Show Walter Hampden Scores in and Hamlet Walter Valter Hampden and a n sterling cast presented at Kingsbury Kingsbury Kingsbury Kings- Kings bury hall ball on the university campus Wednesday afternoon to the echoing applause of ot an audience nearly filling the large auditorium The play by Arthur Goodrich and Rose A. A Palmer is based upon Robert Brownings Browning's poem The Ring and the Book and vividly recreates the story of a murder murder mur mur- der trial which held the interest of the he old world Jn the seventeenth cen cen- tury Guido Glido Franceschini an Ignoble count counts had married Pompilla only that he might obtain her parents parent's fortune Suffering from his brutality Pompilia sought the aid of Capon Capon- a priest to w return to her father and mother in Rome Through intrigues in with powerful officials Porn Pom- silia pilla and are com corn prom promised ired The priest is imprisoned and ind the girl finds asylum in her old home lome Upon the evening when Capon Capon- is freed he goes there a few moments after Guido and his men had lad murdered the father mother and daughter The of Guido for murder murder mur mur mur- der and of for invading lug ing ng the nobleman's home for dishonoring dis dis- honoring his priestly calling and for assault upon th the count following the is ic the main burden of the I drama as enacted between prologue and epilogue The prologue shows Pope Innocent XII secreting himself behind a cur cur- lain tain am to listen to all evidence that as ashe ashe he IB says he may judge of the truth apart from the facts inasmuch as he heIs heis hes Is s to be the court of last resort Then the he whole stor story unfolds the unseen prelate judging the truth from front the voices and demeanor of the witnesses witnesses- In the epilogue the curtains part astounding all in the sombre courtroom courtroom courtroom court court- room when the pope is discovered seated where he heard alL In the dramatic climax of the tense teDe story Guido is sentenced to be beheaded in n the public nubile and his con- con federates hanged beside him while receives freedom a papal blessing and a call to continue his ministry as a warrior priest Brownings Browning's richly beautiful lines are availed of by the dramatists imparting im im- I parting arting poetic charm to the moving story tory The cast was signally equal to o the flowing diction The result was vas n a stage offering that harks back backo to o the finest traditions of the drama a precious souvenir of days that seem to o be slipping away greatly to the loss oss of ot a world that sorely needs a cultural antidote for the cold materialism material material- ism of a n mechanized age Mr Hampden gave a spirited reading of the dominant role a young heart delighting in playful antics and yet always aware of his consecration as a priest Many occasions demanded I of ot him hint the highest artistry and to w these hese he lent fine understanding and I his ds marvelous voice to the complete satisfaction of ot his audience Esther Mitchell playing Pompilia was vas a true artist in iii the role blend blend- lag Ing ng the melancholy cast upon her herby herby hery by y her suffering under the brutalities brutalities brutalities I ties of Guido with the few lighter moods when she was swayed by her strange love for lor the young church church- man Miss Mitchells Mitchell's beauty and her musical voice always alwa's well modulated together with engaging clarity of enunciation set her apart as an actress act act- ress ross of fine fino capabilities and natural charm Throughout the supporting cast was vas distinctly adequate Mr Rowan as Guido carried the part of ot the count with fine strength and in the last scene cene particularly made it one of ot power ower Mr Evans as Gherardi Mr Kane Cane as Canon Conti Mr Sauter as the pope and Mr Cushman as the archbishop were all effective in demanding de de- de manding roles AU All parts even to the most minor were in capable hands The Hampden company is an exceptionally exceptionally ex ex- strong organization especially es- es for extended road to tours rs in inthis inthis this his unsettled era of ot the drama The staging throughout was sumptuous and reminiscent of ot the best in bygone bygone by by- gone days 4 t It was an enthusiastic audience that hat greeted Mr Hampden at the eve eve- ling fling performance W Wednesday when he noted actor gave a most masterly presentation of ot Shakespeare's Hamlet Hamlet Ham let let ct Long acclaimed by critics as perhaps the most famous interpreter on oct n the English speaking stage of ot this thi dramatic role Mr Hampden convinced convinced con con- vinced his hear hearers rs that such acclaim has has' las not been without just cause for lor never lever has the role been done more impressively in Salt Lake The combInation combination com corn of Mr Hampden's histrionic artistry with the fact that he has S played the part more than times has las made of him a really personal Hamlet Although surrounded by a far better better beter bet- bet ter er than average cast the star Ively overshadowed his support throughout the tho entire performance making of his Hamlet HamIeL a definitely living iving character As OpHelIa Evelyn Venable Tenable who has long carried the feminine leads in Hampden's com corn panics was perhaps next to the star starin starin starn in n the matter of excellence of inter inter- relation Miss Venable is the possessor possessor pos pos- sessor of youth beauty and intelli- intelli gence-a gence jence a combination which if used judiciously as she does is bound to result in worth while performance Others of the cast deserving of special special cial lal mention for their work were William Villiam Sauter as Horatio C. C Norman Hammond ammond as King Claudius Ernest Rowan lowan as Laertes J J. J P. P Wilson Won as Reynold Evans as Osric the he courtier and the player king and Mabel label Moore as lIS Queen Gertrude A most noticeable feature of this Hamlet HamIeL production was the fact that thattie the tie play was done In its entirety instead in in- stead lead of being the usually shortened version which often leaves too much mucho to o the memory Costuming and scenic effects were entirely adequate and wholly in keepIng keep keep- Ing lag with the spirit of the performance 4 I I |