Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1922-02-22
MANTELL PERMITS HAMLET" TO BE UNFOLDED
Which Intensity roceeds
By WALTER D. HICKMAN.
,other week. another Hamlet. "

AnOLueT week. duOIueL 4AHA1lCb'
Last week l witnessed e. H. Sothern
present his version of Hamlet with
modern stage settings Last night at
English's, l saw Mr.. Robert B. Manten
give his idea Of his master tragedy, adj
herring to the old and tested method Of
producing it.
Mr.. Sothern makes his Hamlet keen,
alert and even dangerous individual who
plans revenge for the death of his father.
He permits the audience to see Hamlet
cunningly plan the various steps of his
campaign of revenge. Mr.. Sothern
Hamlet does not receive sympathy al
though we respect and even fear his cum
ming in feigning madness.
Mr.. Mantell on the other hand, pictures
Hamlet as a man with sick soul, not a
man physically strong but an Individual
overwhelmed at the tragedy which car
ried his father to the grave. Mr.. Man
tell obtains the sympathy of the au-
dience for hts Hamlet.
Mr. Sothern does not emphasize the
scene in which the players enact the
murder of Hamlet's father before Ger
trude, the Queen, and Claudius, King OF
Denmark Mr.. Mantell permits the entire
play to move with dramatic intensity to
this scene and allows the consequences
agination of Hamlet Mr. SOthern laid
stress upon the scene in Gertrude's closet.
Mr.. Manteu permitted that scene to take
its place as a contributory action 20
events which made even more sad the
plight of Hamlet.
In the reciting of the famous soliloquy
of Hamlet, Mr.. Sothern remained seated
most of the time. Not so with Mr.. Man
tell as he moved about the tage. Mr..
Manten lifts 10 dramatic beauty the
scene in which he plans to have the
players enact the murder Of the king.
The whispered rendering of these lines
prepares the audience to expect a dra-
matte outburst when the players actually
present the scene before Claudius and
Gertrude.
Mr.. Sotherns Hamlet IS a much
lengthier one than that of Mantell, who
permits his curtain to rise at S:l5 o'clock
with the final curtain close to II.
Mr.. Sothern's curtain rose at o'clock,
the final curtain coming close to 80
o'clock. Mr. Sothern uses Grapes and
the modern idea Of suggesting the scenes.
Mr. Mantell uses real palaces to nbstones
and the like. One represents the new
school Of scenic production. Mr.. Mantell
remains mistaken in his loyalty to the
old school and judging by the applause
after each scene last night at English's,
Mr.. Mantell is safe in sticking to the
old school.
There is not such wide difference be-
tween the conceptions of Miss Julia Mar
lowe and Miss Genevieve Hamper in the
characterizing Of Ophela. Miss Mar
lowe is more dramatic in the mad scene
than Miss Hamper. Miss Hamper at all
times permits her Ophelia to be a sweet
ond cpDtIe creature Miss Hammer really
accomplished marvellous thing last
night during the pathetic mad scene
men and women in the audience cried
gently A splendid compliment. Miss
Hamper Miss Hamper makes her
Ophelia a beautiful creature TO behold,
even In the mad scene. Miss Hamper Is
naturally slender and tall and makes,
probably, the prettiest Ophelia on the
stage today I noticed a marked I'm
provement in her work last night than
when I first saw her as Ophelia.
Some Of the supporting cast was AIDE
quate, others fair 1t appears to me That
Mr.. John Alexander, who played the role
Of Laertes, son Of P0lonius is one OF
Mr. Mantell's most finished players. lie
has the appearance Of youth and reads
his lines with understanding and feeling.
Mr.. Mantell shared n curtain with him
last night Mr. Edward Levers empha-
sizes the comedy side of the first grave
digger--a little too much so, | think.
because it permits the audience to yield