Evening star., 1919-04-15
Walter Hampden as "Hamlet."


/ The beauty and the wisdom of Shake
speare's lines embodied in an artistic
and smoothly running production of
Hamlet won hearty plaudits of the
audience that filled the Shubert-Garrick
Theater to capacity yesterday afternoon
to see, and hear, Walter Hampden In
the immortal tragedy. 1t is to be re-
gretted that Mr.. Hampden has limited
Washington to but single perform
ance of his Hamlet" this season.
While retaining all the pith and value
of the great Shakespearean play. MIR.
Hampden has abandoned many OF the
stock traditions with which the produc-
ton Of Hamlet" has been surrounded.
He has made of it a play whose action
runs Interestingly and continuously.
and the audience waits with interest
upon the tragic story and swift move
| ment as well as upon the smoothly
running lines. These lines. which
have given the English speaking peo-
pies more quotations. axioms and
idioms perhaps than any other writ
| ten document of equal length, are
spoken with naturalness, by Mr..
Hampden and his company, that is
not often found in Shakespearean
spearean tragedy is regarded more as
a spectacle. accompanied by sonorous
and lengthy monologues.
Mr.. Hampden himself has a voice
and personality that lend themselves
admirably to the characterization of
a Hamlet whom Mr.. Hampden re-
CARDS as distinctly and superiority
sane. He is passionate, overwrought
by great emotion, but it is made clear
to the auditor that a great purpose
moves him toward his end. the re-
venge of his murdered father. He
plays the scenes in which Ham
let endeavors to throw the king
and queen and their spies off the
track with zest and a lightness
that tickled the risibilities of the
audience.
The staging of the production is ad-
mirable and provides a fit setting for
| the piece. No orchestra plays to dis
tract attention from the lines. and
the scenes follow one another swiftly.
| so that the play is brought into the
| confines Of a modern dramatic pro-
duction in point of time.
Mr.. Hampden is supported by a ca
! pable company. The Polonious Of Al
| bert Bruning is excellent. He makes
the part real and interesting, and
helps somewhat to relieve the tragic
atmosphere of the play. Mabel Moore.
as Ophelia, gives capable interpre-
/ tation of the fair young girl. whose
madness is due to lost love and the
murder of her father. Gertrude. Queen
! of Denmark, as played by Mary Hall,
is q clever piece of acting. Charles
w eDStcf . AdcIlco 10 d hCiy youIhs q
good foil to Hamlet. Ernest Rowan
plays the king acceptably and the
other parts are all we'll cast.
| Happiness"
| 1t is no will o. the wisp entertain
ment appealing only for the hour that
I tManners-Laurette Taylor collabora-
ton, Happiness which came to the
National Theater last night for
weeks engagement.
| This playwright and player, whose
dual efforts have contributed to a dec
ade Of stage history. have crystal
li7ed the nhi'osonhv nf their own
acme .e...eht5 lito .ne pfouuc.io.i Cos.
ing on is shown to be the secret Of
happiness The Man9srsTay1r
effort ina'0n Until I' Rappiness 81 is c Created @
as a prospective rival to. the stage
spoken philbsophiesf Of enduring
with the frank appeal that made Mrs.
Wiggs and David Harum characters
to be remembered. Jenny, an srrand
girl in a Brooklyn dressmaking estab-
teal optimism in Happiness" calcu-
lated to make those who witness the
play take stock of themselves.
l Tnrec cplSOOeS IOuuQ out tH0 QlOI,
! and there are developments in Jenny's
philosophy in the first two which
make for the supreme contentment
depicted in the third. It is because
she is looking forward to being q
success through her own efforts that
Jenny declines to become u companion
to a rich society woman. When she
| discovers that her father, who mys-
! teriously disappeared, went away
| with a cabaret dancer, she decides
forthwith to take up dancing and other
accomplishments in order that her
! future husband might not lack for
companionship at home. II will find out
| what my husband does and do IT," she
| concludes. The children's bedtime
hour is depicted in the epilogue hap
piness years afterward in Jenny's life.
! This scene is well designed as an aid
| to married folks whose home life is
not uniformly guided by harmonious
impulses.
Miss Taylor's portrayal Of Jenny is
as distinguished as any of the char
acter delineations which have stamp
ed her as an actress of unusual abil-
ity. The cast with which she is sur
rounded Is an exceptionally capable
one. j. NJ. Kerrigan is cast for tho
part Of Jenny's suitor and husband.
tage in the role Of a millionaire's
blase son. whose views of life are
completely reorganized by Jenny.
Beatrice Terry. as Mrs. Crystal-Pole.
who also takes new lease on life
through the stimulating suggestions
OF Jenny. and Lynn Fontaine, as q
isociety chatterbox without q -purp4se