The Washington times., 1911-02-07
MACBETH TRIUMPH
FOR TWO CO-STARS
Sothern and MarloWe Give
Mastery Portrayal of
a Tragedy.
WORK is NOTABLE
IN SCENIC BEAUTY
Deep Impression Made by Present
alton on Audience That Fills
Belasco to Doors.

Greeted by a fashionable audience
that filed every seat and created
demand for standing room, E. II. Soth-
ern and Julia MarIowe. co-stars in
wonderful portrayal OF Shakespeare's
Macbeth" appeared at the Belasco
Theater last evening.
The average reader and theatergoer
remembers shudderingly the story or
this perhaps most grim of all Shape
spearean tragedies. II has fallen to
the lot Of & comparatively few, how
ever, to witness the beauty and yet the
awesoraeness OF the new Macbeth OF
Sothern and Lady Macbeth of Mar
lowe.
1t seemed that never before did the
somber pail upon the stage so creep
over the footlights as last night. Those
who came to see Macbeth" and its false
ambitions, its ghosts. its blood and It's
story OF relentless conscience, became
almost part and parcel of the weird tale
unfolded bit by bit upon the stage.
The spell was resistless; 1t made one
forget surroundings. 1t caused the
breath to come short, the hand TO
crumple a program in nervousness, anu
as the curtain fell after the cllmaxes
il made one almost forget to applaud
Scenery Lavish.
ScenicafIy, the new production of Mac
beth" was one Of the most elaborate ever
Witnessed here. Every scene adds to
the magnificence of the production as
n whole and makes its spell upon those
who came TO sit awhile the king and
queen Of tragedy complete. The witches
croak and trembling make their proph-
ecies while not a whisper is heard out
front; the nymphS come and go; world-
Iy ambitions step in and murder is done;
ghosts inhabit the stage: there Is heard
| the defies of the Scottish tyrant Mac
beth; the cruel edicts Of the woman 10
whom he has become slave; more blood;
the woes that come through the work
| ings of 4 beIated conscience are por-
| trayed-and so on through the whole
story that sent shiver over every per
son who heard its masterful telling last
| night.
ating in the force with which the piece
| moves on to its tragedies. Each quick
| change in scenery lends its silent aid
| to a finished production Of this dra-
matte masterpiece and pays its tribute
to Sothern as a stage manager as we'll
| as an actor, for from point OF acting
and from eIaborateness of its setting
the new Macbeth" seen at the BelasCO
last evening was pre-eminently the work
| of genius.
Sothern Portrayal Impressive.
Mr.. Sothern's Macbeth Is a most i'm
pressive figure. His delineation of the
role throughout seemed to reach the
acme of art and dramatic power. In
| the banquet scene, in which, by the
way, the ghost of Banquo appears in
this new Macbeth" Nj. .Sothern reached
the height of his power as a tragedian.
i 49,
| moment in the play than when Macbeth,
| near frantic through fear of the super
natural. lifted his glass and drank-to
the ghost that haunted him.
! The Macbeth which SotheTn presents
| differs from the one handed down by
| the traditions of the stage. The fact
that Miss Marlowe plays Lady Macbeth
perhaps accounts for this. The Mac
| eth of the past has been man of
physical bravery, who has been led TO
bloodshed by overmastering ambitions,
| inspired by the ferocity and craftiness
| of a wantonly cruel woman.
| Miss MarloNTe's inherent beauty and
| womanliness would make it extremely
difficult for her to picture a Lad. Mac
| beth of this exact type. In order to
| retain the balance of the two charac-
| tiers, therefore, Mr.. Sothern makes Mac
| beth not so much a hero, but rather
| a Weakling with an uncomfortable de-
| sire to do murder-a desire which needs
but little encouragement at the hands
| Of any woman.
| And thus Julia Marlowe does not need
| to be the utterly cold-blooded, ambl-
| tious. relentless figure that is always
associated with the thought of Lady
! Macbeth.
Marlowe's Impersonation.
| The woman, as bad as she is. is de-
| picted as possessing some of the gem
tIeness of her sex, and one is spared
seeing the idolized Miss Marlowe in a
role so deSpicable that she must sink
all her individuality.
| 1t is not necessary to praise further
1 the art of Sothern and Marlowe as ap-
| plauded once more in the Capital last
| evening. Sothern's was a compelling, q
| masterful, an awe-inspiring Macbeth.
| Miss Marlowe beautiful of face and f1g-
| ure and with her rich voice that has
| delighted so many thousands of theater-
| goers in the past, made of Lady Mac
| beth, under the license of the new IN
| depreciation put upon the part. crea-
| ture of evil designs and yet a woman
| still.
| The supporting company was capable
| and were some of its members in sup
/ port of less distinguished artists they
/ would receive more lengthy commenda-
/ ton Those deserving especial mention
include Frederick Lewis, as Macdun;
| Sidney Mather, as Banquo; Malcolm
| RadIey. Albert s. Howson and Miss
Leonore Chippendale-the three witches
Eric Blind and Thomas Coleman.