The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-04-28
A SPANISH RELIGIOUS PLAY.

interesting description of Spanish religious
play witnessed by him in that city,
II may interest an idle reader here and
there If give you O sketch of a religious
play which saw last week at the great opera
house of Barcelona-one of the two or three
largest, if not positively the largest, of the
opera houses of Europe. This play, LG tdS-
$40 D Mort de N0Stre SCHgOr JesU- CTJSt, is
usually played every Sunday and Friday
during Lent, and is being so played this year.
Before the revolution the clergy were always
influential enough to prevent its performance
perhaps because they thought it handled
sacred things TOO familiarly-perhaps, also,
the Liberals loved it as setting forth Oar
Lord with much distinctness in the character
of victim of high priests and other eccle-
siastical dignitaries. Be that as it may, no.
body hinders the PdSSi0 q Mort from
being acted ia these days of freedom; and
highly curious entertainment it is. l say
entertainment deliberately because, what
distinguishes this drama as exhibited at the
'Liceo" of Barcelona from the miracle plays,
passion plays and so forth of old-fashioned
parts of Germany, Italy. and Spain itself
just this-that in Barcelona there is none of
the noivete and rudeness about the perform
ance-the simplicity good for the popular
heart-of such shows in old-world towns.
Barcelona is a money-making, partly Frenehi-
fed quite modern, and very prosaio city,
where cheap opera is favorite passion, and
where spectacle has more to do with the
success of the drama under review than its
sentiment or its awful associations. Here,
then, is the specially of the sight
of which I am to give an account
it is certain part of the Gospels with
unauthorized additions) turned into
an acting drama for theatrical purposes-as
we turn ''Kenilworth" or "Ivanhoe" into
dramas. Rude pious curiosity of the antique
world there is none in the affair. 1t is mat
ter of amusement got mp in business style.
And you may fancy the astonishment of q
stranger (though, to be sure, one soon ceases
to be astonished at anything in SPAIN when
the bills of the forthcoming play come out,
and he reads that ''the difficult part of Jesus
("el dificil papel de Jesus') will be taken as
usual by Don Joaquin Garcia Parreno. This
gentleman, Senor Parreno is indeed asso-
ciated with the ''part" in Barcelona precisely
as our Macreadys and Youngs with their re-
spective presentations of the characters of
Shakespeare.
The reader, then, may fancy himself sitting
by my side in one of the silO1aes or stalls of
this magnificent theatre-adorned with white
color relieved by gold, and with painted cell
ings-capable of holding, if need be, more
than four thousand persons. The orchestra,
besides the usual Instruments comprises some
women singers The mob in the galleries
stamps and grows impatient just as on any
other occasion. The curtain rises and dis
closes richly-clad lady in room containing
various preparations for the ornament of the
person in vases of classical shape. 1t is Mary
Magdalen. The Magdalen has begun to feel
remorse torturing her for her way of life, and
she proceeds to pour out the feeling in short
blank verse. The language let me note, is
throughout not Castilian but Catalan-a Latin
dialect akin to the dialect of Provence, more
,s1C "a
nitely less musical than the language of CAS-
tile; spoken universally 10 Catalonia, and un-
Ineligible Gin spite of its linguistic affinity
both to Frenchmen and Spaniards of other
parts of Spain. While Mary Magdalen is
speaking, a mysterious light fills the room,
and voice sings to her that if she wants to
be cleansed from her sins she must seek
Christ. She asks how He is to be sought
and the voice answers by ''dolor" and ''peni-
tencia.
In the next scenes of this first act (there
are five acts-each divided into so many
'quadros, or pictures, and subdivided into
seenes) our Lord and His disciples appear,
and are feasted at the house of Simon the
Leper. The first appearance of such group
gives little thrill, perhaps little shock, to
the non- Catalan mind. The chief actor has
taken great pains with the type which he
ventures to present; and among other things
has studied the best pictures-pictures in
deed, having been used as sources for many
scenes throughout. Regular features, pale
and grave-a sad, tranquil, not too stately
manner, flowing Eastern costume of colors
dark rather than light-such is the CON-
bination presented by the actor of
Christ. The apostles have each their special
character. st. Peter is venerable big man.
st. John is almost feminine, dressed in
white, and with hair like a woman's. But
the palm of interest is for the multitude car
ried off by Judas, with regard TO whom 1
could not help fsncying every now and then
that he was regarded as a kind of comic char.
aetsr relieving the severity of the general
tory. Judas has the traditional red hair
lways marches behind the other apostles at
little distance, and it was part of the clever.
ness of the performer that he contrivsd by
his look and gestures to show quietly that he
was among the body without being of them
and that his mind brooded on thoughts whicl
were not theirs.
At the table of Simo Lepros Mary Magda
len washes Christs feet with her tears, anG
wipes them with her hair. Henceforth she i:
pardoned penitent. Soon the scene is Jeru
salem, and our Lords entry makes one of the
most brilliant scenes of the play. The vas
stage swarms with amultitude of waving palm
branches and green boughs; the music strikes
up a march, with a loud singing of 'Ho
Hanna" the crowd gradually forms lane and
Our Lord, entering from the wing to the
right of the audience upon an ass, ride
slowly to the front of the stage, delivers His
address to Jerusalem, and as slowly passes
round the stage and away. We were carefully
informed this year that some of the ballet haC
been engaged for this favorte tableau, an(
certainly it was a capital bit of effect.
1 need not follow, scene by scene, all thu
scenes, but only the most Characteristic anC
oir fha