New-York tribune., 1909-11-09

IN Saturday evening as 70 DC the cause
., general comment rs net due 90 defect
!, fhs acoustic properties % The New
r,,atre but Is q fault q most actors of
,ss present day. Forbes-Robertson. on the
enc stage saturday afternoon. reclted
rrsn,le,'s Address - the PLAYERS" He
5ia 50 with perfect art and was perfectly
heard BAT the AZ of The players in An
,orv anG Cleopatra" is 50 far from per-
feot that instruction Is needed IA the de-
livery o. blank verse before 50 spacious
An auditorium. The most delinquent with
-esDoct - this last night were. curiousiy
enough. the principal players. And nearlv
AL ne actors mouthed their words. swai-
lowed syllables. spoke thickly. Miss Mar
loves 2iction was astonishinsly poor. Her
,oics could be heard always. her words
seldom Most q her lines therefore. went
sor nothing Mr. Ssthern's delivery was
onlv slightly better. Hardly q line %
l,nohsrbus's famous speech describing
Cleopatrss first meeting with Antony. vas
oistnguishable; there was Only a muddy
fsw 0f sound; Octavins Caesar was under
stood OILY with difficulty. There were
three exceptions 80 this seReral poverty of
slocuti0n. Agrippa spoke 50 clearly that
De was appiauded for doing so. The actor
OF this part, Mr. Jacob Wendell. j.. was
I
GottscEalk as the GOWN and Miss Bea-
triCo Forbes -Robcrison as Octavla spoke
Nen. But they have So little 10 do IA
this manEled version, These three. be #
Understood. spoke no louder than any Of
the other twenty players, bat they spoke
clearly. And the proportion uf players
" no speak clearly a. compared with those
Who DO not h. scarcely larger than four 10
twenty, the country over. while the per
oenlage that can speak blank verse is
smaller stnl-
Ir Sothern looks well as the EriEzied
Antony, bui the imperial and warllke spirit
''tbHt with sword uuarterd the world" is
bst dimly suggested Miss Msrlowe
Cleop1trs is more Ike Dryden's than
ShazespeRre's. The latter's Cleopatra was
9 queen well as a siren. Miss Marlcwe's
cleopatra may be royal but she Is not
regal; majesty touches her not. She a
gorgeous woman, 81 noise and passion
much given 20 tempery shrieks, q scold. a
ttrnagant who never could have entangled
shakespeare's Antony. This may be her
Interpretation of the character. she IS
quite fres 10 have Il %. But what has
come upon her speech. and not upon hers
s.ole but upon the speech q 50 many OF
the Players Has The Nev Theatre proved
the American stage have q long time
Claimed that The ART of speaking the lines
o. classic drama IL q spacious playhouse
Las disappeared. Bear IN mind thar a. the
ceremonies q dC6icstion GsoverEor Hughes
made himself heard with ease. 40 word
~ senator Roots address was missed. al
belt Senator Root has small voice and
probably never studied elocution. M
Pisrponi Morgan. presiding 81 the cere-
uory % Saturday. was heard IN every
part o. the house. and he is not public
speaker and Is understood 10 have no rel
ish Tor making public addresses II Il be
sad that these three gentlemen spoke from
TIE front OF the Stage. not 8 dozen feet
from the fOOtlighls-whst cf that. Mr.
Tcrbes-Robertson spoke from position
quite as Far up the stage as did any q
last nights principals" in the greater
part Of their action. The inference thene
Edwin Booth. hae The New Theatre been
huilt in ITS DAY. could have whispered from
the middle % the stage and have been
heard a. The back OF the gallery and IN
the furthest corner OF the remotest tox;
none Of John McCuuough's Romans would
have left an auditor in doubt concerning
even his gentlest discourse jos ph Jefer-
son IN the ouietest most pathetic passages
81 RIP Van WinAle," could have sent his
dear olC sver-yo-ng voice into every parf
~ this great house and with no unusual
EFFORT. ana his words would have been
clear: none OF their uathOs or their humor
would have been lift behind. How. then,
will The New Theatre oeal within It's own
walls with the condition thus revealed py
its own players? VIII il establish school
Tor teaching actors how 20 use their voices
how 10 send their words over the foot-
rrr al g 1rr.rrr Cf1
of cultured utterance2 VIII il red.scover
for them the lost art OF SD sking blank
verse and the simple prose Of daily AieF
II 50. II viii earn the blessing Of thousands
now liking ana o. millions yet 10 ccne-
AR. WaIkley. with that Certain Conde-
seension in Foreigners.' which Is quite as
lofty az ever IL was - Lowers cay s.-lu
Al The London TimS" yesterday. afies
having been the guest at dinner OF me
,--.s,sert ana officers OF the Founders OF
Ne New Theatre. that Kew York, q little
tl.se with its riches. and little weary oI
is material unagnihoence. Is bent just no"
on matchmaking iis,t. i nave beeh
told.' he adds. of the great DEL riiliiiat 'h
of New York TO get in charaeteTlsucaliy
-s-.5 fashion 10 the limit u scienllc and
artistic opportunity
ms is an adaptation Of the legend about
'l'nlCaG0 lAellll4b Apt N4--N-
f viii please the public for which il Is IN
-en-.s q uubic which has leen sohcileo
tres, thirty wears or more fer ald IN -
tsf7isriuc = municipal. or q nauoilal' OF an
er-or-.G theatre. ana ali the while has
oor. nothing. Just as It's men of Wea4th
have done nothing 10 bring into the realm
I'D s-r,..lity the dreams of en-huslas's-
Errlana has talked for generation OF -"
s,.rr. N l.ucornmercisl theatre. Less tiiah
= fer-r.aht before New Norks New Ihe1-
tr- cuened. = public meeting was hela ID
Ls1aoU and less than one-seNenih ol lle 'O-
orir.a rapital was subscribed for the Eng
ueb i,nderraking, Tie speakers were nlueh
moved tv the thought that New NoIk hau
,ar.essed where L.oi.don had failed Mr.
Ws.kleys condeEccndirE Heltieu
r,ll-i-mfIlionaiues and 'high-bro|s maA7
Interesting reading enough Mr. ~lAisy
c-unrt fau 10 be- interesting, b~t lac -hsS'
bs sv-are tbat English '1nteiiectuais nave
fsf.a d. interest English men ~ Ne-I1A
n liberal treatment of tie arts iha1
r---lt-r rraI,onafres suffer their country 10
d. Numbered" of ats treasu4es' anu -
unable through Decades 10 St-sie Ni,'-
hanks ot Thames the funds rtqAiiea 4''
A.r or Memorial theatre b. l-"ho'i' a.
sfrlsr ls made % the British COLONIES a'~
10 t.,st barbarian s.ates.
.-Tra f.ev wen acted is the INNS -
air. sltrclu TO bc sure. Ana theTe ai' 70
fa.f.. s.. ff, acting Il Iast nights pias liiai
cannot -e renlcd.od by the players ''-eh'-