It all boils down to whether you go to a Shakespere performance to see a good play produced in such a way as to afford you a good evening's entertainment or whether you insist upon seeing the same play done in such wise that it is thoroughly tedious, and disturbing, all in its atempts to be horribly classical. If you belong to the former school of theatregoers, there is absolutely no reason why you should not have a most pleasant evening at the Arlington Theatre: if you are of the latter type, the chances are very strong that Mr. Leiber's production will cause you considerable suffering.

Fortunately for us, we belong to the class that enjoys Shakespere: we have no objection to seeing a good play produced as such. If history fails us not, the Elizabethans went in order to see the play. The tendency to go for the aesthetic pleasure of seeing Jno Barry more is but a modern development. Hence, it must be said in all sincerity that Fritz Leiber as Petrnchio, and his accompanying cast in "The Taming of the Shrew" gave us just what we wanted.

Mr. Leiber is gifted with intuition enough to grasp the fact, that net yet at any rate is he either Hampien or Barrymore. With that in the back of his mind, as well as his own private theories as to the manner of presenting the bard of Avon's plays he has gone ahead. Far from following the custom any path, he leaves the pomposity which suits but so few pieces anyway, and proceeds to tone ats Shakespere down. He in particular, but the supporting cast as well, render their lines as though they were of twentieth century vintage, and it was only after a hurried trip to a volume of the plays that we convinced ourselves that they had been said exactly as written.

In this way Petruchio, Katharine, Grumio, Hortensio, and the rest become more human than ever. Mr. Leiber as Petruchio is perfect. He carries the necessary bragadaccio to just the proper point, and as he strides about horse-whip in hand inflicting his will upon Katharine one can well believe in his ultimate triumph. Virginia Bronson's Katharine is quite on a par with Petruchio, and rages about quite as she is expected to. In all truthfulness must be said that it is as the violent Kate and not as the tamed Shrew that Miss Bronson is at her very best: Acts I and II do her more credit than the two succeding ones. Louis Leon Hall as Christophus Sly in the Induction and later as Hortensio gives an excellent performance. His portrayal of the considerably inebriated Sly is amusing to a high degree. Lastly, a word must be said for the stage settings. Extremely simple, composed largely of curtains with here and there a snatch of landscape or a facade, they are undeniably beautiful and go no little way toward carrying out the spirit in which the entire performance is conceived