San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-01-28
BY KENNETH MGOWN.

Copyright 1898 by The San Antonio Light.
New York, Jan. 27.-John Barry
more retains the Shakespeare champion
ship, but the Juliet belt goes out of the
Barrymore family as the result of the
defeat of his sister, Ethel, by Jane
COwl this week. Weight and cOndi-
ton were the deciding factors. The
weight was with Miss Barrymore and
II did her no good. Miss COwl had
the edge in youth, passion and speed
They told heavily in her favor. The
encounter ran TO sixteen scenes, but
Mss Barrymore was plainly groggy af-
ter the third.
Five productions of the new season
on Broadway have had to do with the
celebrated bard of Avon. Besides the
| biographical drama, will Shakespeare
written b. the English woman who
wrote d" A Bill of enforcement" New
York has seen the amazing triumph of
John Barrymore in Hamlet" the cul-
mination of David Warfield's lifelong
/ ambition in BelascO's elaborate prOduc-
ton Of 1.-The Merchant of Venice" and
the two rival editions Of Romeo and
Juliet"
Shakespeare spells ruin fast enough
for Ethel Barrymore, who withdrew her
Juliet; but the public is depositing
close 10 twenty thousand dollars every
week in the respective box offices OF
John Barrymore and David Warfipld
1 ,,-hs1n 10 g
Cowl, combined with the youthful illu'
sion of her performance is likely "a
keep the SPlwyn's new Romeo and Ju
liet" on Broadway for some weeks
Shakespeare has been given "many times
and off, before this. but always in rep
prtOire. 1t is an astonishing and cheer
ing spectacle to see his single plays
produced for long runs. And not one
lplay, but three.
The Spirit Of Youth.
The Cowl production is distinctly be
hind the Hamlet" and The Merchan
of Venice" in general acting quality
but there can be no question OF III
superiority to Ethel Barrymore's "Ro
meO and Juliet" RollO Peters. wilt
plays Romeo. shares Miss Cowl's illus
sion Of youth and love, and he play
with sincerity and a skill create
, than Mckay Morris showed in supper
, of Miss Barrymore There is an OK
, cellent nurse in Jessie Ralph, a GOO
/ Tybalt in Louis Hector and some Splen
! did sword play. But the main vir
| tue of the new "ROmpO and Juliet
= is the swift speech and action whicI
= the director, Frank Dreicher, has pro
vidnd.
OF course. it is a little hard to Sc
any good in even the best America
I !acting these days while the marvelou
e company Of the Moscow Art Theater
t givin" new play every week. TIL
= troupe has no Bernhardt and no Iry
e ing. but every one Of the dozen maio
,. nlayerS could be a star in America an
= have enough artistry and proficienc
left over to run a fairly good stoc
company.
As matter of fact. each of thes
' players could be three or four differ
ent stars in one. Miss Cowl in ar,
y meO and Juliet" is prcity much Mis-
u COw in "Smilin' Through" or Mis-
Cowl in any other MAY Her actin
p varies only slightly. The Russians. n
= the contrary, are 81 utterly differer
i in different PARTS that il is often a
b. most impossible 10 recognize the pla,
d crs in each new production wiihOI
The aid OF the program. Ii is what v
: used 70 call impersonaiion before n
Itype-part mania descended on OF