Evening star., 1912-07-14

English Arthur Bourchier and the Italian Ermete No
vel with their wives, Violet Vanbrugh and Olga
Giannini have fulfilled Macbeth" promises, though
with small success,proses that looked less likely of
result, when they made. than Sarah CoWel Le
Moynes However it must be admitted that no one has
taken Marie Dressers announcement of her Lady
Macbeth seriously as herself.
It has always seemed to me that Ethel Barrymore
would make glorious successor to Ada Rehan as
was made up her first Shakespearean play would surely
Nothing or "As You Like It." The former seems to
be the favorte of ALL for besides Miss Barrymore Mrs.
Fiske, and Mrs Carter, Maude Adams, Margaret
Angin, and Grace George ready with it. Eleanor
Robson wished to play it; and Irene Vanbrugh pre-
pared herself for revival that George Alexander pur
posed making and then abandoned Another that was
near presentation in which the Beatrice
to have been Miss Barrymore to the Benedck of her
uncle, John Drew.
Edwin Booth endeavored to utilize Salvins prestige
to create tradition for the casting of Hamlet.
When they made their famous costarrng tour, Othel-
10 of allowed them to share honors equally but
the public demanded at least occasional performances
of Hamlet" The Italian quite willing to subordi
himself to the role of the Ghost; but the American
undertook to persuade him to play King Claudlus,
really fine character that custom shamefuly negects.
Booth felt that the example of Salvn would bring the
part into its again: but the sgnor would not be
mained unset. When Lawrence Barrett starred with
Booth he wasted himself the Ghost instead OF dig
nfying King Claud1us; and the custom has been toll
lowed by Frederick Warde, with Louis James, and by
every secondary actor in stellar combination.
When E. H. Sothern first prepared to show himself
as Hamlet he determined to succeed tradition maker
where Edwin Booth had failed. He engaged Edward
Morgan. then leading actor OF the Lyceum, to play
King Claudus, and restored the lines which gen.
orally cut numerically. But he delayed his produc-
ton half a year. and when he made it Mr. Morgan
no longer to be had However, Mr. Sothern has not
abandoned his determination. He and Julia Marlowe
contemplate occasional performances of Hamlet, with
the actress the Prince and then Mr. Sothern will show
what can be done by playing King Claudius himself
WHEN Mr.. Sothern has accomplished that reform,
w he might turn his attention to Polonus; for obvi
osy that instead of the Grave Digger should be the first
comedians role. Indeed when Constant Coquen toured
America in 1900 with Sarah Bernhardt he prepared to
play Poonus to her Hamlet Whether it mere lazi-
the discovery that American tradition gave the
Grave Digger first place, Coqueln shifted to that role
at the last moment By the way, speaking of Miss
Marlowe and Madam Bernhardt Hamlet, Julia
Arthur about to appear in that male character
when she married and retired from the stage That is
another memorable performance that we undoubtedly
shall never have chance to see.
A Hamlet that surely will see is Richard
Mansfelds. 1t his greatest ambition to play the
part. OF course may less be said to be the
ambition of every actor Arnold DAILY went so far as to
gather his cast of which recolect than that
Chrystal Herne to have been the Opheia and the
late Isabelle Urquhart the Queen Gertrude. Not many
people knew, and fewer still remember that Henry
Nllers ambition carried him still further About ten
years ago he played Hamlet in a few small towns and
then gave up the role and said about it. Mans
fields experience might have been the same had he not