Omaha daily bee., 1912-04-08
Scthern and Iarlowe End Brilliant
Engagement Splendidly.
WONDERFUL WORK OF STARS
while "Roneo and Juliet. Proves
. Beautiful Prodsction of
the Sad Tale.
Cast of "Hamlet."

Reynaldo. ................. William McComas
First Player..............T Thomas Coleman
First Gravedigger. Rowland Puckstone
Second Grayedigger Peter Golden
Ghost OF Hamlets Father William Harris
Fortinbras. Prince Of Norway. -:
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. Milano Tflden
Gertrude.........Miss Lenora Chippendale
Opnella. ................... .....Miss Marfowe
Player Queen. Miss Millicent Mclaughlin
Ladies Of the Court.....................
Misses Wilson, Sommers and Becker
In Saturdays magnificent production
of Hamlet" Mr.. Z. II. Sothern demon
strated TO a crowded house that he is
the. greatest Shakespearean actor on the
American stage today. William Winter,
dean Of American dramatic critics. has
accorded to Robert Mantell the premier
ship Of our Shakespearean stage. but Mr..
Mantell never played any character Of
Shakespeares so splendily as Mr.. Sothern
portrayed the Prince Of Denmark Mr..
Mantell's Lear and his Richelieu are re-
garded as his best efforts, but neither
of them has the force OF authority, the
comprehension of command or grief. the
sustained execution or the perfect read
ing that Mr.. Sothern gives to his Ham
let
Sothern's Power as Hamlet.
The power Of Mr.. Sothern, as he brought |
1t out in the mouse trap" play scene be- |
fore the king and queen, was magnificent. |
He lay back against the chair occupied by |
Ophelia and watched every move and |
every look Of the king like an animal |
guarding its Prey. The sudden rising Of |
~ L.,
storm Of words, spoken so that the whole |
court shunted its gaze to him. He rushed |
at the king like raging bull and mingled |
the secret triumph of his scheme with
the open effort 10 get revenge for the
death of his father. The stage business
In this climax was ideal. the whole room
being cleared in a few seconds. II was
so splendidly done that the large crowd
stormed its approval.
Mr.. Sothern's Hamlet is one OF spiritual
misery. He is brooding deeply when ne
Nothing in the room interests him and
he sits silently. with face inexpensive
and almost white. The calling of his
name brings subtle shifting of the
shoulders and a return of thoughts to
his environments. The, grief Of Sothern's
Hamlet is expressive before the meeting
with the ghost. After the apparition has
his future course, the grief Is
In a half-crazed man. a prince
II fiery determination, haunted, detected
md bewildered.
In handling the principal scene with
Ophelia, Mr.. Sothern was gracious and
severe. He evinced some signs OF love
'or this young girl, but seemed more In
crested In her as an acquaintance and
lot as a sweetheart. When she told her
'alsehood, he drew away from her with
splendid theatrical effect. and became a
,old. commanding youth to whom
)phelia meant no more than any other
She had proved her unreliabllity.
.ate in the closet scene Mr.. Sothern
howed his splendid conception Of the
ole. 1t Is not mad prince. but the
lvenger of a fathers wrongs. who har-
las always been one Of Mr.. Sothern's
trong scenes. and is splendidy done.
Miss Marlowe's OpheIin.
Miss Marlowe played ophela as the
Iutiful daughter, obedlent in every in
tance. She was sweet and soft-spoken
n all. but in her mad scene acting she
anne out of the weak, docile character
ust sufficiently to give her Interpretation
he strength Of a mind protesting in grief
gainst the wrongs she had suffered. She
vas gentle. supremely pathetic. and the
OF pathos in her last APP
earance on the stage. She always was
athletic enough to provoke sympathy 4.
rom any one. !.
The performances Of the other members
( the company were as brilliant as In
he other plays. Mr.. Frederick Lewis
lade true Horatio. seeming kind, gener-
us and loyal. The Laertes Of Mr.. Sidney
father lacked effective force in some Of c
he scenes. He was powerful in the duel I
LAY. Mr.. Rowland Blackstone gave to /
he character of the gravedigger an ideal '
The staging of the play was the most r
eautiful used in any Of the four produc- I