The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-02-04

ii there were nothing else In the pres
cntation of the classic drama which Is
now being produced at the Salt Lake
Theater by Robert Bruce Mantell and his
splendid company than tho mere stage
investure. this OF Itself would be well,
worth seeing, but when, in addition.
there Is the ma gnificent portrayal of the
characters in the plays of Shakespeare,
people who love and admire all that is
beautiful in the drama cannot afford TO
| stay away.
Never in the history OF the drama in
Salt Lake City has there been such care
taken In the production OF play as mas
been seen during the Mantell engage
ment AS n great Shakespearean scholar
in commenting upon Mr. Mantell said:
"Viewing one OF Shakespearc's plays as
presented by Mr.. Mantei is like living
In the days when the people portrayed
lived; like watching them through win
dow"
And this is the comment made by
hundreds OF others. Every detail is care
fully looked after. the Idea In view 10
have everything as near historlealiy cor
king Lear on Thursday night. In ad-
ditIon to having the settings correct,
eight calcium lights are used ed IN ardi the
ence which was present did not see these
lights. but they were In use just the
same. An Idea of the magnitude upon
which the plays are given is learned from
the fact that 1t requires no fewer than
five extra large baggage cars to trans
port the scenery, costumes and other
given i'Hn' by Mr.. Manteil Three great cleo
trio lights and twenty seven calcium
lights are included in the paraphernaila.
Another thing. MI Mantell carries ms
own stage hands, as also the tableaux
curtains. This is help not only to the
company. but also to the audience ana
prevents the long waits between the aGts
which invariably spoil the thread OF the
story of the play and makes an audi
ence restless While the company Is TAX :
ing their calls there Is not second vast
ed for the stage crew is at work shill-
ing the scenery for the next scene In
a play like king Lear or Hamlet or
| ''Richard III" which are lonS plays; the
auick shifting OF the scenes Is absolute
| ly necessary or the plays would be 100
| long drawn out
In a talk regarding the way in which
he interpreted or plays Shakespeare MT
why should not Shakespeare be
played humanely? He knew human ma.
| ture better than any one has known II
since. He had the clearest insight into
| the entire range OF human emotions, His
| Judgments on men and women, on their
| pleasures and passions. stand TO-DAY as
| they did In his time. We try TO por-
| tray his characters naturally
II want no tragedians, with their blus1
do not permit 1t. Men and women In
than they are now. All l ask OF my
people is that they be natural and speak
distinctly, so the slightest word can be
heard in the back row. ! have little
place in the Atlantic Highlands; and
there every summer ! gather those, l
| believe to be the most capable FOR the
roles | have the old coach house cleaned
out, and there we hold the rehearsals,
| where there are no distractions. 1t Is
| far better than rehearsing In theater
where during the summer months the
| carpenters are always busy, and IT is
possible to overlook so many little things
needed to make the ensemble perfect.
Shakespeare is not hard to under
stand. I have had people say. Shakes
peare is too deep for me- and I have
| dehed them to show me a line he ever
| wrote that was not easy OF understand
seek to read between the lines or are
| always searching for mystical passages
requiring keys to unlock their secrets" "
Asked what, play in his repertoire out
yor with the public; he said he thought
not to play it again he said. but, II
which they seem to enjoy. have been
criticised on the ground that my Louis
XI is not historically correct. The criti-
TO portray Louis as his story shows him
to be, a scrofulous scurvy. hideous
| wretch. the people would turn away In
| disgust, and the theater would need
| fumigatng Another thing. am not
playing Louis XI as history portrays aim.
but as DeIavigne paints him, just as
| on Saturday night / shall play Richard
| III according to the version Of Colley
| Cibber,"
Thursday evening King Lear" was
| the play presented. King Lear has
long been both the ambition and the de-
| spalr OF the great interpreters OF Shakes
| peare. To portray the gradual decline
and breaking OF a kingly mind without
OVERRIDING the strong scenes affords task
that probably, next to Hamlet, is the
| most difficult presented In any OF the
multitude of characters which the mas
ter of the drama has created: Ingrnti-
| tude; unteasonlng egotism and unselfsh
| devotion tell the whole story around
which the genius of Shakespeare has
woven a multitude of incidents that are
so closely connected that none but a
student OF the play can follow closely.
or Mr.. Mantells Lear II is first of all
to be said that he invests the character
| with dignity and strength too often
lacking. The role Is one that is easily
exaggerated. one in which the line be-
| tween pathos and bathos is ofttimes
| lost sight Of. 1t can be truthfully said
| that during the three hours OF the drama
he lived the part OF the weak old king,