Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-02-20
ECROND CHARMED
/ by STRATFORD
PLAYERS
nMerchant Of Venice" Well Pre-
scented at the Atlanta Theater.
Usual Booing in Gallery.
BY rARLEToN COLLIER.

BY TARLEToN COLLIER.
In this day Of reforms. particularly
where the theater Is concerned. the-e
is nothing which demands reform
!. er's heavy hand SO much as the boor-
i tshness OF some OF the numbers Of no
8 gallery audiences In theaters Of At
lanta
Thursday night, for instance, at the
Atlanta Theater the throngs upstairs
took a great deal from the enjoyment
OF charming and conscientious per
+ Torrance Of THE Merchant OF Ven
: ice" by the Stratford Memorial Play
ers.
But even with their rudeness and
cianking Of soda water bottles there
was no forgetting the fact that the
play was a worthy entertainment, fun
of color. truthful of details-eyen 70
the smallest and studiously sympa-
thetic OF treatment
Shyock Too Eiaintive
There is an Intellectual quality
about the work OF the Memorial Play
ers. so that you realize their claim TO
eminence as students and as the as
tablished administrators OF Shake
speare's heritage is pretty wen
founded
-. Mr.. r. r, Benson leads the com
pany His studious Shylock was
/ rather too plaintiYe and too tenderly
sympathetic. It seemed. There was
IRE enough and vindictiveness enough
sin his lines OF the first two scenes,
and then there seemed to come a
--slight waning.
But perhaps the impression came as
much because OF a wistful and for
iorn facial expression-not at all that
of the conventional Shylock-as any,
thing else. He must be an admirable
jacques or n Hamlet.
Miss Green Plays Well.
i The young leading woman. OF The
kolid-sounding British name of Doro-
= thy Green. was a dainty Portia. She
loved with true passion, she played
ingcnuously, and she was as stubborn
legal referee as any lover Of the
law would care to meet Altogether.
she was charming and capable. as
Portia was meant TO be--the most
charming woman of them all, per-
+ haps unless IL Is Rosalind.
Murray Darlington was a stalwart
and handsome Bassanio--and. hap
PLY enough. "a vigorous and manly
Bassanio BY mistaking a motive
! here and there II would be so very
+ person altogether In the same way,
Henry Game made his Launcelot
Gobbo human sort Of fellow.
Splendor in Stage Setting.
The company has volatile Ora
tiano In f. Randle Ayrton, and a
diRnihed martyr OF an Antonio in
Rupert L. Conrlck In fact. one of
!. the charms OF this English company
Is the unfaling satisfactory quality
'~of It's acting. in even the smallest
parts While there are no stars, there
are as well no sticks.
A spiendor OF setting was attained
by surprisingly simple eNpedients and
by the romantic vision OF the cos
tuner, There was a wealth OF rich
color, not the least note in which was
the curtain OF royal purple bearing
the poets coat of arms. that hid the
stage between scenes, In lieu of the
regular green plush drop that Is the
theaters.
The Memorial Players viii give
s'The Merry Wives Of Windsor" Fri
day night. AS You Like IT. Satur-
day matinee and Hamlet" Saturday
night
Three Pavlowa Performances
Because so much interest has been
manifested in the appearance next
month at the Atlanta The0ter OF
Anna Pavlowa and her company and
orchestra. the management OF this
famous danseuse has arranged to
give the city three performances in
stead of two. Besides the night per-
formances. on Monday and Tuesday,
March and 10. there VIII be a spe-
cial matinee on Tuesday. For each
performance different program will
be presented. and all the numbers
will be new 10 Atlanta. Furthermore
Atlanta win see the very biggest pro-
auctions of The PaVlowa repertoire.
on Monday night the "Orientale" VIII
be presented. with scenery and cos
fnmes hy the renowned Russian flu
turist Leon Bakst Tuesday matt
nee, 1.-THE Magic Flute" and The
Invitation to the Dance" together
with advertisements win be present
ed. Tuesday night there will be an
other futuristic offering "The Pre-
ludes" with settings and draperies by
Boris Annisfeld. OF st Pctershurg.
paquita" VIII be the companion piece
with "The Preludes."
Forsyth's Big Crowds.
The Forsyth Is having one of the
most successful weeks IN its history.
Thoueh the theater is always crowd
ed, a new record has been estah-
lished. standing room being sold for
every performance. and on several
occasions the very limit OF standing
room being taken. The bin is the
cause of course. Headed by Blanche
Walsh in her successful sketch