The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-01-28

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their own writing and decry those Q
There was Christopher Marlowe,
brilliant young genius who, at 25,
was killed in a tavern braWl. There
were Ben Jonson, John Ford and
the first famous team of collabor-
ators, Beaumont and Fletcher.
There were many others, famous
throughout London because it was
they whom Queen Elizabeth had,
on rare occasions, delighted to
honor. Now they were compelled to
admit Will Shakespeare, whose
poem, Venus and Adonis," has just
been published and which, If rumor
were correct, had pleased the Queen
nightly.
Held Slight Respect
1t is feared that Master Shake
speare had no great respect for the
business abilities of his table COM
panions, masters of the drama
though they were. They could
write, but they we're at the mercy
OF theater managers, SO that they
often paid for their toddies with
couplets.
Shakespeare had other ideas. To-
day he may be considered the great
est poet who ever used the English
language, but that day in 1893 when
he took his place at the select table
in the Mermaid, he was primarily
a Snowman.
He had held horses heads in front
of plsyhouses, he had been an actor
and a hack writer who revamped
plays for Burbage's company. He
knew the game. The road to sue
cess had been difficult, but he was
going to the top, and in a few years
was to gain admiration of his con-
temporary dramatists, probably be-
cause he was chief stakeholder in
the only two theaters which could
produce their works
These theaters we're vastly differ
ent from those of today. There
were some boxes for ladies and
few seats on the stage for noblemen,
but the ma jority of the customers
paid a penny to stand in the pit.
And it was for the pit that Shake
speare wrote, and not posterity, for
which he cared nothing.
All Roles by Men, Boys
No woman ever appeared on the
stage in Shakespeare time. All
his magnificent feminine roles, his
Portals, his Ophelias, his Juliets,
we're played by boys.
Today his Hamlet" remains the
most popular play ever written. No
drama ever has approached it in the
number of times it has been pro-
duced. It's nearest rival is The
Merchant of Venice"
One production, however, estab-
lished him not only as the leading
dramatist of his day, but placed him
high in the favor of Queen Eliza
beth, who declared it the finest COM
pliment ever paid her. This was
"A Midsummer Nights Dream" his
most popular comedy, full of robust
humor, fantasy and romance.
Year after year. great stars of the
stage have brought us this and 9TH
er plays, but not until the produc-
ton of "a Midsummer Nights
Dream" which opens at Keiths to-
morrow, has Shakespeare been in
PRODUCED to the screen. And Shake
Speare, the master craftsman of en-
tertainment, surely would applaud
this undertaking which really brings
his work to the masses.
Mrs. Brown Speaks
Yesterday noon Mrs Demarchus
Brown, well-known lecturer, talked
before large audience in Keith's
Theater on the subject of "A Mid
summer Nights Dream"
1T is plain to see," Mrs. Brown
said, that Shakespeare wrote this
play while living in the beautiful
Strstford country 1t is so full of
poetic imagery and the authors
lovely philosophy which he made
understandable to the farmers who
stood in the pit to see his shows"
The play was written in Shake
speares golden moment of youth
full success" Mrs. Brown said, and
contained all the boyish exuberance
with which his mind and heart were
filled at that particular period of
his life.
Here is a challenge to those who
have demanded better pictures" she
said. With the genius of Shake
speare brought to the screen
through the work of Max Rein
hardt, who also is genius in an
other medium, and then combined
with the genius of Mendelssohns
music. the picture promises to be a
presentation of the classic that has
not been equalled in any other gen.
Grafton or production"
Mrs. Brown was introduced by
Paul c. Stetson, superintendent of
city schools. About 500 persons, in
Guiding educational, civic and So
cial leaders. attended the lecture.
Mrs Will C. Hitz spoke in behalf
of the White Gross Music Guild,
sponsod of the opening night.