New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-12-11
DOES SHAKESPEARE PAY?
Large Audiences at Broadway
Theatre Answer Question.

ences at The Broadway Theatre, where
Sothern and Marlowe have been acting in
..Macbeth" during the last week. show
that they do-at least in New York and
when played by Mr.. Sothern and Miss Mar
lowe
At all performances during the last six
DAYS crowded houses have been the rule
There have been seven presentations anu
each one, it is reported, has brought sZ'S"
TO the box office. Weekly returns of $1,000
are considered big business at any the
1tre According to the best information
available there are not more than SIX pays
tn town at the present time that are en-
loving that degree OF prosperity And II IS
10 be borne in mind. too, that 81 80 is the
highest price paid for orchestra seats dur
ing Sotfaern and Marlowe's months season
81 this city.
Mr. Sothern reports financial returns OF
Ss.eea for two performances in New Haven.
where he opened the season in Ma coeth
recently, and similar receipts in Providence
where he PLAYED for week. and in Boston,
where he acted in Macbeth and other
plays of Shakespeare for three weeks
Last season Mr.. Sothern and Miss Mar
aowe played three different times at the
eAcademy of AIusic-oEce for four weeks,
Sag2fI Tor TWO weeks ana Il tilt Nilu u AAf1
season they gave q single performance in
aid of the Actors Fund OF America. They
delayed to an average of sls0e9 a week.
During their tour of the country last sea-
4son Mr. Sothern was much gratified to see
sthe same popular demand for Shakespeare
eexxherever he went. In every city where he
sand Miss Marlowe played the people filed
hfhe houses All this has proved to the two
sstars that the American people want TO see
Shakespeare played and they--tiae actors
have concluded 10 devote their time TO his
works alone.
WHY should we do otherwise" asked
EAIr. sothern. This is the sort Of thing
f1hat Miss Mariowe and l want to do. The
apeople seem TO like US in these PLAYS and
they yield both OF us a profit in excess of
what either Of us could receive as 2 star
fs1nder other management Last season was
s1lle most successful one we ever had and
1--we have played five years in our present
trepegtory. We are going to keep CT play
hing Shakespeare, adding one new play each
hyear Next season We expect TO produce
liking Lear Following that xiii come
-'Cymbeline'' and ''OtheIlo.
NJ. SoIheEr is one % the few actor-Tnan-
eagers in this country. He hasn't even a
istasc manager 10 assist him. RE bears
THE entire responsibility of production him
self Regarding mis- presentation Of Mac
Sbeth" he said:
1t cost rs $4,000 to produce the play and
1t necessitated q prodigious amount of
work. 1t was difficult play 10 present be-
fcause Of popular aversion to the principal
characters. II has never been profitable
fJ1lay and has never been presented for long
runs. but it viii Zoe valuable 10 us in roper
tory. There is the very dangerous element
fof the supernatural in il which if not done
80
the danger of appearing ridiculous. In our
recollection of performances of Macbeth
there has been certain element lacking
fletween Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. L
had not seen many performances Of the
splay; neither had Miss MaTlowe. But in
consulting with others who were in posi-
tioB 10 speak authoritatively we learned
.shat there had been no real bond Of love
shown between Macbeth and his lady. In
fact, friends We're surprised at such a
condition existing. But when we studied
our parts we agreed that love for her hus-
band WAS Lady Macbeth's chief character
istic. 1t was because OF this that she was
ambitious.
Then, too difficult for MISS Mar
lowe and myself 10 undertake these parts,
because they were so widely different from
anything that We had done before. And
we had TO play them, others have done.
bearing in mind own qualifications. In
his varioru-n Furniss quotes Mrs siddons,
who one Of the best Lady Macbeths,
as saying that, according to his own idea
Lady Macbeth was blonde, fascinating,
more or less rnild-nlannered and lovable
woman. But Mrs Eiddons didn't play her
that Way. simply because, she said, she
couldn't She unprecedented her in ac-
corGance with her own personal aualifica-
tions.
AS for nay OVID inapersonatio4a OF Mac
beth. / DO IT as / him after studying
the play. ] think actors prone TO
follow in the steps Of those who have gone
before. Cur best aid is own interpreta-
tion OF Il part l don't mean to say that
stage traditions should be ignored, but /
think there has always been too much OBJ
serYation OF what others have done. In
1nY Own case I have erred in this respect
heretofore
u have noticed some comment concern
ing the dance Of the witches in my produ c-
ton Of Macbeth i did this 10 relieEe the
sonnb-eness OF the play There is abso-
luteiy no comedy in the drama, except the
polier's speech. and i thought that note
of beauty, indicated by the song within
in the stage directions. would be appro-
pirate Either the witches could stand on
the stage and listen TO a song within, or
the song could be visualized. ] decided
aIron the latter There is precedent for
this liz IrEing's version of the play. ORA
irnasically il as moi necessary, but il relieves
the terrible strain the nerves of the
audience
Some one has said that Miss Marlowe
-tripued lightly on the stage in the letter
scene in Act l. That seems very natural
20 me Lady Macbeth has just received
BETTER from her lord She loves him, and
she is glad to have received a message
from him, and is anxious 10 read il Why
should she not show excitement and good
spirits?"
When asked as TO his idea o. alacbeths
character zir Sothern said that he was
z brave man physically, but that he was
an arrant coward in that conscience makes
towards of us all.
Ills character is summed up by Lady
Macbeth" he said in the words: What
thou Touldst highly that wouldst thou
holly
Mr. Sothern YVES quoted i'm The Tribune
last year as saying that he hoped some
tire TO have a Shakespeare theatre of his
own in New York. In response to a cues
ton regarding Any new plans that he
might hay. regaroinp TniE venture he said: