However, when Miss Anderson takes the reins of stage management in to her own fair and shapely hands, the necessity of providing for a tragedian of the first class disappears. The "leading man" of her company is Mr. Forbes-Robertson—a most talented person. He can paint pictures, and play remarkably well in certain characters. His Captain Absolute was far from bad, and his Romeo more than good. As Leontes he has a part rather out of his line; but, all things considered, he fills it very well. It may be objected that he is rather effeminate, and that his costume would have been more becoming had he worn what the ladies (I believe) term "half sleeves;" but for all that, his reading of the character was entirely conscientious, if not absolutely right. But naturally the success of Saturday evening was Miss Anderson, who was as matronly dignified as Hermione, as she was deliciously girlish as Perdita. She "looked" both parts to perfection. It may be my fancy, but I imagine she has greatly improved since we saw her last in London. The bass notes of her silvery voice have mellowed, and her attitudes, always graceful, are seemingly now more spontaneous, and consequently more natural. Charming as Juliet, she is more charming as Hermione, and most charming as Perdita. Nothing prettier than her dance in the "Pastoral Scene" has been seen in a London Theatre for many a long year.
Young and Harpy.
And my reference to the "Pastoral Scene," (by Mr. Hawes Craven) recalls the fact to my mind that all the scenery is excellent. The Palace of Leontes by Mr. W. Telbin, is only equalled by Mr. W. Telbin's Queen's Apartment, and a wonderful cloth of a roadside with a view of a flock of sheep grazing on the brow of a hill (again by Mr. Hawes Craven, who seems to have become Artist in Ordinary to Arcadia), is not more remarkable than Mr. Hann's Court of Justice. In the last stage-picture it is possible, but not probable, that the hypercritical might suggest that the accessories are slightly suggestive of a kitchen, on the score that the altar is something like a silver grill, and the Court Herald appears, during a portion of the action of the piece, to be cooking chops. Personally, I think this idea rather far-fetched, although, of course, there is some resemblance (no doubt purely accidental) between the helmets of the soldiers and the brass coal-scuttle of a modern drawing-room. And I will even go further, and admit that, to a careless observer, some of the warriors may appear to be wearing the garb of Harlequin; but when it is hinted that Leontes, in his first attitude on his throne, is not unlike a Guy on the Fifth of November, I feel that the wish must be father of the thought, and that the resemblance is purely imaginary.
A Scene on its Metal.
Leaving the scenery to come to the acting, I may say that the play is generally well cast. Mr. Maclean and Mr. Charles Collette are both very amusing, the first as Camillo, and the last as Autolycus, and Mr. George Warde is quietly humorous with the baby. When I say quietly humorous, I do not mean that he trenches in the least on the ground occupied by either the Clown of Pantomime or the Clown of Shakspeare. He does not sit upon the infant, or throw it about—no, nor even sing to it a little comic song. He gets all his effects by merely carrying it quietly about, and showing it, with an assumption of gravity that is killing, to Mr. Forbes-Robertson. To turn to the less important characters of the play, Mr. Davies as a gaoler suggests that in "those days" prison officials were sometimes whatever happened to be the equivalent of the period to the modern "masher." Miss Zeffie Tilbury, Miss Helena Dacre, and Miss Desmond ("1st Lady with a song" and gigantic lyre) are all equally good, and even the subordinate female parts have efficient representatives.
Returning to the gentlemen (a difficult task when it entails leaving such pleasant company) Mr. F. H. Macklin as Polixenes is sufficiently robust in his manly bearing to suggest the necessary contrast with Leontes, and Mr. Fuller Mellish is picturesque, painstaking and conscientious as Florizel.
