St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-02-26
AT THE THEATERs.

ings impersonation of Ingomar at
the Metropolitan opera house last
evening saw a faithful, consistent,
symmetrical portrayal Of the bar
barian whom love alone could con-
quer and civilize. Mr.. Downing is
satisfying to the highest degree in
this role. He has grasped it firmly,
absorbed it's spirit and studied the
moods of the character, and we see
as a result a clear, well-rounded,
vigorous presentation Of it. Mr..
Downing's magnificent physique is,
of course, a valuable as well as
necessary gift that an actor who
would assay this role should pos
sess, for the eye must be satisfied.
An Ingomar of slight and slender
frame could not deliver the rugged,
robust speeches without producing
sense of incongruity-a feeling that
the words were bigger than the man
who uttered them. Ingomar is
son of the forest, who WorshipS his
sword and loves nothing but his
horses and his dogs-at least these
the eyes of the Greek maiden and
hears the music of her sweet voice.
Then the soul within him is stirred,
and he aWakeS to a love that
ennobles him. Those scenes between
Ingomar and Parthenia, in which
the barbarian gradually tempers his
fierce manner and softens under the
spell of the pure and guileless girl,
are beautiful in their simplicity,
and eloquent with the poetry Of ma
ture. The actor who impersonates
Ingomar must therefore be true to
nature if he would preserve that
poetry. Mr.. Downing is in this re-
spect to be highly commended for the
totally unaffected, easy, cOlloquial
manner with which he spoke lingo
mars lines He also succeeded adj
mirably in imparting that flavor of
sarcasm and contempt to the speech
es expressing the barbarian's opin-
ion of womankind-befor he fell in
love with Parthenia. For these and
other reasons, unnecessary to point
out, Mr.. Downings performance of
Ingomar should rank with the best,
and is probably today superior to
that of any other actor upon the
American stage. A conspicuous
merit of Mr.. Downing's work is not
only a correct conception of the full
meaning of every passage he deliv-
ers, but the ability to reveal that
meaning with the proper emphasis
and infection.
Eugene Blair portrayed Parthenia
admirably. She pictured the limo
cence and unconscious grace of the
Grecian maiden in Soft and delicate
colors, and so revealed with delight
full effect the striking contrast be-
tween the "untutored savage and
the rare and radiant maiden who
shed the light Of her soul upon him.
[ thought, though, that Miss Blair
might have displayed just a little
more fire when she drew the dag
ger to free herself from the passion
crazed Ingomar.
Mrs. F. M. Bates was excellent in
the role of Actea, the mother of Par
thenia, and J. R. Amory imperson-
ated the avaricious old Polydor with
commendable judgment and effect.
Tonight 1.-THE Gladiator" will be re-
peated.
William Morris will be at the Met
ropolitan opera house the last three
nights Of this week, under the direc-
ton of Gustave Frohman, in the real
istic sensational drama 1.-The Lost
Paradise" Mr.. Morris is we'll known
here to the theatergoing people, as he
waa here last summer with his own
stock company and proved himself
worthy in the many plays that he
presented. Miss Eta Hawkins is
also with the company. She is well
known here, her home being in ST.
Paul. The company will give four
performances, including Saturday
matinee, at popular prices.
The great actor Robert Hilliard and
his charming company will open a
weeks engagement at the Metropol-
itan, commencing Sunday night, March
8. Mr.. Hilliard will be seen in the
piSlbiSSI niue curtain raiser line Lit
tlest Grip and his new and greatest
success Neutrality-suspicious. Hours"
The company needs no further indorse-
ment as to its ability than the press
gave them during its recent visit here.
No better play than "The Girl I
Left Behind Me" has been seen at the
Grand this season. Belasco & Fyles.
the authors, have given pure and
wholesome story Of military life as it
is in reality. A matinee will be given
for the ladies and children on Wednes-
day.
A first type Of the amusingly cred
ulous lrishman created for laughing
purposes by that pioneer of the pecu-
liar field he still heads, Barney Fer
guson is the central figure in 'Duffy's
Blunders," the brand-new vaudeville
farce to be presented for the first time
here by the funny little man" all
next week at the Grand. The new piece
has everywhere been declared the fun
niest vehicle ever boosted by a come
dian Of the grotesque school of Celtic
comedy.