New-York tribune., 1911-04-23

the purpose of the play. Must head in
Skaneateles be drilled for the entrance
of this modest thought? Was IT not in
Skaneateles that an adventurous anna
teur cried How sharper than ser
pent's tooth it is to have a snakeless
childw?
To the burden of the discourse: MAN
tells Lear" 1t was written, lis an cid
and grievousy stricken man. rather than
an old and grievously stricken monarch.
The actor emphasizes the age If not the
sovereignty of the man. The small boy
who wrote under his slate-pencii draw
ings This is a Hen" This is a Little
Woolly Dog" This is a Cow" must have
been gifted with foreknowledge of those
nsistent hordes that demand labels on
the obvious For of such gentry are they
who need be told that a choleric and
grief stricken old man, however well
played Is not necessarily King Lear.
And If YOU see an old man without ma
jesty even i'm his madness you will know,
if YOU know that q 1, he cannot
be King Lear There are other means of
knowing the same thing. But the chart.
to be sufficient, should occupy two fun
pages of a newspaper, with curves and
foot notes.
Having said this much no space is left
for that promised detailed survey of
Mantells presentation Of the tragedy.
summary might contain the statement
that the most tragic feature of the piece
is the presentation of 1t. The company
is staggered by its duty: 1t finds King
Lear" too pressing a burden.
There was a fair fool, but the rest
were-well, one did not mention them at
the time, and that should have been
sufficient.
But here is detail relating to Mr..
Mantell, who shows his quality by MAX
ing Lear say:
1t were q delicate stratagem TO shoe
\ troop of horses with felt.
What a slip for an actor of Lear to
make, An actor who presumes 10 know
the values of Shakespearian verse Is
there any one besides Mr.. Mantel
who does not know that the reading
Is "a troop of horse" not horses? Or II
the iteral-minded do not appreciate the
difference even a diagram could do moth
ing further for them.
Another detail: there are many, but
this will serve: The most effective feat
ure OF the first mad scene on the heath
is thunderbolt. 1t is worth six-sheet
poster. But 1t does not illuminate
Shakespeare, who is thought by some
free and brave men to need illumination
Indeed, the stage itself is not lighted
during half this scene, and in the other
face, although the royal back is toward
the moon This is one of the weird mira
cles in which stage effect usually flies in
the face of nature. However, half the
scene is acted in pitch darkness. Lear
and Edgar move about as vague shapes.
now mumbing and now shouting at each
other like municipal authorities. Some
times the storm browns their voices, but
whether they are unheard or raging they
are unintelligible during an episode in
which the great actors OF the past (Ob-
serve. Furioso, great and pasb thrilled
the spectators.
Mr.. Mantell, it was said. has noble
| ambitions and pursues them nobly. In
deed he pursues them as nobly as he
can ] hope he will overtake them
Can any men do more than that
pursue their noble ambitions as
nobly as they can? Even in Skaneateles
or Oscaloosa. no, But the literal-minded
must have the matter explained to them
| by colored drawings. Is it not a noble
ambition, this desire to play the com
manding figures of Shakespeare? If not,
| what is noble ambition? And if the
pursuit Of that ambition is constant it is
surely not ignoble. The result Of the
chase is quite another matter. Mr.. Man
| tell plays Shakespeare, but he has not
overtaken his ambitions. Thus, he does
not play Lear; he plays at Lear. His
work-the reminder is now hurled at the
| gentle ronist-is il ''unquestiona bly,
worthy of the support of public which
s hungry for Shakespeare" South of
| Skaneateles arises an indignant blast as
| from one who has not noted. or at any
rate has not acknowledged, that the pub
lie which is hungry for Shakespeare" is
always quite willing to take what it can
get. as other hungry do with any food
| available. Some Of them, beyond doubt,
would devour charts.
| do you dine at -" asked one Of the
| iieral-minded i'm Oconomowac.
| mo, we just eat"
The gentle ironist is almost persuaded
| henceforth TO employ axe and dynamite