Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-04-01
SIR HERBERT TREE,
IN SHAKESPEARE, AS
SEEN BY w. P. EATON
"TIenry WILL" So Old That 1t Is
New York Novelty, Played
BY English Actor

BY WALTER PRICHARD EATON
FTNHB tercentenary celebration Of Shake
i speare's death is on in earnest The
great English dramatist and poet is being
honored every night in two New York
theatres, and a week ago the Delta Up
silon society of Harvard came down and
gave two performances of Henry w"
Part II, which has not been seen before in
New York for nearly century, though
the Benson players acted it not long ago
on the Pacific coast Leading In interest
of course, Is the production of Henry
VIII" by Beerbohm Tree, at the New
Amsterdam Theatre, mounted with the
scenery and costumes used by Sir Herbert
at his London playhouse, but with a cast
largely recruited here though IL contains
many English players. The other regular
production is that made by Mr.. Hackett
of THE Merry Wives of Windsor" in
which he, unfortunately was prevented
by Illness from assuming his fathers fa-
nous role of Falstam and had to turn 1t
over instead to Tom Wise. Before long
of course, the schools will begin TO get
busy with their celebrations and already
the New York city masdue and pageant
Is being prepared by Percy Mackaye. But
there is one inevitable cloud on our en-.
joyment. Hardly theatre-goer can at
tend any of these celebratory productions
Miss Marlowe could not have kept her
health and strength, and Joined with Mr..
Sothern in at least one farewell perform
ance in New York, If not in a series OF
performances, thus both contributing tD
the value of the celebration, and making
q fitting exit from the scene. Not since
Booth has any American interpreter of
Shakespeare SO endeared himself to tho
public by virtue of personal charm and
ability alike as Miss Marlowe. There Is
not one of us who would not give n great
deal to see once more her Viola, and hear
her read, as only she in our genera
ton could read, "She never told her
love. y"
However, we have Mr.. Tree Cor Sir Her
bert, IL you prefer The American pub
lie has long heard of the marvellous Tree
productions of Shakespeare, with their
magnificent scenery, their troops of peo-
pie, their gorgeous costumes, their spec
tacular pageantry. Now we have the
chance to see all this for ourselves, a
chance New York Is not letting slip, by
the way Concerning Mr.. Tree himself,
as an actor, we have never heard such
glowing accounts, nor did we, on his pre-.
vious visit many years ago, form a par
ticularly high idea of his powers for our.
selves
Henry VIII" "a play that is only in
part the work of Shakespeare, and we are
not even sure what part that was) was no
doubt chosen for the first drama Of the
celebration program because of It's com
parative novelty to this generation, be.
cause Of its pageantry, and because the
role of Wolsey gives the visiting star an
appealing part In which he Is not subjected
on his very first appearance to all sorts
OF odious comparisons. He has cut the
text literally, and, in good truth, the
play would be intolerable If 1t were not
cut. Not even everything that Shake
speare wrote is divine inspiration, and
when we have a play much of which he
did not write. much of which is rambling,
disoursive. anti-climatic, no ink need be
shed because Sir Herbert, or anybody
else, cuts, rearranges and otherwise con-
denses and complies 1t into an evenings
bill on the modern stage. What the actor
does with the portions left is what
matters.
In the first place It should be said at
once that Sir Herbert realizes the value
Of right acting in all the parts, that he
knows how to secure such acting, that he
does not resort to spectacle to smother
defects, but to enhance interest. Indeed,
the outstanding performance in Henry
VIII" is the King of Lyn Harding, not
Mr. Trees Wolsey. Here is player last
seen in New York this winter in ''The
Devils Garden" q modern play, taking a
realistic role, and a grim, heavy, tragic
role. Now we see him in royal robes.
playing EllzaDetnan Dlank verse drama III
one of the largest theatres in the city,
with broad strokes of characterization.
with delicious humor, with the true ro-
mantle flavor. Here is a real actor. with
q sense for impersonation. a sense for the
proper styles and the technical ability to
project his design in sure strokes. For
Queen Katherine Sir Herbert selected Miss
Edith Matthison, and it is hard to see how
he could have done better at present.
Reading the records of the palmy days. we
get the impression that some of the giants
of old swept out of the hall in Black
friars, SO superb in their regal wrath and
wounded queenllness that you. in the audi
ence, wanted to shrink away in terror, and
so there is a certain feeling that Miss
Matthison does not lift that splendid trial
scene quite to the heights OF dramatic
power Of which it is capable. on the other
hand, how did these superbly wrathful
tragedy queens reconcile their great out
breaks with the womanly weakness of
Katherine in the following scenes? Those
n.