Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-02-02
THEODORA.
The Plot Of Bernhsrdt's New Play - De-
picted by the Author.

"And this Theodore, the ex-comedi-
enne. the adored of the crowd; this dis
solute woman. always ready to receive
a new lover. and afterward governing
Justinian by her all-powerful will and
her intelligence-how interesting all
that is!
1T was Sarah Bernhardt who last
year recalled my own idea to me. 1t
was IS vision. Sarah! why she is
Theodore herself! What has been
wanting to make her take up the role
Of the Byzantine empresse A mere
chance. Yes; Sarah is altogether
Theodore. with her great qualities and
her terrible faults. She also resembles
her exactly. Just seer'
And opening a volume which was on
the table, NJ. Sardou pointed to the
production of mosaic representing
Theodore in her imperial robe. And it
was in reality almost likeness of Sar-
ah Bernhardt
NJ. Sa-dou then gave an account of
his various studies, and exhibited,
among other interesting sketches. ETC.,
plan of the hippodrome at Byzanti-
um, which was capable of containing
100000 people. In the piece the i'm
perial lodge is faithfully reproduced.
The famous Nika revolt is the event
of the reign chosen for tho principal
motive of the plot. Life was idled
away at the hippodrome, where horse
races were the order Of the day. Socie-
ties, regular racing clubs, were organ
lied to buy horses and to run them.
The two great rival societies were the
greens and the blues, SO called from
the colors worn by the drivers Of the
chariots.
..Soon these two rival parties at the
hippodrome had become political par
ties, whose rivalry was accumulated by
the fact that Justinisn and Theodore
protected the blues. Theodore was the
daughter Of the guardian Of the wild
beasts at the hippodrome, called the
master of the bears, and who was 3
blue. Theodore remained true to the
blues.
AT almost every move the rival par
ties came to blows. One day woman,
rendered desperate by seeing her fami-
ly outraged by tho blues, threw herself
into the Bosphorus. This was the
cause of considerable disturbance in the
town, and the police arrested tho ring
leaders. whether blues or greens. The
blues appealed to Justinian, who, be-
ing tired of the excesses, refused to lib
crate their friends. The next day when
the emperor entered his lodge at the
he found 10000 people
shouting and gesticulating. A curious
usage permitted the people to speak to
the emperor while in his lodge at the
1t was only in that place
that the people could make complaints
against the taxes or the high prices Of
food. On this occasion the emperor, as
soon as he entered his lodge, was loud
ly called upon by the greens and the
blues, and the shouts soon became in
suits. The tumult increased, and JUS
tinian regained his palace with difficult
ty. The whole town was in insurrec-
ton; fires broke out at different points
and the imperial palace was besieged.
The council of ministers met; all, in
cluding Justinian and Belisarius, pro-
posed cowardly course. They want
ed to embark from the palace and make
for the coast Of Asia.
Theodore alone resisted; she want
ed to die an empress.
'Theodora triumphed. Belisarius
left the palace at the head OF his Goths,
and tried to penetrate into the town,
but fires from all sides prevented him
from advancing. The populace threw
boiling oil and pitch upon the soldiers.
He made last effort All the rebels
had met at the hippodrome, and were
busy crowning a new emperor. Hypa-
cius. Belisarius hid some of his troops
near the four doors of the hippodrome
and then penetrated himself into the
palace by the principal entrance at their
head. A terrible panic followed. At
the same time the other doors were at
tackled and the 100, 900 rebels crushed
one another within the circus. The
Goths of Belisarius had only to strike
at the mass. Thirty thousand bodies
were afterward removed.
my drama starts from this point.
The word nika, which has given the
name to the rebellion, was the cry of
the rebels. "-InterrieU Uith Sdrdou in
Paris NeWs.