The Washington times., 1909-02-24
SPORTING EDITOR
SEES king LEAR"
Three Queens on the Stage
Lose to Fourth in
a Box.
SLIPS UP
ON EASY CHANCE
Mr.. Mantell the Willing Worker,
With Good Support in
the Field.

There was not a wet eye in the
house" to reverse an ancient and hon
orabie Introduction SO popular with
professional dramatic critics and sob
squad writer's. when Robert Mantell
played King Lear last night at the
National Theater. This is a weak finish
for a sporting editor who has put the
whole B. 3. club on the bench TO give
dramatic art a look in.
Don't think II was not a strong and
good performance Of Its kind and well
worth the price of admission, but there
was lack Of compelling force, Of
subtle heart-wringing, of emOtjon-stir-
ring power. king Lear is a tragedy so
deep, so overwhelming, that the ideal
rendition of the part should engrOss the
mind OF the spectator and cause him
10 wander from the theater glad he is
alive. Such is not the case with Mr.
Mantelrs performance. There were
three queens on the stage, but they and
Mr.. Mantell could not concentrate at
tentiOn upon themselves with sufficient
intensity TO prevent the wayward eye
from wandering toward a fourth and
brunette queen with golden fillet
around her hair who occupied the
royal box-and we are no F street pa
raider either.
The play OF king Lear Is about the
saddest affair We know. IT exudes trag-
edy and breathes -Elief. II opens like
rent day and ciUscs like the Washington
baseball team under Patsy Donovan.
UngratefuI, souIless daughters, an in
CRATE son with A bar sinister. self-seek-
I. ing sOns-in-law, treaCheTy toward a
very worthy young man. the plucking
out of the eyes OF one OF the plOtters,
and the stabbing Of another in the mo
ment OF his triumph, with the demented
king wandering into dark and stormy
nights, only 20 wind up the combination
! by his dying on the bosom OF the only
good woman in the play few minutes
after she has been hanged by A base
varlet in a donjon, is enough TO keeI
Mr.. ManteH busy and the audience
weeping, but throughout this distHla-
/ ton OF human misery and wicked pas
/ siOns the fourth and brunette queen re-
/ ceived fun need OF attention.
Faults in Play.
| We have always thought that II ever
man was inspired from on high anL
I had gifts and qualities voUchsafed tC
/ no other human being. it was Shake
/ speare. So complete is his command oI
all the qualities OF human nature II
! seemed that he must be viewing II from
| some lofty. supernatural plane, but tn,
play Of king Lear goes far TO disslpate
/ that belief. We are now convinced thai
1 the Bard OF Avon was not only human
/ but prone 10 the frailties Of his race
/ But, he IS still the poet for all ages. Tn,
/ play Of King Lear" is based ENTIRELY
upon the fact that the heroine made :
foolish and childish mistake in the frs
act, when, by acting with a little com
mon sense all the other acts might hav,
Deen saved. In that Shakespeare anti
| cipated - per cent Of the modern novel
/ lists. especially Of the historical" sort
whose plots have their start in an idioti
bit Of business that makes you wOnde
how the hero or heroine ever escape,
/ the insane asylum.
So with ShakesDeare-who aImos
knew women. lie makes the fair Cor
della in the first act when she Is bid
dIng for the fairest third Of a broa,
kingdom. try 10 overmatch the eIoouen
protestations Of their love for thei
father by her two sisters, win the oi,
mans heart by using language whicl
LEADS him 20 believe she does nct low
him at AL, or. any rate. only half a
much. You know. gentle reader. that {
rot holding the mirror up 10 nature. ]
We were not assured by eminent author
tiles that Shakespeare was the auth ,
/ Of that crime against intelligence, an
that IN other respects the play is Crea
one, we should believe II had been writ
ten by Stanley Weyman. Anthony Hope
s. r. Crockett, Richard Harding Davis
or some other u like Kidney. Ha
Shakespeare not been OF the cart
earthly he would have put a speech 8
the fair COrdelia's mouth that wOuI
, have been a sure-enouSh classic, an
would have made her prinC-ly pap
weep tears OF JOY that he had such
daughter. Then ne would have evolve
: n plot out OF the efforts Of the othC
two sisters TO rob the champion speake
Of her heritage.
Master Of Technique
But, TO return 20 Mr.. NsnteU. lie di
the right thing AT the right time. an
} did II wciI-minus the aforesaid indo
fnable, subtle force He is n master q
the technique Of mis- profession. and
40 ri. to n;