The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-01-16
THE DRAMA Who's Who Among the Shakespearean Actors Schumann-Heink The Capitol Theatre.
Fly MRS. B. F. wILKERsoN

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 1 When one checks over the names Of the, actors who are carrying the Shake spearean banner, one is impressed with tine changes. Forbes Robertson has re- ] tired, appearing only at intervals in lec- lures of readings.
 , Though Sothern and Marlowe at all I of their performances at last years re- vival were greeted by large and app, e. ciative audiences, so far this season no announcement has been made of their reappearance.
 Robert B. Mantell is the one expo
 nent of Shakespeare that has remaineo with his cause, in season and out of sea- son, and has ''weathered the weathers. and is still carrying the Elizabethean drama throughout the land
 heard with interest few days ago that we are to have Mr Mantell In fsrr-
 mingham again this season for solid week of Shakespeare!
 Birmingham patrons of the classic drama-and their number is iegion-as was attested by the phenomenal at
 tendance at every performance of MT.
 Mantell and company when here the last
 time, will welcome the advent of his re-
 turn.
 In fact I think this clty always turns
 out capacity for Snakespearean perform
 ances
 Mir. Mantell has a very large follow-
 ing. He has a bigger repertoire ot
 Shakespearean plays than any other ac-
 tor, and essays more roles. He possesses an enormous amount of scenic property
 for the elaborate production of his plays.
 There is today no better Shylock or
 King Lear upon the stage than Robert
 Mantelfs. His charming young wife,
 Genevieve Hamper, is acting with her
 husband this season, as heretofore, and
 has herself an admiring following who enjoy her Shakespearean work exceed
 ingly.
 By the way, do you recall Fritz Leiber, handsome young fellow; in fact,
 prominent player in the Mantell com pany? He has taken the plunge into
 Shakespeare for himself this year. It was no doubt largely through MT. Man tells encouragement. as he has long been protege of the older actor, having been associated with him for years. Launching a new Shakespearean star IS
 no easy task and it is next to fmpos- sble to obtain bookings Finally Leiber was told he might have a Chicago thea tre if he was prepared to open in, nine days. He opened and offered fairly large repertoire of plays, in four of which he had never acted the leading roles before, and Richard TIT was put on with but two rehearsals He then went to New York, where he succeeded in getting playhouse for two weeks, and played with such good results he will reopen there about Eastertime
 We shall no doubt hear more of Fritz Leiber.
 Walter Hampden is another actor in the Shakespearean limelight, having won his laurels Tn "Hamlet.'' I saw him in this two years ago in Chicago, just after his New York success, and his portrayal ,f f1,o ,f pearance is rot unlike Edwin Booth (his picture, I mean, I never saw Booth; in fact the critics and public, whose praise was immediate and overwhelming, com pare Hampden's Hamlet" with that cf Edwin Booth. Walter Hampden is not an Engiishman, as some suppose, but a native of Brooklyn. He played Shakes pearean parts in England with Irving. He also played in the title role of Ibsen' $ "The Master Builder also in "A Dolls House. In The Servant in the House his success was triumphant, but it seems Walter Hampden is not exclusively com mitted to Shakespeare, for only few weeks ago I read fhim and his com pany acting :he Charles Ram Kennedy play in Boston. MT Hampden, of course, playing the part of Manson.
 He has lately added "The Tanning of the 5hrew'' to his repertoire, but seems not to have added to laurels already won in Hamlet.
 I always thought the Sothern-Marlowe achieved their most distirl. l guished success in the colorful, rapid- | moving farce comedy. "The Tanning of the Shrew.' And of course any actor them must brook comparison | with the co-stars Somehow I have al- ways wished William Faversham would | play Petruchio-it is SO easy to imagine | i'm in this swashbuckling character of ] he Elizabethean comedy and it is not | mike the part of Miles Henderson he isl 1t present playing in "The Prince and | he Pauper."
 And another artist we need oh. SC l much on the Shakespearean stage again s lovely Edith Wynne Mathison She is | ust as great an actress as Julia Mar | owe and has played the same roles. She. fas played with Henry Irving in Shakes 'eares plays Miss Mathison is just now n her prime and is such an artist
 By the way, there are rumors abroad David Belasco's name with He expects to star Mir Narfield in The Merchant of Venice, md he is said to be contemplating a pro- luction of Henry VI as Lionel AtwiIIs tarring vehicle after .'Deburau''
 It Is we'll known. and has been men. toned before by the writer that when , Ar. John Barrymore returns to the legiti- nate stage next season, it will be in Hamlet. Some jump you say, from , lis part in the moving picture comedies. Are You a Mason and "The Man From dexico," and Rallies to the role Of