The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-11-18

the days when the magic of musi
cal versification was upon him
when its fascination held him in thrall
Shakespeare produced "King John. -
1t was in his golden prime, before his
verse became weighted with thought
and mighty speculation, as in "Ham.
let, - and long before it broke down
almost completely, as in "'Troilufs and
Cressida" +"
In king John there is the Gothic
CHARM of the days before Elizabeth;
the poetic witcberies of "Merry Eng
land ~ and the gripping power of great
men SHINING greatly and Gepepting pas
sionately.
Something OF all this we find in the
character of King John himself-a
monarch towering in his own conceit,
fearless to defy the pope and France,
to laugh at the curse denounced upon
him by the church, and yet weak and
vacillating in his rule, eager to have
Arthur, the rightful prince, done to
death, and yet cringing and wailing
coward when lie believes Arthur
murdered by his command He shrieks
out his rebukes TO Hubert, who had the
kings sign and seal to do tho deed, be-
cause Hubert apparently has obeyed
his royal will. 1t was in this scene last
night at the Salt Lake theater that
Robert Mantell was at his zenith. To
Hubert he cries, his voice choking with
emotion and his whole frame telling Of
his remorse
''Hadst thou but shook thy head. or made
pause
When 1 spake darley what l purposed;
Or turned an eye of doubt upon my face.
And bid me tell my tale lin express
words.
Deep shame had struck me dumb. made
me break off,
fears IN me-
The king weakly excuses the assasslna-
ton with musical words, as II he were
q poet or a spinner OF epigrams. thus.
How oft the sight Of means TO do ill
deeds, makes III deeds done" IT must be
fine TO he great tragedian like Mantell
and mouth such sonorous verse with all
the art OF q master elocutionst Some
how IL Hike listening SnhiIrnp
larmofieS OF the "SeXtette From Lucia"
The words themselves do not matter
much; IT is the music that wraps up in
its myriad sorceries.
"Out of my sight and never see me
more,
My mobiles leave me; and my state is
Even at my gates. with ranks OF foreign
powers.
Nay. in the body of this feshIy land.
This kingdom, this conline OF blood and
breath,
and civil tumult reigns
Between my conscience. and my cousin
death
And when we submit TO the. spell OF
This grand language we recall with pain
and astonishment that there is a Bernard
shay in Shakespeare own country who
tells us with the cold superiority of
superman that Shakespeare was but a
jinglinG verse. .maker as compared with
lbsen, the frigld Ibsen. who is great
as the northern ice is great.
william A. Brady. has given us an Inn
posing production. The arrangement. eX
clsons and tranSpositions OF text are
made by Mr.. Mantell In order TO adapt
the play TO preSent-day requirements.
There is something almost irreverent in
dividing the production into seven acts
when no dramatist OF Shakespeare's day
not even the master himsell-dared 10
less than FIVE acts. In reality Mr.. Man
tell has arranged the play In ten scenes.
All OF the settings are adequate and some
of them beautiful. In fact. kingly play
In the interpoiatcd scene. where
King John fights a broa,dsword
due! with his sor.T, royal neoinaad eoTyn and o
ycarns for the good old days when the
great interpreters of Shakespeare be-
ieved--and rightly-that a good broad.
sword battle was worth q whole act OF
sword fight between Booth as Macbeth
and Barrett as Macduff. In the gloam-,
ing at DuIsnanG sfy eaIye shey Their met swor9 aaa
flashed like lightning. mystic, wonder
full and the sparks were as thick as
the sparks from the village smithy's
forge. But last night his majesty OF Eng
and paved at his majesty Of France
with diplomatic caution and France
paved back with equal care and delibera
ton
Mr., Mantel has surrounded himself
with q variety of excellent talent Spe-
riol mention is due TO Fritz Lelber as
philip the Bastard. Walter Gibbs as
king OF France. MISS Geneyieve Reynolds
as Queen Gilmore, mother OF King John,
md Miss That's Lawton as Constance.
mother OF Arthur. There are. however.
belf dozen other admirable players, who
will be seen To equal advan-
tace in some OF the other Shakespearean n
prod uctions.
Tonight Mr.. Mantell will be seen in
IJamlot" Tomorrow at the matinee he
,uIIi appear In "Richelleu" and tomorrow
,Ipbt he will close his engagement. ap-
nearing as Macbeth, which Is one OF his
most worthy interpretations.