The Washington herald., 1909-11-14


rare beauty OF the dedicatory production.
Antony and Cleopatra" have already
been widely celebrated Yet these large
facts must not be lost sight of In glanc-
ing at the smaller defects observable at
the Invitation dress rehearsal and again
so the brilliant opening night. Brilliant
the occasion was-s0 fabulOusly so that
the spectators outshone the spectacle
The handsome attire OF the people dis
gorged from the double lines Of car
riages and motor cars that drove into
the covered entrances suggested opera
night" The difference was that as they
took their places In the boxes and strolled
of intermissions I'm the Corridors they
moved In a setting far handsomer than
any 20 be found in this country. or, in
deed, In any country And the audience
brought opera customs with them-ar
irving and departing with small respect
10 the performance on the stage; the men
visiting from box 10 box In the intermls-
sions and setting OUT whole acts IN
the smoHng-room. and the women chat
ting more bridge than Shakespeare while
seated radiant I'm their boxes or waiting
The crush about the carriage call
Is II fippanJ of me 20 dwell on trivial
details in the face Of a rich and schol-
arly Shakespearean productions; OF an ex-
ceptfonal company led by Julia Marlowe
and r. II. Sothern; OF the dignihed inau-
gurauon Of a great enterprise? Well. n
it seems so, I lay the fault at the door
Of the New Theater itself. The two
opening nights revealed one serious
failurc-yet one that may wreck the en-
tire undertaking. The auditorium simply
IS so vast that only a small percentage
Of the sea of spectators could either see
or hear the drama adequately. AS for
the former. there Is no fault Of interfer-
ing posts, nor could better lines have
been devised for a clear view of the
stage from the farthest point IN the
house. The theater would make a splen-
did opera house or hippodrome. But II
spectacular Shakespearean tragedy was
lost in Il. what viii be the fate Of a
modern domestic drama? II would be
hardly more extravagant 10 say that
because Candida" is literature Harvard
Should produce IL IN the Stadium
Actors Look Like PygmieS.
H. Granville Barker who has done so
much for the modern drama in London.
was the first choice OF the millionaire
directorate 90 manage the New Theater.
He came 10 this country. studied the
blue prints and sailed away. The
gorgeous premiere indicated him. To
all but comparatively few of the audi
: tors in the front rows the actors might
as well have been a troupe OF pygmies
AL value OF facial expression was lost
and only students or the stage can ap-
frE an. fs 1.
consequential acting Furthermore. Of
the whole admirable company only two
players secured any real effect from pose
and gestures. And that Miss Marlowe
and Jessie Busley did so was simply be-
cause. realizing the auditorium they
played %. they employed the swe, ping.
heroic methods OF q SChumann-H eink as
Ortrud. or a Ternina as Brunhilde As
for Mr.. Sothern-at best too short of
stature and too small OF method-there
were times one felt he might be quite
forgotten and misled, and trampled un-
der foot. Ike CULVER by the giant.
Efforts are being made 60 improve the
unfortunate acoustics or the theater. but.
at best. 20 will always be difficult 10 find
actors who euunciate clearly enough TO
be understood by the more remote ma
jOrity. Rowland Blackstone beloved, but
10 no avail; and 90 people familiar with
Sothern's admirable Hamlet the in
adequacy Of his elocution. when so Sc
verely tested, was startling. The four
women spoke more clearly than most OF
the men, Among them A. +. Arson and
Jacob Wendell. jr., We're notable show
ing the value Of clear. correct speech.
That Mr. Anson's performance stood ad-
mirably forth from the many IS not nee
cssarily surprising. but Mr.. Wendell is
r-fr .
professional stage. lie was en- amateur
actor in that fashionable New York
company from which Mrs. Brown Pot
ter. Elsie de Wolfe. and the late Clara
Bloodgood were graduated.
4 Massive Production.
1 have spoken Of the faults exposed on
the first night of Antony and Cleo
patra' rather than reiterated the merits
OF the production. The scenery was mas
sive imaginative. and beautiful, yet all
ways kept IN proper subordination TO the
drama. The costuming was beautiful in
ccloring and generally effective in de-
sign. The groupings were often elo-
qucnt with meaning and always admir-
able for clear-cut simplicity. The cast
containing many so-called stars" IN
roles OF the briefest-was probably as
good as could be gathered for Shake.
spearean tragedy. There remain Miss
Marowe and Mr.. Sothern 10 be consid-
cred Presumably they are 90 blame for
the insuiferable slOwness Of the perform
ance. Somewhere in the text Antony
says he feels full Of lead" and certainly
SOthern acted as though he might be
The role is not a good one, but an actor
Of heroic method might make Il effective
SOthern seemed almost as utterly swami
ed beneath IL as he was by tie theater
though I'm the scene with Eros he offered
cOmmendable substitute for fire ant
authority
Miss Marlowe did far better In a par
far better. Her rich. poetic beauty: hel
grace and variety of gesture, her glorious
voice, all exercised their CUSTOMARY
spell Yet she has not the personality
for Cleopatra. Her passion was a
Juliets. her languor an Ollvia's. and hel
tempests perilously like the petty fury
OF the Shrew. But withal Miss Marlows
has never failed to invest a role witt
qualities Of unquestonable greatness. anc
she did not so fail now.
French Influence on shows.
Is the stage 20 be uplifted from IN,
very bottom or dropped lower? Is wha
we now call burlesque. and used 10 know
as female minstrelsy 10 be flung upwar,
with n Partisan kick or stamped down
ward? The sort Of show formerly cla-se,
as burlesque. and running along Il
rhymes and puns. developed into musica
farce, with the old element Of travest,
displaced by vaudeville interpretations an,
, spectacular extravaganza. Meanwhile
female minstrelsy eliminated its frs
part. in which the only men were IN
jOkers at the semi-circls's ends, while
stately woman was the interlocutor a
alha r-ladla- and the rasl ~ lhn row --a