The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-08-04
ROME AND ROMANS
RESURRECTED BY
LOCAL TALENT
Amateur ActnrS Score BigSuCCess
in Julius Caesar
FIRST PRODUCTION LAST NIGHT
Histronic Ability Of Participants and
Beauty of Outdoor Theatre Add
to Enjoyment Of Audience.

The initial performance of the play,
Julius Caesar was given last night
in Clark's Woods.
Despite the early threat of unfriend-
ly weather a large and appreciative
audience gathered in Bennington's
! natural theatre and in the twilight
awaited the opening scene. The band
began the overture the march from
Aida, its majestic strains fitting
prelude to the lofty scenes of the
ancient World. The lights flashed
on and a laughing, turbulent mob
the Roman king-burst upon the view
of the audience. Rome was making
holiday. The pampered populace that
had greeted PCmpey as a god, that had
dallied with a thousand conquerors
was rejoicing in the triumphs of yet
another hero-Caesar!
The Illusion was complete: ''the
grandeur that was Rome" was again
a reality. The laughing crowd, single
| minded, bent on pleasure, follows the
1.-THE, swaying form of a dancer,
| played by Miss Jane Burgess. The
| wrestlers come forth and the excited
| people gathered around them as they
writhe in each others grasp, Louis
Levin and James Moore played
the wrestlers with professional skill
and with all the spectacular tricks of
| the sport AS one falls, the applause
breaks forth, to be stilled in moment
by the appearance Of two senators,
Casca and Trebonius, played by DR..
l.. H. Ross and Nelson Payne.
! The scene transforms. Rome in its
complexity dawns upon US; 1t is no
longer happy throng but sullen,
bitter people who growl and taunt and
! ridicule these aristocrats The first
| citizen. a cobbler played by William
| Cushman and the second citizen,
carpenter, played by John Hayes.
| standing stalwart above the crowd
bear the bulk of Casca's rebuke at
| their holidaymaking. and meet him in
turn with the rude wit of the people.
In the first words of the first scene
| the eternal genius of Shakespeare
makes itself felt. for in less than a
moment he paints Rome with its fac
tons and iickleness, its classes and its
massec.
The most prominent characteristic
! of the production is its grandeur. The
play has been staged with ready eye
to all its color and pageantry. During
every moment OF the play. the scene is
striking: colors are massed, men and
women are grouped with the sole aim
OF making a balanced picture. There
is never an awkward pause; in natural
easy manner the effect upon the eye
of the spectator is always the thing
sought.
Among the most vivid of the great
scenes of the play is the entrance OF
Caesar. At last evenings perform
ance, the actors were again and again
interrupted by applause during this
scene, for the audience itself seemed
to have touch OF the Roman in it.
When Caesar with his soldiers and
train composed of senators, soldiers
and stately. graceful women passed
from view. followed by the mob. the
audience could not be restrained and
its applause delayed the continuing OF
the scene. Another Of the great
moments OF the play when the stage
picture was most striking was during
Mare Antony's speech over the dead
Caesar. This was a scene of move
ment and force and the artistic group
ing led many to feel that the mob was
the hero of the play.
II was VIII Irwin who invented The
term "high.brow." for which may hC
be eternally Cursed-for people un
thinkingly have applied It to vii
Shakespeare-the bntcher's boy. II,
might easily stand acquitted on tn,
evidence OF julius Caesar-this mag
nidcient melodrama of war and poll
tics, of superstition. envy. revenge
, courage and campaigns has perhap
the widest appeal of any Of tn
, masters plays.
And-whio the plays the thing
Shakespeare found east last eyenin
, nearly worthy Of him. Dr. Ross wa
l perfect Casca-shrewd cunning
with show of bluntness that permit
ted him TO speak his mind Iii
playing drew much applause. Nelso
Payne proved perfect foil as TIRE
honius Judge Edward H. Holde
had all the majesty OF the great Ju
& ius. the worlds conqueror. j. Law
/ renee Griswold was a suavc and fla
< tering Decius The thing that usual
d makes Shakespeare difficult is tn
A dramatic ability demanded in man
O small parts Gordon Burke as Pii
4 darius drew round of applause
Joseph O'Brien as Servius rendered
dramatic message with viyidness an
force Dean Martin as the Soothsay,
made one marvel at Caesar skepti
II ism; Thomas Healy was n oompetei
r Octaviue
Il The senators as group carried q