Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1912-12-31
Faversham's AIl-Star Company
at Shubert's Scores in
Shakespeare's Drama.

4 conings be indicated ere entering
inpon a eulogy of the points wherein
William Faversham's presentation OF
Shakespeare's Julius Caesar" at
Shubert's Theatre abounds.
First OF all, as to Caesar himself.
True, indeed, Fuller Mellish looks
strilSingly like the traditional pictures
Of Caesar; but his acting is at vari-
ance with the character which his
tory assigns to that marvellous man.
Caesar was sympathetic, lovable. a
very Chesterfield of gentlemanliness
Yet here we have one who. with a
rasping voice, is peevish and i'll
natured and SO dictatorial that the
audience is entirely in sympathy with
the conspirators when they give him
his quietus.
This should not be. The audience
should be made to feel sorry Tor
Caesars death: should be made to
feel that there is sincerity in the
/ claims of Brutus, Marc Antony and
others that they bore Caesar a great
degree of lovel And, unless the char
acter is portrayed as fascinatingly
attractive. the audience must simply
be left to wonder what SO noble
mind as that of Brutus could have
found in Caesar to love him for
French Instead of Latin.
And then, to conclude the list OF
/ deficiencies which the writer enllm-
crates with great reluctance, as there
was so much to commend in the per-
formance as a whole, Mr.. Mellish
makes Caesar pronounce the "et' IN
the famous "et tu, Brute" as II II
were French, instead of Latin.
Three characters stand out con-
sp,cl1ousfy in the performance,
Marcus Brutus, Caius Cassius ana
Marc Antony. And Of these the act
inc of Brutns, in the writer's opinion,
was far and away the best. Through
ont the entire play Tyrone Power
enstains the lofty nobility which
| brought Brutus the appellation OF
"the noblest Roman of them all. Inc
spectator actually feels that mere was
a. patriot whose heart pleo Whne
executing the patriotic duty OIL sac
| ridcinp his friend. Commonly one
has little sympathy for those austere
zealots who steel their bosoms against
every feeling of humanity In order
- curry out some exalted ideal But
not GO with Mr.. Powers Brutus. one
700 div forgaye him even for giving
c,oosar tbat most unkindest cut OF
| ALL 80 ,vos
| Frank Keenan's Cassius, too was
| avcentionallv good. Every woru,
! avarv gesture. every look contributed
~ ro,,nd out the character wherein
ara blended such conflicting elements
as philosophy and hot-heaueu IN
pulsiveness, prudence and ai-con-
| suming enthusiasm
Two Things Impede Its Periec'i0n'
A. IN MIR. Faversham's Marc An
+ony. there may be consldereu W.
! in,nediments that make his lmpe[so
ration fall short Of perfectlon. One
&C. tbat he appears to have somethlhe
s,,ggestive of the Southern 'hyar ior
srhore.n the second that he makes
+ha character too youthful. mare
| Antony had long been ceieprateu as
an orator when the conspllacs
AGAINST Caesar took place. In laca
he must have been close on 10 ~
at this period, whereas Mr.. FaVer-
i sham represents him as youth ol
some 25 at the utmost.
p,,+ all these matters are lost sign
of in the excellence of his dehVerS
of the wonderful oration over Cae'
sar's body. This speech, which un'
o,estionably places shakespeare
among the greatest orators tnf
1uorld has ever known, is so easily
susceptible to being torn to tatters
hv rant that one feels grateIul ane
&C. compelled to listen spellbound tt
Mr. Faversham's rendition OF 1t.
Mob,s Change Not Unnatural.
The Roman mob's change of from
from unbounded enthusiasm for Bru'
tus and contempt for Antony to
frenzied reversal of these feelings
is brought about most naturally u
tbe course of that well-nigh miracu-
Ions address. And, in the theatrlca
effects thrown In by Mr.. FaVersham
he is historically accurate; inasmucr
as Antony was an orator of the pop
,1lar kind and consequently not sup
nosed to be as dignified as the more
sober minded Brutus.
OF the women, the acting OF Miss
Julie Opp, as Portia, wife or Brutus
left scarcely anything to be desired
If there was any fault 1t was in hel
too obtrusive displaying of her hands
she has beautiful hands; and, In
deed. her entire presence is one Of
beauty and grace; but the spectator
gets the feeling that Portia is more
! intent upon winning admiration FOL
her hands than of worming out the
secret which is marrying her husband
Miss Jane Wheatley's Calpurnia
Caesars wife, could not very well be
improved upon. She wins and holds
ones sympathy. The nearest ap-
proach to tears in the play is wher
she throws herself upon her hus
bands corpse on the Senate floor ant
means.
Lucius, Brutus's servant, shoulC
not be forgotten. He is represented
as lovely young lad, Miss ELSIE
Rizer taking the part. Lucius'i
sweet voice, in a song to help whil'
away the heavy time for Brutus il
the latter's tent at night at Sardis
Is pleasing feature.
A word in regard to Casca, the con
spirator who struck the first blow
! that felled Caesar, Several time
Shakespeare is at great pains
through the mouths of CassiuI
and Brutus, to depict Cases
as sour, surly sort of cynic. Ye
Berton Churchill makes of Cases
ANYTHING but such a character. II