Thos. W. Keene Richelieu

The return to Ann Arbor of this distisguished trageditn need only be mentioned to insure him crowded house. In speaking of his appesrance in Detroit this week the Free Press has the following concerning his return to the stage: "A little more than a year ago Mr. Keene suffered a gtroke of paralysis, which at one time, and for a considerable period, threatened to end his prolessional career. Comparatively lew of the thousands who had seen and admired him on the stage kcew the extremity to which he was reduced ; but now as he is in a fair way to complete restoration there can be no objection to makiug generally known the fact that for severaï months his intellect was a blank. He had forgotten even his own naüae. One joyful day it carne suddenly back to him, and he sprang out of his chair shouting it. His delight and gratitude were boundless, and from that moment he mended rapidly. The line? of all the parts that he had been accustomed to act were forgotten completely, but he set to work with hopeful energy and restudied his leading parts. Two weeks ago he resumed his place before the pubha Judging from his appearance and work last night he seems to be in robust health. His intellectual grapp of Hamlet is vigorous. He reveáis the deep spirituality of his character more clearly than was his wont in other daye, makes larger use of ita pathetic indicision bl1 carries it throughout with the princely spirit which is one of Hamlet's chieiest beautiee. "There is sometbing in his soul o'er which his melancholy sits on brood," says Claudius. Apparently O-at is the keynote ot Mr. Keene's interpretation of the charac ter, BtatiDg with which hegoeson through all the five acts of the tragedy, steadily developing its noble beauties and raising a!oft its ëubhme catastrophe "as on an Olympus." The only visible reminder of Mr. Keene's affiiction is faulty memory. His re-study of the lines is not yet perfect and the close sticklerfor Shskespeare's text might find serious objection to his gropings which at tin es are almost painful It should be 6aid in this connection, however, that he does not grope or waver in his effort to éxpress his conception of the character. Tbere is in it no uncertain mentality. It is simply the lamenefs of imperfect study. The company did remarkably good work all round. There were fewer dull scènes than are nsual in representations of this tragedy and the general movement was accelerated by efficiënt and alert etage management."