New-York tribune., 1909-11-09
THE DRAMA
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA"
Opening of The New Theatre Las:
Night.


theatre in America. one OF the most beauti-
fuI and most nearly perfect theatres IN the
world. was last nisht opened for the FIRST
time 20 the public. The place-Thc New
Theatre-the audience. and tie occasion
cOnspired 20 make event which win long
be memorable in the history OF the Amerl-
can stage. even OF the worlds stag d.
cause here splendid institution. dsstlaed.
II Is hoped % greatness founded by privaf.
niunlhcence. inspired BY high ideals. AMI
directed by sinsleness Of purpose. an under.
tsking unique In the world. then launched
It's fortunes on the sea Of public favor.
No thought. no pains no lavish outlay
have been spared IN the effort 10 deiight the
eye. The auditorium is magnificent ss-
yond dreams. spacious beyond the expert
ence Of most piaysoers. imposing almost %
the point Of being overwhelming IN its spien-
dor and amplitude. Here the play9Oers
may behold net merely with comfort but
i'm luxury. the unfolding OF the play. Her.
they will find that every art has been drawn
upon 20 serve their pleasure. There =
almost surfeit IN the feast. But over an
taste reigns Il touches every GetaiL Even
che draping OF the proscenium. simple a. y
l.. excsis IN taste the dress OF any other
stage arch In the Ola World or the View
general Publishing surpass IN harmonies %
color anything that the New York stag. has
ever evolved OF fts own accord The genius
for settins~ Shakespeare with scenic beauty
and ftnessN FOR dressing tragedy as an
artist would dress a poem. did not Gle with
Henry irving. II The New Theatre had
yet proved nothing else. il has alreadv
proved this. Its Antony and Cleopatra
as ID sreets the eye is psrfectiOn's self
Shakespeare has never been set forth with
finer pictorial art
Everywhere taste reigns. II touches even
the programme which the spectator fnds
in a pocket beneath the right arm OF ais
chair The programme OF this house =
neither a young magazine nor an imitation
Of sunday newspaper. Il Is what PRO
gramme should be IN respect to typography.
matter and arrangement: il Is concerned
with what the spectators have come % ses
and not with extraneous stun. Indeed.
everything which she Founders (whoss
names be praisedo and the directorate
could think OF 70 make the p!aygoers' visit.
a delight. everything that money could
buy and taste adorn. has been supplied with
a farsighted Hberality unknown in any
other theatre.
And what OF the actings
Pause a little. MT. Sothern is reported
20 have said. in an interview in one OF last
Sundays papers. apropos that familiar quo
tstiOn: The plays the thfng--"Ths play
alone isn't the thing. The play well acted
Is the thing" Be Il so! Then as 10 this
historical tragedy by Shake speare? One
who knows his Shakespeare. who has else
where seen this rarely produced tragedy.
whose synlpathieS are strongly with TAs
New Theatre, with all that II stands for
and all that IL is trying to do. would gladly
praise the present versiOn OF this play. and
praise the acting: nay. longs to do so. Ad-
mlration for the architecture the decora-
ticns. the scenery. the costumes. the fab
rics. the tones OF light and color. the nlu-
sic the comfort. beauty. luxury. spirit and
purposes OF this institution. cries out 20 os
u'ated with admiration for play and acting
Great are the wish and the will. and, being
so. they counsel tut the gentIest excursion
into the realms OF criticism. For what is
at stake in The New Theatre needs and de-
serves encouragement strong support. With
all sympathy. then. and some grief let IL
be said that in this version OF Antony
and Cleopatra" and It's presentation al The
New Theatre there is more spIendor than
movement. more 70 charm the eye than 20
stir the spirit more talk than acting and
comparatively little ineligible speech.
First. as 70 the play:
The reasons which governed the direc-
torate in it's choice OF Antony and Cleo
patra" as the work with which The New
Theatre should be opened may be guessed.
IL was obvious that play by Shakespeare
would be most appropriate % an occasion
so important, and II was doubtless cCnsid-
cred fitting that a tragedy. rather than a
comedy. should he selected as most in keep
ing with the note of a great endeavor.
Hamlet might be supposed the nest suit
able play for the occasion. but as Mr.. Soth-
ern's Hamlet is well known the natural de-
sire OF the management TO present a SHAKE
spearian work which would nave for this
generation some share OF the element os
novelty and which would show the ca
pacity OF the house for building Up an en-
tire production entirely on its own resources
must have exerted governing influence.
The composition OF their company Of play
ers weuld lead no one % imagine that
King Lear" "Othello' or Richard III
could be attempted. and OF the other TRACE
dies by Shakespeare none may have seemed
20 lend itself 50 well as Antony and Cleo
patra" to the as yet presumably active
starring ambitions OF Mr. Scthern and Miss
MarIowe. 10 both Of whom il was c0nsid-
cred wise 10 give conspicuous parts In th5
first presentation by the new undertaking
Other reasons also may have guided the
authorities OF The New Theatre in their de-
eisiCn. but whatever any. or all. OF the rea-
sons may have been. no tragedy by Shake
speare could have been chosen that would
have put actors and audiences TO a severer
test.
This tragedy contains in its lioTcry form
a multiplicity CT scenes. one excellent edi-
tiCn having foTty-two. some OF these scenes
have only four or half a dozel lines each
Some scenes run To two hundred or four
hundred lines. or more. The first act Is
commonly printed in five scenes, the second
In seven. the third in thirteen. the fourth in
fifteen and the fifth in two. The conditions
Of the modern theatre are adapsed 20 many
things. but not TO such forms and chanses
as these. Scenes are not now shifted
before the public gaze. with no lowering o1
lights. aud with hardly an instInTs pause
in tho constant movement OF an acts story.
Modern productions are SO laden WIKI
scenic effect and detail that rapid changes
from scene 20 scene are thought impossible
Antony and Cleopatra" Is much Too Ions
FOR the theatre OF this day, and On the rare
occasions when Il has been performer ia
the last generation OF two II has 9een Sc
verely cut Al The New Theatre . has
been severely slashed. The forty-two scenes
have been compressed into eleven. ana ~