Page:Taming of the Shrew (1921) Yale.djvu/143

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of the Shrew
131

haps the only time that such a combined text has been seen on the stage. In 1905 E. H. Sothern and Julia Marlowe first acted the play, which they have continuously kept in their repertoire since then; the Induction is excluded from their somewhat condensed version. Ermete Novelli and Signora O. Giannini presented an Italian translation of the play in New York in 1907, and in 1915 Margaret Anglin (with Eric Blind as her leading man) presented the play there, as she had previously done in Australia and the West. In this latter revival no words except those to be found in the Folio were used, though the text was slightly cut; the Induction was at first presented by Miss Anglin, but later she dropped it from her version of the play. This production was made in the 'new manner,' an attempt to approximate the conditions of the Elizabethan theatre, so that it was possible to present the play almost as Shakespeare wrote it, without frequent and prolonged changes of scenery. The decorations were done for Miss Anglin by Livingston Platt.

Certain amateur performances of The Shrew may be also noted in this place. The Oxford University Dramatic Society produced it at Oxford in 1897, and again for seven performances, beginning February 6, 1907. As is customary with this organization, professional actresses were imported to take the women's rôles, the part of Katherine falling first to Miss Marian Morris and then to Miss Lily Brayton, who had already performed it on the regular stage. On June 18, 1910, the Yale Dramatic Association presented the play out of doors on the Yale Campus, 'for one performance only.' At this time the Induction and a conventional version of the main play were given.

A German opera made from the drama was first performed at Mannheim, on October 14, 1874, and