OCR Text |
Show "rr.A:;crccA da Riinirc." TraK.My Is sometimes sublime, and m ar,ew nays more tragic and n.e sublime than "Francesca da mini. in It all human passions culminate cul-minate and In their Inevitable culmination culmina-tion when death overtakes them all there is a something that not only Inspires human hu-man awe. but that touches gently the chords of human admiration. IVhat a tra.-edy of passions It Is. A father's sordid sor-did ambition barters with his daughter's love; a servile hatred makes of a fool, a demon; and an enraped revenge trar.s-lorrns trar.s-lorrns a husband and. brother into a murderer and suicide. ' Francesca da Rimini" was ' written more than a dozen years ago. but it is etui a powerful drama, and will remain as such so long as the human race Is moved by impulses and emotions that are universal. The performance of George H. Eoker's T-ny at the Salt Lake Theater last night was nearly all that could be desired. It vas the well-rounded, the perfectly- cvKu ana me e;iecnveiy-enactea production pro-duction that was naturally expected from James and Warde with Wagenhals & Kernper ns managers. . Of Frederick Warde. it can be said that Ms Lanclotto, while undoubtedly the most difficult, . is perhaps at the same time the most effective characterization -that he has ever portrayed. Lanclotto, the deformed prince, is a bundle of war-1 war-1 ring passions, which are only quieted by . . death. Mr. Warda's rendition of Boker's poetic lines was scholarly, and the only ' wonder is that this intelligent reading, through force of repetition if nothing else, does not have its effect on certain members of the James and Warde sup- fort. These certain members have fol- owed the two stars blindly for years, and with every return there Is the same monotonous ring to their unintelligent, almost senseless reading. As to Mr. James's portrayal of Pepe, it was one of his triumphs years before many of us ever entered a theater. the-ater. But those who witnessed his Pepe then, when it made Lawrence Barrett's Lanclotto jealous for first honors tradition tra-dition behind the scenes of the Salt Lake Theater is authority for this have nothing noth-ing to boast of over the younger playgoers, play-goers, for according to one of the oldest etage hands at the Theater last night, Mr. James has Improved on his former work. Miss Teresa Maxwell has the requisite face and figure for the classic actress, but she has not. as yet the ability to ifMcu me emotional neignts in f rancesca. ran-cesca. Mr. Hackett was as ever the handsome man, but the swaggering actor ac-tor and the thoughtless reader. Mr. Hackett has crystallized a kind of monotone mono-tone in his reading. He begins all -sentences with the same Inflection of voice and ends them likewise. The other players play-ers have small parts, which In most cases was to the advantage of the performance. The exceptions are Mr. Holllnghead and Miss James, who are both entirely acceptable. ac-ceptable. "Francesca da Rimini" will be repeated tonight, and at the matinee tomorrow. "The Tempest" Is the attraction for tomorrow to-morrow night. |