New-York tribune., 1910-03-30
lJR NJ 4
"Thc Hmter's Tale an "the
EH>abethan Manner, at
The Ne1c Theatre.

Tale, at The New Theatre " Is good
that Il even reconciies the spectator with
many things thai have gone before and lulis
his protests against some present anachro-
nisms They have acted nothing else so
well at The New Theatre; nothing. that is
: 10 say, from top 70 toe of the east has been
SO well done as this
First Of all Is Miss Edith Wynne Natthi-
son. Has there been in three hundred years
| a lovelier, nobler Hermone? In another
three hundred will there be nobler, a
/ lovelier Hermione than Miss Matthison's?
AT that can be said is that within present
rnemor- there has been NO such.
Miss MatthisOn IS winning high place on
the American stage. But Of that anon. as
they say in the sixteenth century drama.
II Is a JOY TO behold Miss Matthison. and
when she speaks there il sweet music.
Then there is Miss Rose Coghlan. who
gives right good piece Of Shakespeare
acting Paulina And there is the Per-
dita of Miss Bateman- Hunter. gracious.
graceful. lovely to look at. charming 20 the
ear. Miss Bsteman-Hunter is one of the
few Young actresses understanding the art
OF speech. She is also ono of the few. young
or old. understanding the art Of silence. She
Is picture when she listens. She makes
You wish that one SO young and charming
could play Juliet. But that fortune never
haps. for the best Juliets. though they may
have beauty. are years past the glory OF
youth ere they have art enough for that
character
Mr.. Henry Kolkers L.eontes. Mr.. Balsar's
PolIxenes. Mr.. Henry Stanford's Florizel
Mr. Bruning's Autolycus-but at this rate
1t will be necessary TO mention every mem
Der OF the cast, and that is out Of the ques-
tion. All are sood-uncommonly good
Years have gone since a Shakespeare play
mas been better acted In all it's parts.
But the management declare that THE
/ Winters Tale is now presented in the
manner of Shakespeare's time" This is
something OF ar overstatemert A So
called "Shakespearian stage" is shown.
! and there is much ado about the preserva-
tion of the Elizabe than spirit, and so on
Why all this elaborated affectation OF
simplicity? For affectation il fs. and
nothing OF any moment comes from IT,
This business of initiating the fixtures and
accessories of the London stage of the
early seventeenth century - a pleasant
feature OF outdoor fstes OF college theat-
ricals Of the performances of "educa-
tional players" and so following. but 1t is
fncongruous when attempted in the luxu-
rious and ornate spaces Of The New The
Gltc hOEcONtIs u proves 10 De Out dil III
complete effort TO preserve the spirit"
ana 10 reproduce the features" OF those
| early presentations. For il The New The
atre thinks il worth while 70 give its pub
Tic an idea of how Shakespeare's plays
were acted in Shakespeare's theatre, why
was not the cast consistently made up
and women eliminated from the scene?
Why not be thoroughly "Shakespearian"
while you are about it? II was after
Elizabeth's reign, il was after Shake
speare's death, that actresses were in
troduced upon the public stage in Lon
don. Charles I was King when actresses
from France first came over 10 the Eng
l.sh capital and gave the public there q
taste Of a new fashion in play acting.
Shakespeare had been dead nine ter
years Fifty years after his death the
custom OF employing boys and men TO inI-
personate women was still followed
Shakespeare died in 1916. yet in 1860 Ed
ward Kynastou. the greatest Of boy ac-
/ tresses," was. as Pepys tells us. the love-
liest lady in the house" Kingston died
nine-nine years after the author of ''Tns
Winters Tale" James Nokes. famous as
the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet" lived
and acted till 1892. There were no ac-
tresses in England in Shakespeare's time
He had been gone half a century before
/ there was any vogue for them. before any
of them had achieved distinction. And
the first one 10 be much noticed even then
vas distinguished for her beauty rather
than for her acting Charles I was dead.
the Commonwealth had come and gone
and the Restoration with quick and strong
reaction against Puritanism in all it's
forms, was in its ascendancy before the
calling OF the actress had become really
recognized in England. Meantime the form
and method o. the Elizabethan theatre had
disappeared.
But The New Theatre, in New York
goes 10 al! the pains OF exhibiting the
structure and furnishing of the Elizabeth
an stage. while at the same time II ex-
hibits actresses in the womeu's parts OF
Tie Winters Tale, They are charmin;
actresses. accomplished and delightful ar
lists. but "a they are actresses they
should have no place or stage which Is
alleged 10 be Elizabethar. no part In a
performance which assum-s 10 show
possibly curious public how things were
done in Shakespeare's day
Why attempt in this elaborate palace OF
the drama, reconstruction Of the Shake
speare stage? Neither the plav nor the
acting Is any the better for this strainins
H
that IL there had beer electric lighting
finc scenery, revolving stages. mechanical
traps. spot lights and muItitudinoiI-
properties in the Elizabethan age
Shakespeare would not have employed
them? He was prosperous manager He
knew how 20 draw his public lie had the
best theatre tina: could be obtained in his
day There Is every reason TO believe that
had the arts and attributes OF the best
theatres - the twentieth century been
available in the sixteenth and the early
seventccuth centuries Shakespeare would
were now incarnate no other manager OF
our time could equal him I'm conducting
the traffic of the stage Amateurs. and
producers who have uot the capital u in
yes in modern furnishings for the drama
and actors Wttn a bent for antiquity and
with access 10 public sufficiently curious.
find 4 coy delight in building and perform
ing on what they believe "a be copies OF
tho "Sha sespearian and earlier stages but
apart from what slight interest il has as
an imitation OF sixteenth century struct-
ure. the "Shakespearian stage at The
New Theatre has no interest at all. save
perhaps fcr few novices: 10 bores the IN
formed spectator and distracts the aver
age. There much affectation I'm
stralning for simplicity as there can be I'm
OVERRIDING stage effects. Any other play by
Shakespeare can be as we'll performed as
b "Tue Winters Tals'' an this raDrod,,ctt,, =,