Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-02-22

" with plays whose purpose Is 10
"a amuse for the passing hour,
Shakespeare remains the re-
liable dramatic entertainment.
Miss Margaret Angiin Is one of the many
representative players who have decided
to pursue q career in the classics. and
playgoers of Washington have certified
TO hearty approval of her determination
The number of Shakespearean players is
remarkable. England always contributes
player of distinction in this field. Sir
forbes Robertson. despite his excursions
into current comedy. is Englands bril-
liant Shakespearean contribution to the
present playgoing generation. William
Faversham has established himself a
Shakespeare star. With him are r D.
MacLean and Odette Tyler. Robert Man
tell long ago cast away the triumphs OF
the romantic actor to seek those of the
tragedian. and Sothern accomplished an
even more notable feat in effacing his
record as light comedian to claim dis
tinction as a producer. A list of those
who play Shakespeare from time to time
could not easily be compiled. Their
name is legion. David Warfield has sin
cere friends who are urging him to play
Shylock and friends quite as sincere striv-
ing to discourage the project. The dis
position to warn popular player
against abrupt departure from his Gus
tomary roles is always strong. But as
Stunning the worst, a failure in Snake
speare play has never destroyed an
actors popularity. Nat Goodwin was
not a successful Shylock, but he was as
good comedian as ever after the tryins
ordeal. Sol Smith Russell played Pc
truenio Tor a brief time, but no one heid
any srudse against The Poor Relation
or Peaceful Valley on that account
Like All whose nves are moIued by SIN
cere Intention, he is remembered Ior what
he did and not Tor his experiments.
= =
Considering the fact that the Shake
speare pays were written for a stage
whose mechanical Equipment Was
scant, II Is astonishing That modern
Shakespeare should be able to absorb
so much scenery. The Anglin produc-
lions are triumphs of scene beauty. 1t
Is curious. too, that the least important
consideration, that of locale, SHOULD
provide the pretext for such lavish
scenic adornment. Shakespeare has at
forded scholarship much amusement in
pointing out Migrant anacnronlsms. 1t
must be admitted that as a period and
N.
Parker has him distanced far. The
E,ixabethan stage had its disc, piinary
restrictions. and the playwright has
frequently said Venice" or "radua"
when the populace understood perfect
ly that he meant London" This gloss
ing Of immediate identity of places as
we'll as persons is the privilege, or
rather the DUTY, of the salirlsl, and
Shakespeare was. like all otaer play
wrights who tell of their own times,
intensely and uncompromisingly criti-
cal His reference TO the payers In
Hamlet" indicates his valuation OF the
stage as the brief and abstract chronicle
OF the time. and it IS perhaps a pity
that the same industry employed in de-
tecting chronological Inconsistencies
has not been given to running down
the current illusions, the personal
caricatures. the Bullets and rebukes in
cluded in the creations which the poet
based on stories remote in scene and
action.
Twelfth Night" for instance, with its
presumptuous household officer. led to
sore humiliation. and it's bibuIous and
silly knights seem to suggest living
prototypes in a not far distant palace.
=
The tendency TO utilize the critical
function of the stage for practical cur
rent purposes was In evidence last week
when a suffrage comedy was produced
1t will be again this week, when THE
Governors Boss" will discuss political
conditions in more or less editorial
vein. The boldest attempt in that line
was made years ago, when it was pro-
posed to launch a ay called THE Curse
or Gold" with Charles Il. Hanford repre-
sentng William Jennings Bryan as the
nero. 1t fell through owing to the fact
that MIR. Hanford thought Mr.. Bryan
snight not like it
oh. Oh. Deiphine" is one OF the light
songful creations in which the play
broker has quite as important a part as
the author. composer or performer. II is
q thing of gleeful beauty, whose appeal
rests largely on the matrimonial mix-ups
with which Partisan farceurs delight to
deal. The label imported" does not
prevent the Mcclellan rhymes and the
Caryll ditties from being conspicuous DO
eencies.
The desire of comedy players to appear
In Shakespeare has not yet led Julian
<SillnSc 10 express an intention TO appear
as Juliet or Rosalind. Such an expert
snent would be interesting
PHILANDER JOHNSON.
HENRY MILLER AS PRODUCER
Henry Miller prominence as an actor
somewhat overshadows his position as a
producer, yet 1t is as stage director that
Mr.. Miller is best appreciated by the the
etrtcal side of the profession. Those who
S-AS little Of Henry MilIer's methods of
production are likely to think that re-
hearsals under him are severe ordeals
Actual information declares him the re-
verse. He has In his mind every move
ment the player Is to make, every infiec-
ton he is to employ-and ne has reason
for all that Ia done. He is Infinitely pa
Gent until he finds the player is not
going to suit and then he tries another
In one small part In The Rainbow per-
haps dozen men were tried Finally
one man was suitable, and played for
many months in the same role
When Mr.. Miller was rehearsing the
skiddies" for the first act of .Daddy
Iong-Legs." for there are a number OF
bright youngsters in this Jean Webster
comedy. he found mettle to his hand.
at Is wonderful he said. how they do
what want ! never seem to have to tell
them twice. Their whole heart is in what
they are doing. can never get the same
results with older people" Sometimes
one OF the Juvenile players would watch