New-York tribune., 1921-11-01
The New Play
BY Percy Hammond
Mr.. Sothern and Miss Mar
lowe i'm Another Revival
of 'sTweIfth Night
at the Century

at the Century
There is suspicion that many Of
us when we attend Twelfth Night"
do not get full enjoyment ont of that
classic vaudeville.
We are content with such bliss as is
afforded us by the inherent vitality of
its imperishable poetry and the tender
harmonies of it's exquisite romance
The spell of it as a myth of the elder
world, when instinct spoke to instinct
unashamed, and love found sufficient
sanction in beauty" causes us to over
look it's other important ingredients
In the delicate vivacity of Miss Mar
loves charm and her musical reading
of the lines of Viola, and in Mr..
Sothern's fantastic pompousnass as
Malvolio we are likely to neglect minor
items in which there exists material
for gladncss.
!. 4 X
So by attending Twelfth Night" at
the Century in mood less devout than
usual we discover a diverting variety
bill. For instance, if you like the mu-
sic of mandolins, there is present to
entertain you a competent orchestra of
lutte players whose seductive tinklings
are to be heard in nearly every scene.
Rougher stuff being your pleasure it is
rendered to you by the comic inebrl
cites of Sir Toby and the shrill Ague.
cheek. To enhance the laughable
properties of these episodes new busr-
ress is now employed. Thus, after Sir
Toby falls upon the floor in drunken
impotence, Sir Andrews yellow curls
rest upon his stupendous paunch and
with each gasp of that protuberance
the magpis knights head is tossed
amusing1y into the air. This is just
after the mischievous Fabian has
affixed an empty tankard to Sir Tobcy's
right foot.
Then, for those who admire the
human voice when raised in song, there
is expert vooalism by Feste the clown,
expressed in. several gratifying solos.
From this character, also, may pleasure
be derived through his quick puns, rid
dies and retorts, as funny as any you
arc apt to hear in vaudeville. AS you
watch the burlesquc duel between
Cesario and Sir Andrew you think that
you discern the poetic genesis of the
burlesque .prize6ght of more modern
entertainments. Last evenings travesty
was so humorous conflict that one
regretted to observe, during its prog
ress, one of the most distinguished of
American dramatists in deep slum
ber Funnier clothing than that worn
by Sir Andrew is to be found nowhere
in the antic theater; and in the Incl
dent of the conspiracy of the letter to
Malvolio are all the side splitting items
Of minor farce
However, if you are not relaxed by Il
Shakespeare in his merrier aspects,
there is much else in "Twelfth Night 4
at the Century to delight you. Against
the simple background Of Nh. Sothern's
effective and comparatively new scheme
Of decoration Miss Marlowe moves
again, in one of the theater's most
poetic creations, as beautiful, I think,
as ever she was. Her voice retains its
music and her humor it's quiet sparkle.
Mr.. Sothern, as has been his habit, is
stately and ludicrous as Malvolio, and,
one imagines, his elocution has lost
some of that quality which may be de-
scribed irreverently as "jazz." The
meter and the meaning of Orsino's
lines get full justice from Mr.. Frederic
Lewis, and in the sweet and comely
royalties of Miss Alma Kruger Olivia
is we'll disposed, Some Of us thought
Mr.. Albert Howson's Aguecheek a trihe
excessive, but all semed to be pleased
by Mr.. Rowland Buckstone's unctuous
revelings in the role of Sir Toby. The |
other outstanding performance Of the /
revival is Miss Leonora Chippendale's |
joyous impersonation of the willy
Maria.