New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-10-18
THE DRAMA.
THE PASSION PLAY.

n magnificent manner. ana MS orders loT Tue sCcHois
have already been given new drop-curta'n Is 10
be painted for the theatre, which Will display the
flight of angels at the dawn of Easter morning;
and Mr.. Morse has expressed the pious intention OF
removing the statue Of Shakespeare that now sur
mounts the prosceniun wall Of Booths Theatre aud
putting a cross in It's place. Mr.. Morse is IN New
York. and has brought his pay with him anu ac-
cortiiag TO existing plans and purposes IL VII. NC
performed here as soon as Bernhardts season Has
ended "
Tho "Passion PLAY" that has been written oy Slr'
Morse is original with him. Ii is not the piece haV
is acted Mt Oberammergau. nor is IT. IN any parucu
lar an imitation of that piece. The Oberammergau
plav. IN Mr. Morses opinion. was intended ana Is
performed for the purpose of arouslng and stlmulat
ing hostility toward the Jews; and MT. Morse
is himself Jew, AMI therefore Is the more
keeDlv reseatfIl o. what he deems
gross injustice. In the Passion Play" which be
has constructed the only purpose sought was the
simple presentation OF an epitome of the life of
Christ. His piece was read, by HIM, before the Ro-
man Catholic clergy of San Francisco the Protes-
taut clergy did not accept his invitation to Dartic
nate IN this luxury and 1t received Their apDroba-
ton Several of the brethren indeed, kissed Mt.
Morse upon both of his choeks by way OF express
ing their approval of his literary effort and Arch
bishop Aiemany. OF San Francisco inserted several
passages INTO the text with his own hand, and gave
20 The WORK his official sanction. 1t was thereupon,
produceG in California at Baldwins Theatre ;
and its effect there was so pT0digious. that
MIR. Baldwin himself became converted. Mr..
Morse, theIeupOn. instantly perceived the
necessity of producing the same heavenly change IN
Mr. Abbey and Mr.. MAJ Edwards. Nor nave his
mlnstrat ons proved IN vain-Mr. Edwards belH
already in a state of celestial rapture and Mr.
bax lta caDv a. al
duces the Passion Play" not for the purpose of
making money. but for the purpose of doing good
Give me- cried Dion observation-disclosures the
tear of sensbty upon the lastpaCe ofOctave Feull-
lets Led Astray-" give me what every man ycarns
for more than fortune-the convection that he has
done some little good IN bis time!"
MI Morse's Passion Play is in ten acts. At
first however only live OF them viii be presented
in this city. These five acts have been read in our
presence by Mr. Morse, and we have been allowed
the privilege of inspecting the play 1t is one OF the
most tedious compositions that ever were written.
Il is totally devoid both of action and OF story 1t
will upon the stage, though, possess two qualities
which are mcrtorious. Olo of these is accuracy of
historic Illustration; the other is picturesqneness
of tableau. Mr. Morse, who has lived five years
IN Palestine, has made practical, minute
study OF his subject, and he seems to be
well acquainted with 1t. His play viii instruct the
unenhghtened that the HerOd under whose reign
Christ was cruciGed not the Herod who ordered-
the massacre of the children; that PODtlus Plate
strove very hard to save Jesus from the Jews; ana
that the alleged offence for which Jesus was con-
'demned and executed was treason; and 1t VIII
furth rmore illustrate-in the dance of Salome and
her companions, and in the table appliances Of the
Last Supper. etc.-the manners and customs of the
East in the time of Christ In sucn particulars as
these 1t Will teach and its lessons, should
say. will be almost edifyIng and salutary
as those of such plays as John Broughams
Christian Martyrs" etc. which the pi0Us Mr.. Bar
mum was accustomed, III happier times than these
10 present at hIs Museum; OF even as those of the
Biblical manikins introduced by the Jealous Mr.
George Wood, which not only portrayed the Last
Supp,r bug stopped not short of a practical show
ing of the agonies Of death and the pangs and den
gens of he'll.
Bur Mr. Morse is even more pictorial than he is
didactic. HIS Passion Play is very full of moral
twadde bat essentially it is a series Of tableaus. He
began with the intention of producing poem ike
Millions "Parad Sc Lost" but he presently
discovered that both his subject and his genius
were more consonant with the Byronc manner
of Cain p: and therefore he concluded not to write
like Milton. but like Byron. So be produced a
drama-not for the stage, bat for publication; as
Byron himself, wherever he had written a play
which could not possibly be acted, always loftiy
declared. II Durporls to he expressed IN blank
verse It's lines, fact. neither verse nor prose;
but are of unequal ength-halung, irregular, form
less, weak, ana dlEds', and the burden that they
carry consists, IN about an equal degree OF paitude
aud bomblst. ChOUuses OF rbymed dOGgerel occur
al Intervals sometimes uttered by women, some
times. On the contrary. by angels In THIS way he
Bvr0nlc ideal Is fulfilled and can readily con-
celye thai when Nil Morse publishes his Passion
PLAY a. he avOws the b-levOlent purpose OF dong,
the demand for roiIIng-cOiiars VIII be considerably
greater than 1t has been since the days OF ChIde
Harold"
of Jerusalem introduces many females carry ing
babes; and terminates with the discontinue of a
ferocion Israehe who had offered 20 Stay the Christ
Child. but who fell back, astOnlshed ana over
yyuened IN its presence. The second picture cx-
hibits Joseph Mary, and the Child mracul0usly
enwrappcd by practical sycamore tree wmie all
around them, in the mountains the Roman soldiers
drive IN and slaughter a shrleklng mob OF women
and children. The third picture relates 10 hmg
HerOd. a pOtentate who must nave eXceiIed even
Poor Richard at aphorism, ana VINO IS seen 10 nave
bored his wife, HeTOdtGs. almost 10 death with his
precepts There wrangle between tins monarch
and hIs spouse. and then SdtOme, their Cdughter,
dances before them and so for her reyengeiul
mother the head of John the Baptist ana TINS pleas
ing object Is to be brought IN, on tray wrapped I'D
napkin. The next picture presents CHRIST ana MS
Disciples at the brook OF hedIOu INC agony Oh
Christ in the garden and the betrayal by Judas
Iscarot The stageeiiect here is thought TO De very
fine-as the scene Is dou0le, showing "A Hghieu cot
IA ge room on side. within which is a tabeau or
the Last supper according to the celebrated picture
nv Leonardo da VIncl, and gloomy range OF PLAIN
and bl outside dimly lighted by the stars Passag
from the New Testament are spoken by the repre- |
sentative OF Christ. in this scene-Mr James ONell
and that gentleman Is so deeply affected that he
shed tears of an unusual size. The fifth tableau |
displays Christ in the presence OF Plate and the
contest between the popular will and that Roman |
officers notwithstanding with the crOwnng of
.Jesus with thorns An inflated speech-nOt one |
bmdredth part good rs that spoken by Phdr- |
sarius IN The Gladiator" on similar subject |
then feeblv attempts ID describe the consequences
of the CrucifxIon and the last picture follows, re-
yealing under night sky the removal Of the body
of Jesus from the Cross This is also the copy Of
famous painting. About 500 persons take part IN !
the piece.
That this Passion PLAY can exercise an immoral |
influence we do not believe. There IS no lrrever-
ence IN either ITS spirit or us incldents. II IS