Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-01-10
f. II. SOTHERN GIVES
MASTERFUL HAMLET
GREAT ACTOR AT HIS BEST IN
SOMBER TRAGEDY
Unshortened Version Is Given, IncIud-
ing All of Graveyard Scene.
Staging Is Ex-
celIent

Gloom and doom hang heavily over
Sothern's Hamlet" For nearly four
hours last night the audience sat en-
thralled under the spell of the piece.
Every device of art and artifice are
used in Mr.. Sotherns production to ac-
centuate the Somber aweSomeneSs Of
the tragedy, but so adequate is the great
actors Interpretation of the role that
1t seems that the effective staging
could have added but little to his mas
terful performance.
Mr.. Sothern seems to have accom-
plished one thing in Hamlet better,
perhaps, than any other actor who has
ever appeared in the role. In his act
ing the tempo of the piece finds just
that pace of unstaying determination
which gives it the last touch of the in
scrutable. In the vagaries of Hamlet's
insanity, in the investiture of every
tonch of coloring, incident and character
with the atmosphere of ineluctable
doom, in the sensing of dramatic val
ues. in the shading of moods, and,
above all, in the portrayal of Hamlet's
unutterable grief and horror at his
uncle's perfidy, Mr.. Sothern is inimit-
able.
In the soliloquy, in the play scene
and in the graveyard scene Mr.. Sothern
rose to the greatest height of his at
tainments. The staging of the piece
is excellent in every detail, and the
stage business was perfectly managed.
Mr.. Sothern has no actors of espe-
cial distinction in his support. Neither
Miss Gladys HanSon's Gertrude nor
Miss Virginia Hammond's Ophelia is
especially noteworthy. although both
are intelligently and gracefully done.
Eric Blind as Claudius finds his best
opportunity in the play scene and rises
to it admirably.
Next season Mr.. Sothern will add two
more ambitious roles to his already
lcng repertoire. He will appear in
king Lear and Macbeth"
The wide extent of Mr. Sothern's
dramatic expression is of great inter
est. He has mastered thirty-seven diff
ferent roles, running the gamut of
histrionic expression from the most in
tense tragedy to the eccentric comedy
of Lord Dundreary. Throughout his
stage career it has ben apparent that
he has determined to profit by his ia
theirs experience, the elder Sothern be-
ing known as a lone part" actor, still
being remembered by his Lord Dun
dreary, as Thomas Jefferson is remem-
bered for his Rip Van Wrinkle
A brief resume of the characters in
which Mr. Sothern has appeared is of
interest. Six of the roles were Shake
spearean, five were tragic, and the 9TH
ers have alternated between comedy
and the poetic and romantic. Two were
distinctly character parasitic New
York ragamuffin in Richard Harding
Davis 1.-THE Disreputable Mr.. Reagan
and the burglar in "Editha's Burglar"
The following list of the plays in which
Mr.. Sothern has appeared is an epitome
of his rise on the American stage:
Zone of Our Girls MET by Chance"
1.-THE Love Chase "a Scrap of Pa
per- 1.-THE Highest Bidder lord
Chumley.'' 1.-THE Master of Woodbar-
row. THE Dancing Girl" Captain
Letterblair," Sheridan" 1.-THE Victoria
Cross ''The Lady of Lyons" 1.-THE
Way to Win a Woman 1.-THE Prisoner
of Zenda," "An Enemy to the King
Change Alley THE Adventures OF
Lady Ursula 1.-THE Musketeers,'' 1.-THE
Song of the Sword" 1.-THE Sunken Bell, .
Hamlet Richard Lovelace,'' eff ]
Were King 1.-THE Proud Prince
Romeo and Juliet" much Ado About
Nothing" Tanning of the Shrew,'
'"The Merchant Of Venice" Twelfth
Night John the Baptist Jeanne
| d'Arc,' 1.-THE Fool Hath Said,' don
Quixote" and Lord Dundreary. Besides
these he has appeared in the following
Cne-act plays: 'I Love, Thou Lowest, 81
written by himself; "Editha's Burg
lar" and 1.-THE Disreputable Mr. Rea-
GAM