The record-union., 1897-10-21

THE JMPERSONATION-O OF CHRIST.
In Johannes" Christ appears in
what may be called moving stage pic
ture, though, of course, actually imper-
sonGtad by an actor; and is this, after
all, such great step in advance of
the illuminated reproduction of Guido
RENTS head of Christ which Mr.. Yat-
man recently used so effectively in his
night songs at Ocean Grove? More
over, Christ has Of late years become,
through Ben Hur'' and other novels, a
familiar figure to the public in fiction,
and from the novel to the stage is but
a brief span.
Sudermann, who though originally a
novelist ("Frau Sorge"), handles stage
material more deftly than any of the
German dramatists Of the so-called de-
cadent school. has, since 1889, when
his first play Die Ehre," was pro-
duced at the Leasing Theater, in Ber-
lin, been preparing himself for ''Jo-
names" He himself says that he has
been undergoing an "erlauterungs pro-
cess"-a process of clarification, and
that he did not write Johannes" until
he had made himself ripe for the work
In johannes" this Hebrew has writ
ten play that fairly glows with Sem
itic passion. No drama that failed to
do this would adequately portray the
characters of .Herodias and Salome
who has the Baptist beheaded because
he has repelled her insinuating ad-
Vances, and whose dance before Herod
the price Of which is the Baptist's
head, verges closely on the danse du
yentre, though on the stage it will
probably be toned down.
JOHANNES" A PLAY OF ACTION
johannes" is a play of action. While
its language is Biblical it is not pedan-
| tic, and the trend of the drama toward
its climacteric tragedy is uninterrupted
1t is in prologue and five acts The
prologue opens in a wild rocky scene
near Jerusalem. 1t is night. 1t shows
John In the wilderness. The oppressed
| Jews crowd about him imploring him
TO lead them in lifting off the Roman
| yoke. Here he already, for the first
! time, utters prophecies of the coming of
a Messiah from Galilee.
The Galileansr' exclaims one. "The
I isheaters! They should have the Mes
/ siah-they?''
John sternly rebukes him. Others
/ enter They tell him that Herod has
i enticed Herodias, his brothers wife.
from her husband. and that on the NOR
/ row this scandalous pair propose to
enter the temple and defile it with their
/ marriage. Il am priests son." ex-
! claims John, and with the words that
/ he will protest in the name of him that
/ shall come and for whose coming I
/ prepare the way with my body against
! this sacrilege, he departs for Jerusalem.
The first act opens before the palace
of Herod The Jewish populace are
bemoaning the tyranny of the Romans.
The Roman soldiers mock them. Priests
enter and proceed toward the
temple. John appears upon the
scene with his disciples. The
populace crowd about him to be bap-
tized Gradually he arouses them
against Herod and Herodias. The
crowd cries out, Down with Herod.
Death to Herod!" Gradually, however.
as the soldiers come out of the watch
room the shouts subside, and when
Herod, Herodias and Salome enter
quiet has been restored. Some one has
asked John, Where is the King of the
Jews. of whom thou shoutest?" and he
replies, pointing to Herod, There
comes the King of the Jews whom you
deserved"
At a signal from Herod the soldiers
advance upon the crowd. All give way
save John, who remains proudly stand
ing in his place. Here we have the
first intimation of Salomes passion for
I John. Mother, see that mani she
exclaims to Herodias. lightning
flashes from his eyesl''
A scene with Salome and her attend
ants in the court of Herod's palace
opnes the second act HIRE again we
have an intimation of her strangely
passionate nature. OF her bearded
countrymen of Jerusalem she will have
nothing. But the smooth, pink-faced
Greeks whom she saw in Antioch
when they smiled 1 thrilled She
throws herself upon a couch. 'T am
pleasing in the sight of my uncle Her
od," she exclaims. He casts secret
glances upon me- When my mother
scolds me I shall know how how to
make her angry. I am a flower in Sha-
ron and a rose in the valley
SALOME'S PASSION FOR JOHN.
Through the window she can see the
real object of her passion, not Herod,
but John the Baptist Did you ever
see a rock bend in your valley?" she
queries of her Judean maidens. He, -
pointing to John, never bendsi Hal
ha! ha! No, he-only perhaps if
And she reaches out her arms and
O00TTCT