The sun., 1897-01-12
ONE PLAY INSIDE ANOTHER.
IHE FIRST TINE or CLARKE AND
HLEIS,s SEW "HEhHISElsE.v


Actor - . S~atis-stsi prsms % The
Disputed bot Asts,i vsise Of nieseiieu
- = Ysetor IN "Csdsr the Rrd Robe"
The new Heart.esss" at the Garden Theatre
Last night was old 10 IL idea Of presenting one
play inside smother. Bat the treatment OF the
device By Joseph !. e. Clarke and Charles Klein
was original and effective 10 the third and best
act Of the piece. A musical genius has written
an opera. and the work had been accom- panied
BIZ hardship. and ,orrows SUFFICIENT 70 de-
range him for awhile. A musical tyro
has taken advantage Of the authors III.
ness 10 steal the manuscript. and 70 bring about
its production on ths stage ss his own compost
tion. Tns first two scts Of " "Heartseass" carry
the story mp to the frat performance OF the mis-
appropriated opera, and the next rise OF the
curtain discloses scene set TO represent lobby
Just outside the boxes Of . tbsstrs. Tho real
author bs. reKainsd his sanity and Is there 70
hear what he has no expectation Will prove
to be bis own lost work. The notes OF
the music strIks fAmilisrly upon his ear.
but he fsnclss they are dsiusIon Of his mind
that they arc the echoes Of Imagination. While
tho performance Of the opers ~ th us In progress
OF the scens, tho hero aud the heroine have an
emotional int-rvisw. in which they talk ex.
cltedIy Of . cruel estrangemsnt which has been
caused between them BY malevolent
rival and tho music makes = peculiarly
frubzied composer can no longer doubt
his hearing Hs Ia con sure that the composition
fs nons otbor than bis own lost work. He con-
fronts tho thief doDouncss him. chokss him Ia
& grip OF frenzy. and dashss him 10 the noor as
y turbulent and exciting climax OF tho act.
There sro improbablltles and evsn lmposslblli;
ties In this agt but they arc not iiksly 10 offend
audiences IN general. and the sueco.s OF u may
easily be .nfiicisnt 70 prosper the whole play: -,
Tho portions Of the piece which precede and
follow the episode above dr.crib-d arc less
singular and less onRros.ing.. They present ths
dou1iins love Of him. the joalouay Of tho hus-
band Of a woman who IL fond Of him. the ina
Iiclous hatred OF the man who stea. the opera,
heart and 70 hi. honor. Th.. iIno Of N.
the place 10 London. The costumes and man
nsrs Of tho period serve a. cover the artnoiAllty
shs ~. vorb n i, wsrs modern. Th. con.trnotion
IL good. the LANGUAGE suitable. tho chArnoterizs-
tion distinoi. and th. sntiro achievement much
TO the credit OF It's authors
Henry Miller made his New York debut -
star actor in "Hesrtseasc." and an inconsid-
eratsly friendly audience was present lie
made an uncommonly modest and discreet
speech At the end Of tho third act, after the ap-
piauss had been long and loud. Ho thanked
his adheronts for their denomination. but
shrswdiy intimstsd that tho real suo-
cess or failure Of his venture depended
on future A.semblAges. While tho extreme
favor accorded him last night was not TO be de-
pended on As evidence OF further triumph. there
was at tho same time no reason to anticlDato
anything iess than . good degree OF continued
success for both tho actor and the play.
Mr.. Mlllers acting In tho earlier scenes
had its usual fault Of monotony and In
ertnoss. IIo often spoke like an amateur
reader and unlike n professional depicter of
feeling. But IN tho scene IN tho corridor Of
the thratre, while tho conviction that ho was
Tcally hearing his own opera came slowly TO
him out OF . supposed deuslon. he ross nearly
II not quite TO tho full dramatic requirements Of
the situation and proved that he could rouse
made an earnest effort.
The company was on. which charles Frohman
had summoned to Mr.. Milier's aid. and II gave
agenerally excellent performances. Grace Kim
ball applied herself To the dificult task OF max
ing an audience like . heroine who lost faith 10
was sufficiently subtle To render q wife's forbid
ana Snrsan,sd Svs y,'9s % wi,h9n, n.; words;
foowls o. muttsrings. and made . clear type of
him. Max tis.nan as an Irish wooer. and Nan
stto Comstock N the artless girl he wooed. were
agreeable. Edmnnd u. LYONS and Leslie Allen
gave strong delineations of contrasting com
anss .rsSs.mnn .ss and .rS sSapss o
Ger. All these and others had been thoroughly
riam-y. The music. which was an Important
iomponent o. the entertainment. had been com
L was sung and played TO th. right purpose.
Indeed. Mr.. Miiler's enterprise as, star actor
hnu many advantages 10 compel tho GOOD Start,
which II surely made.
IL IA clear proof OF interest in q subJect II
there arc positive differences OF critical opin-
ion concerning II. SO there must DO some-
thing that commands especial attention In
Cardinal Rfehelteu rs he figures In Under tho
Red Robe" Il: Is his rcd robe that gives tho
title to tho drama, and to prelato wears II only
in the first and last acts OF the piece. Ono OBJ
lection 10 him Is made by persons who are ro-
minded OF his Eminenco as The principal char
actor In Bulwer's play of Cardinal Richeli su"
and who are dlspleased to find him less domi-
nant here. These complainers lose sight of the
real value OF his presence In tho now drama
That value IL derived from his conspicuous
meas In history as an autoerat In French poll
tics, whose word was law, and who held mem 9
lives In his hands. Tho audiences at tho En-
pire know that II was really within tho Car
dirdIs power to make mandates of life and
death. and to enforce suspend them at his
pleasure; and so, whom he sends the hero of tho
play on adventurous mission instead OF to
tho scancld, and Axes on life as the reward of
sucs~ss and death - the penalty of failure,
his decree Is accented for its full consequence
In the scheme of the dramatist. The whole en-
suing action 10 thereby backed by something
wsighty and solid. IAN Enemy to tho King"
wasa paraphrase of the Same weyman tale
that case tho oficial who pronounced the de-
cree was an Indefinite Minists. OF Police, and
therefor tho resulting incidents lacked the
conviction which is felt In the later dramati.
gation; IL seems therorors, that the character
OF Rlchelleu could not woll be spared, nutwttb-
standing the fact that he stands In the centre
OF the stage only twice, and does not draw a
religious circle around the heroine. nor threat.
en- TO launch against her enemies the awful
curse OF Rome There Ia n divergence OF iudg-
mont, also, regarding the performance OF the
role by MIR: Dodson. His guise as tho Cdrdi-
pal 10 practically tho same as that or tho lato
Edwin Boot hand OF course. tho com parison thus
invited is destructive TO MIR. Ond-On. II tho
part wero ns good here as In the Bulwer play,
MT. .Dodsonsw"uid still b, utterly unable toe ave
himself from beltttlement when measured by
thu-actinR OF great genius. lie is essentially n
low coniedian. Ills methods are minute and
lmRll. To name him In the same breath with
booth seems like sacrelige. That In why many
people condemn Mr.. DOdson's RiCheitcI without
reserve. and refuse 10 admit that there liz any
merit In IT, A greater number, however, ac-
cept II rs commercially adequate imperrona-
tion, m re correct In concept ion than impress
Bive IN execution, but y distinct credit TO a
inembor OF n stock company. and conducive to
the genel al success Of Tho drama in which IL
Ala..NFA .alsa..