The evening world., 1895-05-08
"THE KING or PERU"

Nobody expected that the promised
public dress rehearsal" at the Garrick
Theatre last night would be anything
more-or less--than an ordinary ''frst
night" performance. Mansfield is too ar
tistic a person the will excuse me for
| calling him . person. to show the pub
| lie the wires that move the marionettes.
| There IL still such a thing as stage illu.
| sion. although 1t 10 fast vanishing, and
| I fancy that Mr.. Mansfield would be the
last person to give II final blow.
Therefore. II seems to me that he should
cease Announcing misleadingly the pub
lie dress rehearsal" 1t Is silly. and It
II incorrect. The performance OF THE
King of Peru last night was quite as
good--or as bad-as It will ever be.
And we were all Invited to see 1t. too.
Louis N. Parker has no objection, ap-
parently. to being known as the author
OF THE King Of Peru" He has aimed
at being fantastic a la Pinero. In THE
Amazons." but his fantasy proves to be
dough. Of the very doughiest sort. He
has tried to be airy with a sort Of ele-
phantine method. All he has succeeded
In being is inexpressibly dull and over
whelmingly ponderous. There 10 a pretty
idea In THE King Of Peru" but It takes
Mr.. Parker hours to get TO 1t. Its f1rst
two acts are inexcusably dreary and
somnolent.
The main idea OF the story is that
the .Queen-Dowager Of Peru and her
son. Don Pedro. are living exiled in
London, where. ''in a mansion In Berke-
ley Square" they try to keep up their
old rank while awaiting their restora-
ton. Too much Ia made OF this; too
little OF what follows. Don Pedro falls
in love with Clara Desmond, a non
aristocratic young woman. She has
plenty OF money. although he does not
know It. He marries her. and Mamma
Queen Dowascr spends her cash in fur
thering the Peruvian cause. When she
is utterly beggared this very complais-
ant mother wants Don Pedro to go
back to Peru. without his wife. who.
not being royal. could not sit on the
throne beside him. Don refuses, clings
TO his Clara and renounces Peru forever.
Don Pedro's horror when he learns
that 1t Is Clara's money that has paid
his bills 10 rather amusing. Men are
not such fools as Mr.. Parker ina glnes.
even when they are Peruvians. You
can't feel much interest in a penniless
young man who lives in style. and i'm
agines that II is all being done on moth
Ing week. That kind OF thing is all
right for q guileless maiden. for maidens
always are guileless. are they not? You
and I would know at once II our little
gas bills and rent bills were paid for US.
Don Pedro was quite ignorant of 1t. and
very vexed when he found 1t out. He
imagined that Clara was impecunious.
That 10 SO like titled youth to-day.
1t Is such a Castellane-y episode. In
fact. the heart interest" In THE King
Of Peru" seems to be a pervers.on of
the Gould Idea. and that is why II strikes
US as SO odd. We live in a Gouldian
era, and a. a titled Frenchman recently
remarked II will take centuries to de-
doilar.ze us.
However. the heart interest in 1.-THE
King Of Peru" is its best feature. The
hrst two acts. In which a lot OF cheap
gentlemen rejoicing In such names as
Don Miguel de Santa Rosa Paruro,
Marchese di Castelverano. Pandolfo. a
King Of Sardinia, and Chevalier Moffat
are ponderously introduced by crimson
funkys are legarthic without any ex-
cuse. They are not humorous and they
are not interesting. They may be in
tended as the background to a picture.
but the picture is not worth such a
very laborious background.
Mansfield played the part Of Don Pc
dro with uncomfortable jerkiness. The
infections OF his voice suggested Mr..
Hyde turning into DR.. Jekyll and his
strong scene in the third act was
spoiled by his lack of plausible emotion