The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-06-01
SOTHERN AND MARLOYE
4. CROWDED ACADEMY VEL
COMES "ROMEO AND JULIET"

SO"SAo "VsuDO "ND cSDs'
Miss Mariowe's Juliet Has Grown Up.
Losing somethtnE Of the Bloom OF
Fifteen Years Ago-The Romeo
Of Mr.. S0theru Is Much ToO Sad.
II the Academy OF Music had not been
crowded last evening II would have bee n
a peculiar thing. for that famous old
playhouse exhibited two players who
have many claims to the Htular leader
ship OF the American stage. Z. II.
sothern and Julia Marlows were playing
Romeo and Juliet
Both Of them have strenuous and hon
orable careers behind them and pre-
sumably have still moro important stage
history to make from the materials OF the
future. They have before now united their
uncommon forces for joint professional
endeavor to the very considerable gain
Of the public and it is an excellent thing
that they should do 80 again by way OF
closing the present theatrical season.
The character Of juliet has long bean
one in which Miss Marlowe has boon
preeminent upon our stage. She has
played it on and of certainly for as many
as fifteen years. and there Is still no Ameri-
can actress. and probably non in any
country, who successfully rivals her as
the III starred daughter Of the Capulets.
Memory rims easily back TO the time
when she was the Juliet to the Romeo OF
that talented player. Robert Raber. now
dead. In those days II was the most
afYectingly girlish juliet that New York
had ever seen. There was a fresh. deli
cate. winsome quality about it that was
quite Incompatible. Miss Marlowe's Juhes
OF to-day is not her Juliet OF fifteen years
ago.
juliet has grown up. The bloom is OF.
in spots. She looks no longer on a troub-
lous world with girlish. wondering eyes.
But she is a lovely creature still-mature,
almost Settled" but as moving as ever,
and in the potion scene stronger and
deeper than before. A bud is not a
blossom, but-there are times for buds
and times for blossoms,
The part of Romeo has never been one
OF MIR. Sothern's finest achievements. II
is not such to-day. He makes Of Romeo
a man OF sorrows aud acquainted with
Hamlet. He is melancholy. deliberate
and studied from he very first. II is tr'ie
that Romeo remarks even before his eyes
have lighted upon his juliet:
haze a soul Of lesd-
SO stakes me 70 the ground can not move.
But he does not mean il. On the
contrary Mr.. Sothern does mean it.
He means it very much. Romso's griefs
are only those Of a youthful lover whose
first and spurious love affair is out Of
joint griefs not to I've taken seriously
by anybody and ut bottom really en-
joyed by him who makes his moan about
them. Romeo before Juiitt enters his
life is in fact the Sentimental Tommy OF
his time.
1t Is true that Mr.. Sothern Is an intelli-
gent and graceful Romeo aud that he reads
the verse with all the intelligence that he
c~ustomarily' bestows OH what he does. but
there seems little inspiration in It. little
OF the hot and romantic fervor that thls
character should breathe. 1t is, In short,
a monotone rather pale, considerably
weary. decidedly sophisticated, devoid
Of the glamour OF splendid youth.
The large audience thai saw the play
last evening was fun o ! enthusiasm and
both Miss Marlowe and Mr., So'hern were
repeatedly called before the curtain.
But aside from their performance there
was some excellent acting 1t rs pretty
generally agreed that one OF the most
serious mistakes that Shakespeare ever
made was his consenting to the too early