Mr. Miln'and his company began their season ofthe legitimate drama at the Lyceum on Saturday, and it was very gratifying to tee such an excellent house gathered to-fish language put on the stage as adequately ether, to nee the greatest play in the Engts could pomibly be expected at auch a distance from the great centres of Knglishspeaking population. The stella were filled, the pit and gallery were crowded, and it la iguificant—and not altogether favourably iguificaut—that the only vacant seats were in the high-priced dress circle. Yet the popularity of Shakespeare at the Lyceum at home shows that it is not waning interest in our great dramatist that kept so many j seats in the dress circle empty. The part of Hamlet may be said to be a very easy and a very difficult one to play. To a great extent it plays itself. It isa tradition of the English sage that no actor has ever failed in Hamlet; the character stands out from the rest of the dramatic persona, as old Walter Lacy used to say, "like a hearse in a snow-storm," and the language that Shakespeare has given him to deliver is magnificent that it keeps the audience i On the other hand the complexity of the terested, if it is only intelligently delivered.
character makes it a very difficult une, and the actor is handicapped by every one in the audience having long ago formed his own opinion of what Hamlet was and judging him accordingly. That Mr. Mun satisfied every one's personal conception of the part is improbable, but it must have been generally conceded that he was a very good all-round Hamlet, not an actor of genius who can hold an audience and, though he was listened to with deep attention. He gave an intelligent, straightforward rendering of the part, no dreaminess about it even in the celebrated soliloquies, the only flaws being a tendency to imitate occasionally Irving's execrable pronunciation of Engish, and a disposition to exaggerate in the climaxes. But as Shakespeare undoubtedly makes Hamlet rant, the actor is justified in ranting a little too at times. It is to be remembered, too, that there is a certain grand style associated with the legitimate drama, which necessitates a certain amount of exaggeration; and we see the legitimate drama here so seldom, that we are too ready to call it rant A little more repose, a little more of the softer side of Hamlet's nature, and a little more recollect of the pale cast of thought by which Hamlet's native resolution was sicklied o' would make Mr. Milna very good Hank Still he is a thoroughly good actor, and his rendering decidedly pleased his audience he was called at the end of every act, and was heartily applauded at the conclusion.
actress, and we shall be able to judge her Miss Louise Sordsa is an equally good still better when we have seen her again for, except in the mad scene, Ophelia has very little todo, In the mad scene Miss Jordan was very good indeed, very pathetic, and never overstepping the modesty of nature; while her singing of the scraps of song with which the distraught maiden interweaves her lamentings was very touch-fe can heartily congratulate Mr. Mun on the general excellence of the company that he has brought with him. Mr. Nuon and Miss Douglas wore both good in the unsympathetic parts of the King and Queen, as and the Polonius of Mr. Joe Stark was very much enjoyed by the audience. Mr. Aticlwood made a handsome Laertes, but with no-one were the audience better ple seed than with Mr. Montzomery, whose horatio was an excellent impersonation in every way. The minor parts were all jequately filled, Mr. Wilmot Eyre being martially impressive as the Ghost, Mr. Clem Wakefield did justice to his lines as the First Actor, and Miss Tors as the Player Queen made us hope that we shall soon see her again in a better part. The humours of the First Gravedigger were well given by Mr. C, Edoott. The scenery was sufficient, the dresses excellent, and the pauses between the acts Mi were commendably brief. The Town Band being en; at the Concordia Club, the incidental music had to be entrusted to.a piano, The play of Hamlet is so long that, when its performance begins at nine, cou-siderable excisions must be made in order to finish it within a rensovable time. This task was on the whole judiciously carried out, though the omission of the ceive in which the plot is laid to poison Hamlet must have made the last scene somewhat unintelligible to those, if any. who are not familiar with the story. We may fairly conclude by saying that Mr. Mun and his company justified on Saturday the commendations which heralded their arrival, By their performance of the Merchant of Venice at the Theatre on Monday night Mr. Mun and his company have fairly confirmed the right to be considered thoroughly able exponents of the legitimate drama. It is a long time since residents of Shanghai have had aa opportunity of secing a standard play put upon the stage as well as was the case on Monday. The house was well filled, the only noticeable array of empty benches being, as on Saturday, in the dress circle. It is generally known, thst all Shakepeare's plays have '0 be compressed to meet the requirements of the stage; the Merchant of Venice being comparatively short, it was only necessary to leave out one' or two short scenes (which advance the action but slightly) and two characters, the unsuccessful suitors who are not such good hands at guessing as Bassxnio, These excisions being made, the play was performed on Monday in little more than two baure and half, It was rewarkuble not only for fine acting by the principals but for excellent support accorded to them by the exponents of the less arduous parts. Mr. Miln's Shylock, which must be noticed, was an impersonation which it would be difficul to improve upon. In the earlier scene in which Shylock shows what an excellent insurance agent he would have made in a later age, the lighter phases of the character admirably delineated by Mr. Milo, who did not fail afterwards to i intensity. The fierce tween grief and. joy on hearing daughter's doings and the misfortune crowding upon the hated Antonio, the vindictive glee and baffled malice of the trial scene, were all admirably portrayed and the whole rendering of the part was, in short, of the highest class, The only fault that could be found, a tendency to mouth the words, was but slightly noticeable, Miss Jordan's Portia was another piece of work. In the earlier he actress's peculiar intonation was jicuous, but in the tru scene every point was made with a finish which stamps Miss Jordan as an actress of no common attainments. Mr. W. J. Montgomery, who created such an_excellent impression by his rendering of Horatio on the opening night, played Bassani admirably, oth as the' gallant lover and the tender friend. Mr. Wilmot Eyre was subdued but none the less satisfactory na looked and ud the same may he said of " Mr.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.