Modernized Ophelia Would Lose Charm of Italian Romance Says Fritz Leiber--Shakespeare Always Modern in Thought

"The modernizing of Shakespeare is just a fad," Fritz Leiber, veteran Shakespearian star, walking off the stage into his dressing-room at the Arlington Theatre, explained to a CRIMSON representative. "It appeals to those people who are always seeking novelty in a thing, while the company likes it because it breaks up the repertoire.

"But to alter all the plays of Shakespeare, to make the lines and the costumes up-to-date, it can't be done. We tried it with Hamlet for four nights when we played in Cleveland, but we found that nothing was gained and much lost. In every work, Shake speare has created a background and an environment which, if taken away, destroys the greatness of the play. For instance. 'Romeo and Juliet' requires the romance-breathing Italian atmosphere, while the more blatant, boisterous plays would not be out of place in any country but England. This we found to be the case with 'Hamlet'. Ophelia would lose her charm in modern dress. And then, a change of costume is not needed to make Shakespeare modern. His thought and his humility will always be ultra-modern.

"I believe that by casting 'The Taming of the Shrew' in modern dress, a fresh interest in Shakespeare can be given. This play is now in popular disfavor, although of course in the days of Ellen Terry the people thought it among the best of Shakespearean dramas. By putting an Italian gentleman, Petruccio, in a cowboy outfit and by introducing a modern touch to the lines, the audiences seem to become more appreciative of Shakespeare. 'The Taming of the Shrew' seemed to us particularly well adapted to modernizing. The original version, one of the most amusing farces of the Elizabethan stage, contained many 'local gags'. All example is the passage in the induction about 'Marian Hocket, the fat ale-wife of Wincot'. Shakespeare, without a doubt, changed 'Wincot' to the name of whatever town he was playing in, and made 'Marian Hocket' some local character. Thus he heightened the farcical element, and this can be best conveyed to an American audience by making it typically American, by modernizing the costumes and the speech"