The Sunday herald., 1886-12-12
IRVING AS MEPHISToPHELEs.
what is Seen at the London Lyceum
Theatre.

The MephisOphees of Irving is lurid, red, little,
snaky, iend-nan. lie IL IN scarlet from the long
COCKS feathers IN his cap down. Ills long thin, and
deadly pale face is In repose face 30 lnexpressl-
bly, sal ~ to make one wretched to look upon II.
This cynical sadness Ii one OF Its most baleful in
fuences-the face OF a doomed creature VINO knows
that, whatever the line sentiments, the oupourngs
the moral strylngs OF those about him, he has only
70 breathe on them and they will become foul az
himself Tho curtain arose at the first act on tlc
dlm ana gloomy study OF Faust, with the moon
slowly rising In the far, dark Skies aud tho black
clouds strained over 1t, casting ntful shadows and
eeric fingers OF light at the quaint old easement.
Presently all was absolute darkness and the silence
of midnight In the damp study; only single carved
corner Of the bearded old alchemist's desk showed
In the single ray OF moonlight that pierced the
mnllioned window. The Kissing steam pulled up
from the iioor. 1t hung wayerlng In the air like
pillar of white cloud, seemed 10 become more COM
pact, aud In flash that made the heart thrOb with
almost physical fear there appeared that long 1.-THE,
lurd, scarlet body, twisting with snaky grace; the
calm, boodless, long, white face, sad, sad with
being an outcast, sad with cynclsim, but leering,
man at the desk. IL was mobile, ghaslly white
iaoe, full OF the cutureo OF crime, full OF deadly
fascinaton-the face Of the devil himself.
In the catastrophe of the duel when Valentine Ia
Killed, Mephlstopheles sways and swings his long
body lust as nave seen snake In the Zoo erect
half its length up into the air aud fight. A blue,
brilliant name played like lightning up and
down his sword Its very seely blue radiance seemed
deadly. This blue name emitted from his supple
sword was one OF those remarkable stage effects
which render "faust" 50 thrilling rs "a mere speca-
Gle. And then when Valentine fell the Devil looked
uoWu On nun anu gave vent 10 lOnk-1rnWn "Oh ~
OF comic Affected cominiscrali0n-such an "olin as
cynic and child .hater might cry out II he watched
u child weeping over u broken toy. or as we might
toss In fun poodle dog whose vanity had been hurt.
Ihe culmlnallOn OF spectacular elect IL reached on
the gloomy, majestic heights OF the Brocken, when
Faust IL led Into that terrible Walpnrgis night. The
rocks aud crags Of the great mountain are ma
Jesiic aud real tle Devll and Faust come l0ing up
10 the revels. The roGks and recesses seem tO
culver With a hidden HE that IL halt human, half
verinlny. Multitudes OF ghOslly, pallld creatures
comforting like snakes, wayerlng Ike half-dssolye
ghoslS, pervadc every place, squirm In masses
bearded together No close that the horror OF their In
ddualiy IL but slowly realized. Each IL covered In
some diaphanons, waving stun or thing almost
moves as they move, hut under Is can he seen the
human shapes. At the first look | see moving
squirmng mass; at the second look can discern
the human shapes, the young forms of women
the old forms Of men. They herd together,
ming their awfully yelled arms IN the
aud scream-nol ike human beings, moi
Ike devils In hell, but u strange blood-cnrdlinp
scream. | think II sounded like the tearing OF
human nesh. Then Mephsl0phules sat on u rock
aud fondled two small, crawling uniformed shapei
win hideous caressngs. His face seemed Ike iht
white. lalfhuman face OF u bOny SNAKE lie was
the devil lnlling the hell In his own heart and brain
with this ghlsily aIectation aud hideons sembanc,
Of love All the while the same blue balls OF fir,
played over his body, gancing down his arms, oye
his legs, chest, head, until the elsewhere darkencC
air seemed 10 smell Of birthstone. II was sicken
ing, horrible spectacle, those msshappen humaI
bodies, with their nesh-crawling cries, APPARENT,
through their avn tetidness resolving back int
shapelesa lnaller | forget even now That Il WA
only play, and that could not have gone had no
taken With me 10 London my best black brocadl
With It's evening waist.