The herald., 1896-01-09
AT THE THEATERS

Los ANGELES THEATER.-The Gladiator
occupies an unique dramatical position.
Written in recent times and dealing with
the most romantic of all historical SUBJ
jects-the latest period about which little is
really known-the times of the later
Caesars and the early Christians and the
gladiators, it yet bears the stamp of the
classical, the truly beautiful, the imperish-
able Its successful rendition alone in.
sures the success of an actor in almost any
deeply tragic or classical drama that he
may produce in America. Its position as
the ultimate test of tragic power is as
secure as the position of Hamlet for test
of weirdness and Romeo and Juliet Tor i'll
tense and passionate love.
There are few among our sO-called heroic
actors who do not essay The Gladiator"
and fewer still who get beyond the stage of
the tragic burlesque.
For several years Robert Downing has
been one of our greatest 'gladators." His
work last night wGs a repetition of his
two thousand triumphs in that exacting
role. The death of the gadiator's wife
was made horribly brutal to satisfy the
fierce passion of the empress, Faustina.
The unexpected rescue of thu infant
daughter. her career as a beautiful slave.
as the love and betrothed of the noble
Flavian, and as Christian who would not
renoupce her religion to please her father
or her lover or to save her life or theirs. the
untimely fate that awaited all three-there
are Xmong the most tragis of the awful
things that are permitted by the powers
thai rule this world or was most brutally
for the possession thereof. The horrible
curse OH the lips of the dying gladiator is
like the echo of the wall of legion of lost
souls.
The Gladiator is one of those dramas
wherein the human interest is so highly
wrought that all interest centers in a few
personages. This always was and always
will be a distinguishing mark of great
dramas. and it alone enables us to look
upon such productions with reasonable
frequency. The whole world does not
contain enough great actors to represent at
one time some of the ambitious attempts
OF our Shakespeares and Sardous; nor
could an audience be found equal to the
task of competent Witnesses.
AS Nero, the fierce gladiator, the pride of
the aInphitbeater, Mr. Downing is at his
best. He has appeared in that character
more than 1000 times.
For some unknown reason all sorts and
conditions OF dramatic personages are
supposed to be orators. The part of Nero
gives Mr. Downing an excellent oppor-
tunlty to use his voice as potent spell
His terrific description of the torture and
death of his wife was grandly delivered
his defiance to the throngs in the amphi-
thealer was sublime. his gloatng and
cursing and propness ing over the PROSTATE
empress who had caused his and his daugh'
ter's woes was an Grafton of hate that
would have charmed the ears of Monte
| Cristo himself. Eugene Blair as Neodama
was almost faultless. She lent grace and
charm to the luxurious court that moved
| many a cOurtier.
The part of Faustino the Empress gave
Mrs. T. M. Bates an opportunity to show
that her forte is in tragedy. She pleaC
we'll with Flavian. but when she saw the
futlity of pleading her hate and awful
| curses were more than realistic-they were
real.
She should star as Lady Macbeth.
The weakest part in the cast was the
pagan priest, represented by Mr.. Walter
! Burton. He has evidently forgotten tina
one supposed to be in authority does no
speak in subdued rant, or that any as
sumed voice is out of place, except il
ventriloquism, where it is meant to be ou
| of place but is not.
Mr.. Edwin Ferry, as Flavian, was a.
effective in the last part as he was weak il
the first.
The support was, in the main, yer,
excellent, and the scenery was much bet