The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-02-15
~ JAMES 5. ,tErcALFE.


but 1t pours. Here for years we have
gone along forgetting the story OF
-'Othello.s when all of a sudden comes TO
us Sir Johnston Forbes Robertson and
gives us his scholarly and fine but very
british representation of the Venetian
Moor. Not to be outdone by. one OF his
own countryrnen. Mr.. William Taversham
has Just given us his idea of how the
Shakespearean tragedy OF Jealousy should
be done And there are murmurings that
Mr.. James X. Hackett is going to have
a shy at one or the other OF the two
leading characters in the play. Mr.. Hack
ett having leaning toward the heroic
in looks and action. will probably per-
sonify the character OF the jealous MOOT
who gives the play its title.
Mr. Faversham, with Wise discretion,
has picked Iago as the character best
lifted for his powers. Before mentioning
his performance as Iaso IL is well to say
that, as actor-manager. he has gwen the
play very sumptuous setting wnicn
shines by contrast with the rather shaooy
one which contents Professionalism IN
his farewell tour of the English speaking
countries With what seems sheer ar
t.stic ex;rsyagance, Mr. Faversham has
his first curtain rise on a delightful pic
ture OF localized Venice, which has abso-
Iutely no practical value. except to get
the audience into the atmosphere OF the
play. This precedes succession OF Vene-
tian and Cyprian scenes which denote
that Mir. Favershem as manager has not
been scant in his expenditure for material
accessories. and that ne has had excel
lent artistic advice in carrying out his
intentions The costumins is also elab-
crate and effective, but Mr.. Faversham
has been wise enough not TO let the elabo-
ration OF his production obscure the play
and those who interpret IT,
The Fayersham "Othello."
In the cast are some well-known
names including those of the star him
self: Miss Cecilia Lotus, Miss Constance
Collier. and Messrs. r. d. MacLean and
Pedro de Cordoba Mr.. MacLean is the
Othelio, and plays the part with sum-
GENTLY imposing presence. excellent eio-
cution. married by slight and appar-
entity unavoidable thickness of speech al
moments. a very intelligent rendering OF
the important passages and dignihed
bearing. suggesting perfectly the simple.
lighting general without the guile to
combat with guile. Miss LOTUS was far
from rising to the possibilities, of BESIDE
mona Fair and sweet she was. but with
out the personality to get across the foot
lights anything but those qualities. Miss
Constance Collier was striking in appear
ance as Emilia, but was apparently will
ing to leave all the subtlety of the fam
lily to her husband, Iago. Mr. de Cordoba
was a valiant Cassie, and the cast
throughout gave a Tar more brilliant per-
Torrance than that of the trained Eng
lish actors in Observation-Disclosures COM
pany.
Iago is a role entirely unknown in stage
performance to the present generation OF
American playgoers. II We except the
gentleman who played the part so made
quately with Forbes-Robertson. Mr.. Fav-
ersham has modernized Iago almost to
the point where he should be ranked with
Shakespeare's fools in his f1ippancy.
There is no brief in hand 20 prove that
designing villains are merry fellows, and
this is just what Mr.. Faversham made
Ioga- OF course. there is nothing in the
lines of this rather unnatural character
to show that Iago was anything like q
surly trouble-maker. Mr.. Faversham has
evidently followed the cues he took in
THE Faun'' and in his impersonation Of
Marc Antony. He was also imprudent |
enough to adopt what might have been
perfectly allowable in the days OF Shake |
speare, an air of familiarity with his !,
audience which only heightened the de- |
parture from reality imposed by Shake
speare's own little subtle plan of making
Iago voice in soliloquies the description
of his character and Of his malevolent
intentions towards Othello.
The best Of Mr.. Faversham's scenes
was that in which he first sows the seed
of jealousy and suspicion in Othello's
heart Mr.. MacLean was here also at his
best and there have Of late been few
Shakesperean episodes more adequately. |
picturesquely and convincingly rendered. |
Mr.. Faversham's use OF his eyes to in |
dictate to the audience his confidence that |
those in front shared the knowledge OF |
his plans at times approached buffoonery
and was trick that in a way marred /
an intelligent, although very much mod |
ernized Interpretation Of the curious role |
OF 1ago. Outside of the not at all inn |
pressive portrayal of the Duke of Venice |
by Mr.. Rowan. the company did excellent |
work.
Mr.. Faversham. as actor-manager. re-
Earding him in both capacities, is to be |
congratulated on the good general. tone
of this least popular play of Shakes
peare, basing the use of the word 'popu-
lar" on its inclusion Of the quality of en-
listing the sympathy of a twentieth CEN
fury public.
A Bit of a LuII.
There has been in the past fortnight a
material. Since the sudden demise of
THE House of Bondage with the ac-
tivities Of the Sociological Fund, the suf-
fragists and Mr.. Norman Hapgood as
chief feminist, We have had nothing in
the theatrical world SO stirring as some
OF the fads OF Vivian resurrected from |
''Nivian's Papas" to become with !
Blanche Rings assistance when Claudia |
Smiles We have just had the verdict |
of jury that ''Hagar Revelly" was not |
immoral, so we may soon expect further |
adventures in that peculiar school of sex |
observation and perhaps a livelier trade |
in sex movies and sex dramas.
Cream of the New York Theaters.
For some reason the producers have
not been very busy in getting things
into New York in the last fortnight, so
the bills at the principal theaters re-
main unchanged. Mr.. Maude. who
seemed to have encountered a frost at
first. is turning them away with his
clever Grumpy" at wailicks Young
the clever Crothers comedy,