THE SIGHTS OF SYDNEY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2309, 2 June 1898, Page 46

THE SIGHTS OF SYDNEY.

A GLANCE AT WILSON BARRETT, By Cigarette.

"Have you seen Wilson Barrett?" and " Have you heard Madams Aibani 1 " were the two questions most frequently asked me on my return from a trip to Tasmania. For. tunately, I was just in time' to hear Aibani on her last appearance in Sydney, whan she took the soprano part in the oratorio " Elijah " and delighted a tremendous audierffce with her beautiful singing ; but Wilson Barrett is still here, and to-night I shall asic you to accomp&ny me to Her Majesty's Theatre and see the famou» / actov in the character of Hamlet. Bub first take down your Shakespeare from the book-shelf, and read the play over just to refresh your memory. You will find you will enjoy it a great deal more if you do.

The night ia cold and wintry : Sydney's summer days are gone, a howling gale has raged for three days, and terrible shipwrecks are reported from- the coast ; yet, notwithstanding the weather, the theatre is crowded, lor Sydney audiences know when a good thi»g is put before them, and, from the " gods " downstairs, there is barely standing room. A moßt tuneful orchestra discourses fewset music for a time, and then the cartain rises and the play begins. About the staging of "Hamlet "itis impossible to speak toohighly — from the opening to the closing scene everything is in keeping with the spirit of the play— the ancient tapestry, the high- backed chairs, the quaint and pictaretque dresses, the exquisite blending of colours, resulting in a feast for the eyes alone, apart from the intellectual oleasure derived from tbe play itsalf.

Amidst an enthusiastic greeting Hamlet appears. "What do you think of him?" " Wait a bit till I hear him speak." " Yes, he has a musical voice and a fine appearance, but ia he not just a little bit too podgy for Hamlat 1 " " Yes, that is just what I think, only I did not liks to say so, as everyone raves about him." But how can you expect a man of 50 to look like the youth! al Prince of Denmark, whose age has proved such a bone of contention among actors, but whom Wilson Barrett declares to be a mere youth ? Despite his fine classioal features, his evident close study of the part, and his truly fine acting, his " too solid flesh" does hamper him in Hamlet.

Now comes Ophelia. Is she not lovely? And this is Maud Jeffries, whose photo you have so often admired. She looks as if she bad stepped out of some old picture in that exquisitely cut old-world gown of pink brocade, with her dark curling hair held back with pearls and falling softly on her neck. But hers 1b a weepfal part all' through. First cautioned by her brother with regard to her love.for Hamlet, then chidden by her father, and finally driven mad by sorrow, she seems to have little else to do but cry, 'and certainly she does this to perfection. One almost feels inclined to cry with sympathy. But it ia in the mad scene that Maud Jefferies shines most. Clothed in a softly-falling gown of white, with straws stuck in her hair •and her arms full of flowers, she raves pitifully through her part, as sweet a lunatic as ever trod the stage.

One of the most, powerful ecene3 is that in which Hamlet repulses Ophelia's love. There is more than a touch of genius in the way in which he holds himself in, as it were, letting the audience feel the presence of the love

wbich he will not express in the hearing of Folonius, who is concealed behind the arras. This scene alone is sufficient to rank Wilson Barrett among the first of Shakesperian actors.

As the play goes on our admiration for Wilson Barrett increases. His personality lays hold of one. When he is on the stage he seems to possess it, and all other characters fall into insignificance beside him. Great discussions have taken place in the papers both in Melbourne and Sydney over Wilson Barrett's interpretation of Hamlet, which is different to that of every other actor. Howevei\ he declares that his rendition of the character has the approval of Mathew Arnold, Raskin, Esrl Lytton, and many other well-known men of letter?, and he gives such excellent reasons for bis alterations that one cannot help seeing that his version of the character is the correct one. The King and Qaeen he makes in the prime of life. The Queen, Misß Lillah M'Cartby, certainly looks far too young to be Hamlat's mother, and both she and Maud Jeffries have adopted a tragic tone of voice which seems to come from their booty, bul which, it appears, is tbe latest fashion amongst English and American actresses.

The gravedigger, Mr Ambrose Manning, is quit* a feature o! .the play. His gruesome jests makes one's flesh creep, and there is something horribly suggestive in ths way he unearths the skulls and jokes over them. It brings death too unpleasantly near.

" But is that a yawn I see you trying to stifle? Yes, it is. Surely you do not find Shakespeare dull ? "

" Well, to tell the truth, I found the ' Gay Farieienne ' more amusing, but don't tell anyone I said so."

" Well, to be honest, I think a great many people hold the same opinion. This is an age of froth and bubble, and tbe amusements people like best are in keeping with it. Nevertheless, it does one good to be serious for a while, and such a play as 'Hamlet,' interpreted by such an actor as Wilson Barrett, is an intellectual treat that is as rare as it is beneficial."