Apart. For several years, Sothern dreamed of mounting a spectacular and precise production of Hamlet. He finally opened the play in New York in 1900, but during the first week, he was stabbed in the foot by Laertes' sword and was stricken with blood poisoning, closing the production. After he recovered, he revived the piece on tour, but the sets and costumes were destroyed by a fire in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1901, he played the title role in Richard Lovelace and then François Villon in If I Were King. In 1903, he played the title role in Markheim and Robert, the King of Sicily, in The Proud Prince, after which he toured again. Marlowe and later years In 1904, he began an extremely successful partnership with actress Julia Marlowe, beginning with their appearances as the title roles in Romeo and Juliet, Beatrice and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, and the leads in Hamlet. They toured all over the U.S. in these plays, adding The Taming of the Shrew, The Merchant of Venice and Twelfth Night to their repertoire in 1905. Unhappy with their compensation from their manager, Charles Frohman, they continued under the management of the Shubert Brothers, from then on receiving a percentage of the profits. In 1906, together with Marlowe, he played the Duc d'Alençon in Percy MacKaye's Jeanne d'Arc, the title role in Sudermann's John the Baptist and Heinrich in The Sunken Bell, receiving favorable reviews: "He plays the idealist thoughtfully and intelligently.... He plays it with a fire and enthusiasm that approach closely to genius." By this time, Marlowe and Sothern were known as the premier Shakespearean actors in their day. Sothern was particularly admired as Benedick and Malvolio. After another season in New York and then on tour, Sothern, Marlowe and their company crossed the Atlantic to play in London. They were unable to attract audiences in England, however, and returned to America after a season. Back in the U.S., they presented Shakespeare at affordable prices at the Academy of Music in New York, allowing audiences to see the performances who had not previously been able to afford their productions. Marlowe and Sothern dissolved their company and formed separate companies for a time. Sothern played Raskolnikov in Laurence Irving's adaptation of Crime and Punishment, entitled The Fool Hath Said in His Heart. He also starred in Hamlet and If I were King, as well