The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-11-20

totre. His fne voice and romantic y--.-..ys
have carried him far since the night wh.n
be made brilliant success In the frpt
American performsnce Of Sardou's "Fs-
dora" eclipsing the fair star Of the occs-
sion, q way gifted leading men 20 oftes
have, as witness z. Fl. Sothern's eIpei-
ence at the Lyceum Theatre.
Although the present writer has had
the opportunity Of comparing MsnteIrs
King Lear and Richelieu with those d
Edwin Booth, be has not seen his Hsmlst-
John E. Kellerd, who won drn.l succss
as King John and Macbeth in Madame Mod
jesks's final performance, i, not likely to
relinquish his ambition to gain wider popu-
lxrity q Shakespesresn actor and metro
politsn recognition. Once an interpreter
Of the Divine William. slwsys. he offered
bis Hamlet some years ago at the Irving
Place Theatre and some day soon bis aspir,-
tons may be realized.
In the meantime, the star Of wsItey
Hampden has risen on the horizon His
resemblance to Booth is a fortuitous .cci-
dent and % Is bis general treatment Of the
Dane Such an actor in Booth, day was
called ''colloquial." Certainly wslte
declaims at moments with the tragic force
Of Booth and shows rare hnesse in the con-
versational scenes. In short, be Ia slmost
a Booth and yet original.
The actor triumphs, not the scenery,
which is as subordinated to the action As
in Booths performances, with the differ
ence that the New Art background ia full
of suggestion. Since be succeeded a. Ham
let he has produced Macbeth" far more
deliberately, but his admirers prefer both
bis Hamlet and its background OF drppery
TO the mise en- scene recalling the produc-
tons of Henry Irving and Beerbohm Tree.
Stick to simplicity is a good motto for q
new tragic actor.
ZONES now the Hamlet Of Forbes Robert.
~ ron. in the opinion OF those who have
followed his predecessors, from Irving ana
Booth TO the Danes Of the present day, the
beau ideal Of the Prince. The only Georrs
Bernard Shaw recently suggested that a
record Of our language should be made 40
It is spoken on the stage, cl..sica ly, and
adds:
we have in Forbes Robertson an actor
whose speech is unchsllenged in every Eng
lish speaking land, not only in Oxford and
the West End of London but in American
States. where the dialect Of Oxford and the
West End is received with shouts Of de-
risive laughter. II does not matter how
Forbes Robertson pronounces this or that
vowel. his speech Will carry any Enthsk-
man or North American snyp here"
Otter as ] have followed his Usnl.,
with ever-incressing admiration in smaller
theatres, it's vitality and scope were not
fully realized until the afternoon som, wear,
ago when he held the audionce at nro.
fessional matinee in the spsciou, N,nb,,.
tan Opera House bresthIess. and bronsh,
. them to their feet With a tour de force Of
varied and impassioncd acting that seemed
reality.
Yes, TO ny mind, and with all An,
spect to the great actors Of fifty year. mast
Forbes Robertson's Melancholy Dsn. a. -.
Hamlet of all Hsmlets, and IL he 1, IN n.
seen no more the stage suffers an irrenar,.
Bile loss
Doubtless other Hamlets VIII n-..,r,-
arise to swell the long hist not oni, on, :,
the Barrymores but Brandon lyman NJ, .o-,.
now mute inrlorious incipient Primo, :,
Denmark seems to Turk in the ~Sne,l =,
Hamlet and you hear their wtnrs
1t is mistake to suppose that IN, .,
Of today is not hypnotized By sh.ke,n..,.,.
tragedy. Not long ago a student %, a..
stage was asked what character in H..
he would Ike to act. the expectation bein,
he would say Lasrtes, but what wa, M,
daring boys reply but 81 should In, :,
play Hamlet Happily. there d DO law
sothern and Walter Hsmpden may NV
well say. Il told you So" to the cap
critics Of their beginnings.