. even when
the stress of emotion is great. as in his
response to SalarinO's inquiry as>tO what
the pound of Antonios flesh will be good
Tor. should the bond be forfeited. This
IS the speech that begins:
TO bait fish withal; if it will feed |
nothing else. it Will feed my revenge"
The opening words were spoken softly. |
Then. as the speech went on. as the Jew
bethOught him of the contumeIy heaped |
upon him by Antonio and his friends. his |
voice rose, husky with concentrated hate
and passion. approaching almost a shrek |
when he reached:
IF Jew wrong a Christian. what is !
his humility Revenge. If Christian
wrong Jew. what should his suffer- |
ance be by Christian example? Why re /
Venge.'
There were times when Mr. ManteITs |
auditors were fairly lifted from their |
seats by the depressed intensity of his |
acting; times when they leaned forward |
to hear his words and observe the swift |
~ changing emotions that crossed the |
face of the unkempt Jew. 1t was ire /
mendouSly fine example of the ShylOck /
so many of US have imagined. the Shylock /
so few of us had seen until Mr. Man |
tell afforded the opportunity.
Miss RusSelIS POTtia was altogether de-
iightful. Her reading of the big lines in
the trial scene. known as the mercy !
speech was done with naturalness ana
majesty that fairly realized the Won
dTOus beauty of the words. Again the |
other members of the company were well |
cast. Notably is this true of the Bassanio
of Francis McGinn and the Gratiano CT !
Guy Lindsey.
The notable engagement of Mr.. Man
tell continues tonight with a presentat ton
of "RicheHeu,' considered BY some crit
les the finest of the many fine charac-
terizations staged by this great actor.
The bill at the Orpheum this week bids
fair 10 rival any of the season in popu-
larity- Charles E. Evans, who, with a |
competent company. is presenting the
sketch It's Up to You. William is an |
old Salt Lake favorite His clever work
in The ParlOr Match is particularly !
well remembered. Mr.. Evans is the clever.
winning comedian of past years. The
other acts are also pleasing the big au-
dience daily.
The Grand is breaking records this week.
Convict 999 is one of the most exciting
and sensational shows attempted here in,
months Among the most sensational of |
the scenes is a thrilling Jail break. in
which is shown a desperate fight between
convicts of a penitentiary and the guards
II. V. Noble is pleasing the audiences
much with his Interpretation of the lead
ing role.
SCALP TORN OFF.