Omaha daily bee., 1909-03-07

~ 49, @
AR ing his engagement At the Boyd
IV theater the same difficulty that
- must be met by all actors VINO
kSSx1Nl undertake to present them
- selves In ella ssic roles. This Is
the opposition Of predetermined notions OF
now the part should be presented. more or
less firmly fixed In the minds Of all who
witness the performance. Especially Is
this true OF Hamlet. so many great
actors have presented this part with such
widely varying Illustration. especially Of
the details, and 10 many Commentators
have dwelt upon II At length and written
into IL much that does not appear on the
surface and = great deal that seems I'M
warranted. that the student OF the drama
h~esitates In confusion amidst the multitude
Of e~mbodiments that have been given them.
This, IN effect, has reduced Hamlet to
the condition OF a drama for the library
rather than for the stage. and whenever
Mr.. sothcrn. or any other great actor.
essays the role he Ia merely pitting his
personal judgment against that of a ma
jority, at least, OF those who witness II.
il is quite likely that within certain nebu-
lous bounds "Hsmlet" is capable OF uni
form presentation. but the general develop
ment OK the character depends to so large
an extent On the itmVnFaHnenI anu mental
bent OF the actor that each succeeding per-
Torrance must necessarily amount almost
10 a new conception Of the role.
d
No one realizes this difficulty more fully
than does Mr.. Sothern and he says, him
self. that he has seldom played the part
twice alike LIS moods and attitudes seem
TO continually shift and he is left per
petually in doubt as to Just what expression
should be given to it's varying phases. So,
If he attains any degree Of success in the
role, ii is because Of his personality. Mr..
Sothern's efforts have been made in the
direction OF developing a natural Hamlet
one whose psrplexity Of mind can be In
some measure grasped by the ordinary
observer. devoid Of subtlety. and without
proceeding to any extremity OF metaphysi-
cal analysis. In this respect the creation IL
somewhat unique and is altogether TO the
credit Of the actor. 1t Is this grace Of
sound common sense that has saved Mr..
Sothern from mistakes that one whose mind
was less roundly developed might easily fall
into. II his Hamlet lacks in ~profun6ity,
1t gains because II is a Hamlet that can
be understood. For this much, thanks is
due to Mr.. sothern.
His Richelieu is cast on more formal
lines. He seldom departs from the tradi-
lions OF the part, probably in this regard
compensating for his abandonment of the
traditions that surround the major role.
lie creates the great French minister as a
scholarly. dignified and patriotic old gen
tlehah. beneath whose hard surface Of
worldly wisdom and statecreft runs a cur
rent Of warm sympathy for those about
him, and a deep and abiding love
for those WHO are close to him.
This hos a1uraNa haan tho acaonfad
view Of tho character as embodied in the
Bulwer Dytton drama, and in preserving
It, the actor has merely bowed to the
canons OF his craft. He iE not to be CEN
sured for this, for in other ways he has
undertaken enough that is new to keep
him busy and he will be easily excused
for the conventionality of his Richelieu.
.
Lord. Dundreary is merely a survival
rather than a revival. No other actor on
the American stage would undertake the
part for obvious reasons. Yet it is pecu-
larry fitting that the son of the man whose
name is so familiar, because of the hold
the part took on the public should again
bring to visual attention the eccentricities
and fopperies of the quaint conceit that
made our fathers and mothers and grand
fathers ana grandmothers laugh so many
years ago. Tho role has no extrinsic value
whatever. depending entirely on itself and
its creator for any interest that may flow
frcm a.. The play. "Our American Cousin"
~ OF interest merely as showing what sort
OF stuff could get on the stage fifty years
ego and be accepted. In adding this to his
roper toire. Mr.. sothern Is moved by a de-
sire TO prevent himself from. developing
along narrow lines. His natural gift Of
nN1raagtAn l. raarl FAa aapoaAs. than Nnr
the serious work OF the drama, and yet
he Las turned himself aside both from the
light comedy, in which he first became
prominent, and from the romantic. in
which he gained even greater prominence,
and undertaken the heavy work OF the
classic. He did this after mature deliber-
aticn, proving himself 70 be a studlous and
scholarly actor. as we'll as ambitious; but
with the experience of many who have
gone before to guide him he has wisely
determined that his development should
not be solely In the direction OF the classic.
but has determined to keep himself in
touch with the lighter phases of the stage
so that his work will appeal to a more
numerous public. The contrast between
Hamlet and Dundreary, for example, is a
sharp and in some ways harsh one. The
two parts seem TO be almost at opposite
poles and yet the effort is justified.
Grace George has again scored in a new
play-Mr. Thompson > Buchanan's "A
Woman's Way" This comedy is described
as being "Divorcons' the other way round
In this it is the wife whe is given provoca'
ton for divorce, bar WI wins back hel
husband by a little tact The SUFFERING,
adopted is not a novel one, but its working
out presents elements of comedy that prove
greatly successful. When the wife diseov
eTs that her husband has been comprom
Used in connection with a widow and d.
vorce is suggested she proves herself mor'
Tesouroeful, and instead OF h~urrying away
3 to her lawyer she consults her chef. 4
dinner party Is arranged to which are in
vited to widow and the several men with
whom she has been flirting, and during tn,
progress OF the meal the husband Is gtyel
an excellent chance to find out just wher,
he stands with the widow. how shallow he
pretensions are and how inferior she is 4
his wife. Before the meal is closed he 4
ready TO confess his error and renew hi