The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-02-16

rible for the stage, they said But in each
case the result was the same-the theatres
were filled at each performance In Paris
great audiences gathered to see what could
call forth such praise; in America the curl
osity of the people was aroused to see what
! was worthy of such wholesale condemnation.
For some reason the play was not given in
London until the present season, but recently
Mrs. Bernard Beere has brought it out in the
English metropolis. Stoical John Bull has
not gone to either extreme in speaking of the
piece-raptures are not in his line. The Eng
lish critics say little of Sardou's work, but
| they praise Mrs. Bernard-Beere
condensedstory. of the play follows: A
/ young artist, Mario Cavaradossi, is painting
in churchain Rome. Cesare Angelotti, po-
litical prisoner who has escaped from the
Castle st Angelo, rushes in and begs Cavara-
doDsi to save him. Mario swears to do so,
and dresses Cesare in woman's clothes, taking
him in that disguise from the church to his
studio Baron Scarpia, regent of police,
traces the fugitives, but by the time he has
reached Mario's studio they have fled TO the
latter's country house, the location of which
Is known only to its owner and his mis-
tress, Floria Tosca. Scarpia decides to work
on La Tosca's jealousy to discover its where
abouts and tells her, in order to do this, not
that her lover has fled with a man in wo-
mans costume, but that he has run of with
a woman.
La Tosca is reused to a paroxysm of jeal-
ousy and goes to Mario's villa, followed (but
without her knowledge by the police. She
finds Mario and overwhelms, him with re-
proaches. Mario reveals the truth and points
| to Angelotti, still half attired in female cos
tune. La Tosca grasps the situation at once
and the lovers fall into each others arms.
At that instant a noise is heard outside the
villa. 1t is the police. The lovers conceal
Angelotti in grotto just as the police force
an entrance. La Tosca and Mario swear that
they do not know where Angelotti is, and
Mario is taken to an adjoining room, leaving
Scarpia and La Tosca together. Scarpia
says:
i "Tell me where Angelotti is and you will
save Mario Cavaradossi from a mauvais
quart d'heure''
La Tosca exclaims: "What is happening
behind that door?"
Scarpia replies, with cool malgnity, ooh!
merely this-Mario Cavaradossi is reclining in
an easy chair; his legs and arms are tied fast
with steel chains; a band of steel with three
sharp spear headed points encircles his fore
head; an executioner stands over him grasp
ing in his hands a screw, each turn of which
drives the steel points into his forehead The
torture will be most exquisitely excruciating
unless you by one word reveal Angelottin
La Tosca hesitates, pale as ashes and trem-
bling.
Then Mario, with superhuman effort, in
| faint accents eXclaiuS.
"Tosca, you know not where Angelotti is,
you can disclose nothing"
"Tournez!' shrieks Scarpia.
Then a terrible wall of pain--a cry that
seems to come from the very soul of dying
man-is heard. 1t is frightful cry, that
seems to veil the universe with misery and
desolation.
La Tosca yields and Angelloti is dragged
from his hiding place, but he is dying from
poison self administered. Cavaradossi APP
pears with blood dripping from his forehead
"A frightful sight. La Tosca tries to en-
brace bin, but he, seeing that she has be-
trayed his friend, pushes her aside, where
upon she falls fainting. Scarpia places La
Tosca and Mario under arrest.