The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-05-03
MANTELL in MACBETH
Great Traoedian Made a Hit in Great
Falls in His FaVorite Role
Here Thursday.


The Great Falls Tribune had the
following about Robert MantelPs pre-
sentation of Macbeth in that city last
Friday night:
Before an audience that packed the
Grand operahouse from the orchestra
pit to the top of the gallery Robert
Mantell, the great American actor, last
night presented Shakespeare's great
tragedian, Macbeth. The distinguished
tragedian was supported by Marie
Booth Russell and a most capable
company. Great Falls certainly did
credit to itself, for seldom before has
a local audience shown such an APP
probation for art as it did last even
| ing, and the audience fully agreed that
Mr.. Mantell is the leading Shakespear-
ian actor of the English speaking
stag today, for his work received un-
bounded approval.
The staging is especially elaborate
and the play is presented in seventeen
scenes.
Macbeth is gloomy. The meaning
and pupose of tragedy was still in
Shakespeares time, OF the Greek
school, to cleanse and purify by ter
ror. Much of the machinery croaks
and groans for us, of course. We no
longer thrill at witches. In the happy
reign of Glorious Betsy, they burned
| them on crossroads; so cauldrons
caused quivers. Again, murder itself
is not horrible to us, who punish only
per cent of our murderers and who
lead human history in violence. To
the Englishman, murder was terrible
because exception in public almost in
variably followed the act while we
know that as often as not, the muir
derer will be fed up in comfortable
Jail, while the family of his victim
starves, and will, in due time, be as
comfortably gotten off with a peniten-
tiary sentence or sent scot free.
Hence, much of the machinery of the
dramatic art, as employed by Shakes
peare, is lost upon a modern audience
unless the auditor can throw himselt
back into that period. But when we
remember the superstitious Scotch OF
the period; the deep religious venera'
ton for the occult which has charac-
terized them at all periods-we car
well see that to Macbeth, the frs
L DTOpn6Gy
his ambitious wife merely seized upor
it as a stepping stone to her desires.
A conception, If 1t be consistent, il
above criticism. There may be doz
en- of the same character and all t. ne
Mr.. MantelIs differs from that of hi
great predecessors and is clearly a
consistent as any. His Macbeth
frankly, Is a hulking Lrute, an indie
cisive bull, whose circle clearing bat
tle-ax falls nerveless at his side unles
a stronger will urges him on. TIL
suHen, sensuous, heavy hanging lii
the dull lusterless eyes-lusterless Elk
cept when fired by murderous passio
the docile worship of the more intel
ligent wife, all stamp the mere war
rior of a period when brute strengt
won battles and armies were mer
mobs Always a master of makeup
Mantell secures striking contrast q
the action develops. The black giar
of the victory becomes the nervous vii
lain of the murder, to degenerate mi
the cringing ruffian in whom Macbet
awakes only a passing spark of h
former valor by taunts no man ca
bear.
There was one wonderful moment
the scene when he lays aside crow
bought by the blood of his deare
comrades. Lady Macbeth, stealing b.
hind the king, lays gentle hand upc
his shoulder He, who has seen on
bloody corses in his dreams, starts,
only slightly, then seizes the soft pal
and kisses it as babe does his mot
er's. In her will, in her superior ii
q telligence, lay the brute's only refue
q He was child in her hands and wh'
q she failed him, the end was inevitab
q Mr.. Mantelps Interpretation
q smooth and clear throughout. He do
4 not assume dignity false to a bot
q He is nowhere heroic. Macbeth
n lust what he was, with no affront
n appeal to modern dramatic taste.
~ spectre rose up from a forgotten gra
q and stalked before the audience, du
ling three hours. This is art of
81 highest character.
81 Miss Russelps support, although o
II er-ehadowed by the star, rose IN c
81 MAKES. Her basin scene was perha
her best bit. Physically ideal for
role, she, too, eschewed pretense
reality Her lady Macbeth Is not
queen, but country thames wife Wh'
husband had usurped the thro
Delicately clear. too, is her sentfm'
toward the brute. Some physical L