The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-01-24

taar Mr.. James has IN tne past be@a id@-rs-
fed with the most hsrofc ara Aezvx .raws-
parts His otheEo. his Macbeth ara IS
Xirgt-iu- have places hin on 4 pinnacle
which i no. 70 he approached b. 2ny En-
gifsh speaking traga5tar OF els zine Tn-
character u Spartacas, wnEch Re has
chosen Tor his opening biz on Tuesday
nighr. Is In line with his past successes. Il
vas great play in TIE day OF Edwin For
resi-, and was one OF ths most popular il,
the repertoire or that artor Written hv
Robert Montgomery Bird. 4 vas submitted
% AR Forrest IN the prize ccznp@tfs1on Of
fered 5y' that actor for ne finest fve-act
tragedy By an American author Mary
hundreds % manuscripts were submitted
and by the unanimous consent OF the
judges the decision was IN favor Of Sparta
Gus. The story % ths play Is based upon a
historical su5iecs. TIE revolt % the gaaia-
tors ~ szaca occurred under he leadership
OF Spzrtaeus in Rome shortly before the
death % julius Caesar. SpartacGs vas a
Tar2cian captive brought 10 Rome 20 grace
the triumph OF = Roman canQreror. From
the arena ne sounded the war note OF free
dom for gladiators and death 10 their o.
pressors. and in a short time ne nad 80 600
men IN ais train. Escaped slaves, glaaia-
tors. al who had 8 grievance against the
eternal city, Joined ais camp. and three dis
ckplined armies Of Rome went down before
his victorious onslaught. Il was only AZ
the last. when. weakened by internal dis
sessions. he was abandoned By a part OF
his men. that pomDey returning from the
east with fresh ard victorious legians. took
him by surprise and succeeded n over
throwing him. The Roman state was never
50 near extinction as on hts occasion.
The bill for Wednesday night is o. an en-
tirely different character. and il is here
that the remarkable versatility Of Dir.
James appears My Lord AMI Some La
dies" which he viii play for the first time
in Seattle, Is a brilliant comedy from the
French of Eugene Scr4oe and was adapted
for Mr.. James by Theodore Krsmer. a
clever young journalist of San Francisco.
Scribe was one of the most pr0liflc and
clever Of the Frencs dramafists OF a couple
Of generations ago. and occupied IN his
time the same status among bis fellows
that Victorien Sardou does at present. MY
Lord and Some Ladies" is like Sparta
Gus" 5ased upon historical subject The
action CT the play is laid in the time OF
Queen Anne of England. and Mr.. James
plays Bolinghroke. a statesman and cour-
tier OF the period. The story is one of po-
litical intrigue. In which the famous Ouch
ess of Marlborough, wife Of John Church
hin. the conaueror OF Blenheim and found
er Of the line OF Marlborough Unto which
one OF our leading American families has
recently married. plays a prominent part.
This Clever play was first produced this
fall by Mr.. James and has been pronounced
to be one OF the most perfect comedies seen
in the past % years.
Both 'Sparsacus' and My Lord and
Some Ladies'" win be ma gniiceniIy staged
Ten sets of scenery are carried by the COM
pany for "Spartacus' and all the appoint
ments. it is promised, will be gorgeous
Mr.. James is the only tragedian who will
visit the Pacific coast this winter. The
financial stringency and the heavy railroad
fares have deferred all his competitors and
his business in consequence is greater than
ever before. In Salt Lake City recently he
broke the record, playing TO larger receipts
than any attraction this year. including
such attractions as julia Marlowe Taber,
n C. Goodwin and Nine Sans Gene