ard to
Mr. BARKER'S intentions).

The best scene was the haunt of _Titania_, with its background of
Liberty curtains very cleverly disposed. As drapery they were excellent,
but as symbols of a forest I found them a little arbitrary. I do not
mind a forest being indicated, if you are short of foliage, by a couple
of trees (in tubs, if you like) or even a single tree; but somehow--and
the fault is probably mine--the spectacle of hanging drapery does not
immediately suggest to me the idea of birds' nests. I am afraid I should
be just as stupid if Mr. BARKER gave me the same convention the other
way round, and showed an interior with foliage to indicate
window-curtains.

The play itself, with its rather foolish figures from the Court and the
easy buffoonery of its peasants, does not offer great chances of acting;
and Miss LAURA COWIE was the only one in the cast who added to her
reputation. Her _Hermia_ was a delightful performance full of charm and
piquancy and real intelligence. Miss LILLAH MCCARTHY sacrificed
something of her personality to the exigences of a flaxen chevelure. Mr.
HOLLOWAY'S _Theseus_ was wanting in kingliness, and his hunting scene
was perhaps the worst thing in the play. He was not greatly helped by
his _Hippolyta_, for Miss EVELYN HOPE never began to look like a leader
of Amazons. Miss CHRISTINE SILVER'S _Titania_ had a certain domestic
sweetness, but even a queen of fairies might be a little more queenly.
Mr. DENNIS NEILSON-TERRY as _Oberon_ was a curiously effeminate figure
for those who recalled the manly bearing of his mother in the same part.
Of the two bemused Athenian lovers, Mr. SWINLEY, as _Lysander_, bore
himself as bravely as could be expected.

Mr. NIGEL PLAYFAIR had, of course, no difficulty with the part of
_Bottom_, and Mr. ARTHUR WHITBY'S _Quince_ and Mr. QUARTERMAINE'S
_Flute_ were both excellent. It is to the credit of the whole troupe of
rustic players that nobody tried to force the fun.

Apart from a slight tendency to hurry, a trick that, except in swift
dialogue or passionate speech, gives the effect of something learnt by
heart and not spontaneous, the delivery of the lines--and some of
SHAKSPEARE'S most exquisite are here--was done soundly.

Finally, no one who wants to keep level with the table-talk of the day
should miss this interesting and intriguing production, especially if he
hasn't been to _Parsifal_.

O. S.

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