New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-20

IhfItn fsifN GOT 600
Joseph Observation-Disclosures. Donald 'aneI,u
Nicholas ...........-.. How ara llhdai
Peter ..................... John W. 'onit
servant in Baptlsta's House. ..... Margcry card
BY ARTHUR RuHL
Seldom. indeed, i'm these days. is 1t pos
sible to see so wholly delightful per
formance of Shakespeare as that given
last evening by Miss Angln and he
company I'm The Tanning OF the Shrew.
Not only was the main episode, with its
splendid and thoroughly timely comedy
carried Off with the liveliest success, but
every person on the stage. down 10 the
trembling servants I'm Petruchio's house
played with q similarly contagious spirit
and sense OF fun. The work OF the sup
porting players was more Ike that OF
we'll seasoned stock company than the
haphazard combination of unrelated good
intentions so often encountered, whether
in attempts at Shakespeare or not. NO
one could say Of this performance, as IS
so often said Of Shakespeare, that the
play would have been felt more NlVldly
could the spectator have read 1t peace
fully at home. undisturbed by the mouth
ings and ineptitudes OF the players.
There was a continuous byplay-fresh
natural and illuminating-givi unex
pectcd bite and humor to lines that the
reader would merely have passed by. me
scenes were simple, atmospheric ana
quickly shifted; the swift pace was set
the moment the first curtain rose, and
from then on until it fell on katharine's
charmingly given last speech it was not
for an instant allowed 10 sag or drop
I'm short. few successful comedies Of the
moment are more genuinely amusing or
more warmly received by those IN front
it il a performance, indeed. which no
one really interested in seeing Shake
spcare made as Lively and vital as some
thing written yesterday can afford TO
miss.
Miss Angin has done for THE Tanning
Of the Shrew" what Mr. Faversham re
Gently did for "Othelo'-with this diff
ference: Mr.. Faversham got his livellncsS
I'm so far as his IagO was concerned py
changing the character from that of
malignant villain to a sort Of romantic
swashbuckling hero. Miss Anglln s
Shakespeare is just as lively as was MT
Faversham's. but it also is Shakespeare
No one stepped out OF or twisted his
character for the mere sake of making
points
The part OF Katherine lies more in her
natural vein than that of Rosalind, and
there was no moment i'm which she was
not altogether certain OF herself and sure.
Mr. Eric Blind, who played Petruchio, has
a curious enunciation. Ills voice not in
frequently stops the instant sentence -
pronounced. as If it had run into mat
tress or a heap Of sand, and his appar-
entity complete inability 10 understand
what he was saying i'm the first scene
mere nervousness. perhaps-made him
seem. for the moment very bad indeed
in physique and general manner, how
ever, he is just the man for the part ana
the moment the tanning began Petrucho
was there with both feet. Such faults OF
enunciation as he might have shown, had
the business I'm hand been of a quioter
nature. were quite lost in his dashlng,
picturesque. cheerfully virile playing OF
the part. After his first scene there was
no fault TO he found with Mr. Blind
whatsoever
The final melting Of katherine was re-
vealed I'm the roadside scene which Miss
Anglin shifts slightly, to the beginning Of
the last act-the comedy is played in four
instead of five acts Katherine has sunk
exhausted on the ground, and Petruchlo,
looking down on her relents for the hrst
time. He lifts her TO her feet and sleepily
She lets him help her stumble along
Reaching the middle Of the stage she
pauses. slowly comes 20 her senses, looks
around and. seeing where she is, turns
and buries her head. like a tired child
i'm Pctruchio's arms And the two are
standing thus as the curtain falls.
It was effective as played last night.
but open TO criticism, on the ground that
the shift was too sudden, and that either
Petruchio or Katherine, or both, ought
to have given some earlier inkllns-WhIch
neither of them did Give-of such
change As it was, Katherine was Wnohy
,nbroken I'D TO the moment she broke
completely. and the last scene had al
most the air of taking place after an IN
tervaI Of years or a miracle had hap
nened. Well. miracles happen in real life
very frequently. very NhtiF oI'' N""'N ~
Petruchio and Katherine, there IN the
country road
All the supporting company were good
every one who was bit shaky in AS
Won Like II" Seemed TO have acquired a
rev sureness overnight. Mr.. Max Monte
scle's Grumio was unusually droll Mr..
Wallace Widdecombe amusing as the
fussy old Gremio. Harry Bsrfoot quantity
genuine in his beYilderment as the UNI
tanned Katherine's father, and capable
work was done by Miss Ruth Holt Bouci-
cault as Blanca. Pedro de Cordoba az
Lucentio. Fuller Mellsh as the supposed
Vincentio and Sidney Greenstreet as the
clownish Bondello.
Mr. Livingston Platt's ideas OF stage
scenery were more clearly revealed last
evening than in the other play. All the
sets were simple yet sufficiently at |
rtospheric and the waits between scenes !
admirably short.
PETER {. HENDERSON.