The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-11-13
CYRANO DE- BERGERAC.
THE FAMOUS PLAY WHICH HAS
CAPTURED ALL NEW YORK.
Character fn Which the Scse Per-
forms . Conspicuous Parf-Isrnei
ZangwilI's Lectures Ipon the

stage, There - no iessefIsfag ~ TIE iAEof's
that nightly seeks the Garden gneatef 10
witness the rnost interesting, tie greatest
and the most widely discussed play Of the
period. "Cy!auo &c EeFgerac.'
Alas. Taat havoc taA play ard me player
have wrought ~ t8e ulsGa 50 ne ef1tlsat
The poor unfortunate fnorsa-. ~aitahs 70
learn from the critic whether ~ sa9l! spend
good, honest dollars 20 go tne play ~ con-
fFoEisd BY c3a9a q lrFscofeslabi4 op9fa-
ions. Thus TIE critic a. TIE Herald found
Ar. Mansflsld's 'Cyraaos' an a5ject copy Of
CoQueiin's. He was NJ CGQueiin first. al
ways and Cyrano d. iSsrgeTac Sftsrwaya."
Tire Press, On tina contrary declared tina;
Mansfield had changed the authors con-
csptIon TO sa.t his own qualities ana 50
''nleae composite character taat ae.d tina
attention and won the favor 81 tne audi
eEce."
The Trioune's criticism was a wild paean
In tlse following cHasts and simple ian
guaee. "fsyrauo Is a beiiieeTent snd de-
toaa I've person. and tae dramatic fabric in
which he appears il scarcely more than
eornseant m0nology. las mordant bitter
mesa is accordant with as spisaesic temper
sment. It's deiiraum stimulates in him a
profound. pleasing ana inspiring agitation.
Enough,
Mr Alan Dale. 81 the Journal. described
the ct. though few, wao had previously
read the play In Che original az going 70
the GafGsn taeater hopeful Or course and
determined ia applaud" Naturally they
had lofty aspirations. Alas how those as
pIratlons were dashed Il the ground.
'There vas nothing fantastic about this
CyFano, except az tsmra yeu believed you
had escaped into Weber & Fields. and
we're watching a hur}ssque; AZ Others a fer
vtI utteFance aad the adorable language
translated from Rcsand. raCsad yoa 20 ~
back and say: AZ last, have walled II
has come. ard then back again you were
plunged Into the depths of perple kitty.
Coming down - the nasal fnake-up
the Post complains thas Maasnesds taper
Ike proboseis. Tong, flexible. hideous ard
wholly comic. destroys the possibility of all
facial expression"
Though bis noze Is "l0ngcr than that Of
any man who ever lived" says the Times.
when he T. inspired by love his face glows
with the beauty Of his soul. When the
martial trumpet calls he Is terror" Can
a face tina, changes from the beautiful 20
the terrible be sad 70 have lost all p0ssi-
bilsty OF expression?
Nr Mansileld's makeup n this respect
seemed 10 me physso'og.caliy wrons No
man Of genius. courage and Yirll!ty ever
had n nose thai could be compared to the
''snout OF e tap'r' TO q healthy rad!sh."
TO the bill OF IA duck. The real Cyrano
certainly did not, Coqaelin'a makeup was
earicature. MIR Mansfield seems TO have
caricatur the carieafure.
Every one by this time is familiar with
the story which Is exceptional. impro5a-
bile. unnatural aud. I'm real TIE. iuconceiv~
able. Yet 10 the Incidents of sucA a story
that clever French dramalist, VI Rosiand:
has added Inventions Of his fancy and
made beautiful poem. tragic. comic. ro-
mantle, but always theatrical In his per-
Torrance Mr.. Mansfield brings ont tho
tragic elenen. very strongly. Coquelin en-
piasized the comic. The cyrano Of Mans
field SCOTS at his sears. Fer the grotesaue
SIDE of his gasconading he has only con
tempt~as for everything else. i1ut these
things are merely by the way. The main
polns f. that Mr.. Nansneli's performance
IA whole is Ineligible. brilliant. some
times almost great.
Mr.. Israel Zangplll the most brilliant or
the younger London men Of letters, made
his first public appearance in America at
the Isyeeum.
Mr.. Zsngwig talked very eniertainingly
on the drama as fire ART. His wit his
agreeable satire. and his easy, spYlghtly
style quite triumphed over his singularly
fnfeiicitous manner Indeed. "A less pos
sessea person can scarcely be maR-
tined. His nervousness and embarrassment
were almost painful 10 witness. and his re-
lief when tae ordeal was over was plainly
evident. Mr. Iangwilfs features are some
what .inpassive. His voice Is q monotoaous
drawl. or gesture in the proper sense he
has none. tie merely passes his slngularly
weil-shaped hands across his chin. or ar
ranges his tie with them, or thrnsts them in
desperation in his trousers pockets.
Mr.. IangwlN began his lecture by a Sue
cinct review Of the origin Of the drama and
It's development. Ths part of the lecture
was saved from boredom by a sparkle OF
epigrafn~ some excellent and some not so
goud-which thG audience. after tho fashion
Of lecture audiences. appiauded In inverse
u.
The lecturer made plea FOR a drama
mere closely allied with iife and art TIE
proper field az the drama tie summed up
eplsram rs stimulation stinula-
ttoa and concentration. or. in other words
the vitaiixafi0n OF episode. ana the focus
ing OF scattered elements at the proper
crisis The drama as L exists AT resei,,
he considered under different heads The
conditions az production the scenery TIE
manager, tne actor the critic and tho
author. Two thousand purchasers % "a
F.. "a
many times atSo do noe fecoup the cost u
producing 4 play.
Henoc the play nast appeal 20 the nab.
ard touch the INV ievol az rational ,tfa : q
unless TIE noh happers - be- an artistic,
rnoh. like the kthentan and Hlfxah@tAau
mob ~ the past and tie Partisan non of te-
day Scenery t.tt appeals 20 lie mob s.
neces safN. In tbs great Ill DAVIS TWO
boards and "A passion auf3ced g. make p
drama. Today Il needs two sticks and a
wardrobe. "WAon I want - give Measure
90 my maid buy hoV seat n some rea,-
is,io play, where sho can see tram ear or
steam engine ~ be sure she can sea
these things every day In the streets bat
u gives her an acute Joy 10 see taem in
the wrcng place"
The actor does rot understand thp rnatfe-
mates Il his profession. lie believes that
tire part - grrater lsisa the Whole
The critic - 4 h0pylsss'y Glogical person
lie knows teo much ~ stare TRICKS "a know
how they affect she lrss iratructca puti{-
lie knows the her, IS not always xasiae for
lain frequently as wicked as Flthev ~ them
TIE srhool boy huHdoa better .han Pa
knaw whpa he daHaeet g r9AE3ar!st as 4
writer o. pavv The latter steals sis IT
eraf0re from he F'rer p ana leaves eGt tAa
htefata lie protects the morals az h.e
audience - ics'tmaf.=i0r .he hassavas ~
French creation RHd ef-gftfs fhA stare hy
srsnsiaIinE re ~ Recent tufo th~ na3afefii.
stbie. Authors who d5 net adapt f-e,f, f1r-
~iwn authors are mere ha Ks Comedy fe
rss gil dFivol nor tragedy an egtp-3 vs.
thFs~ hacks imagine that a comb artatt.err l.
snsvci arb GriVvf constitutes drama t,e-
tSe literary artists the reRel-zts ~, are
pow beginning - furu thetf ew.n v.ars
into dramas. Etrs~HfNr - se s,,es-ssar1 gse..
Niar demand Instead - r9-cHs. ~trc- ~ &c
taf"us Themes a~9 o~,v tfttt ta s~e
tsaio- 2:aA ear cr'v unaka afs upeesr.
ana f. evensee ertzs. Iase sage S. H.
vo~eos frors Nse
W tfe az uree.rf ts ss .f~s.>,s-f> 40 f~
80 f'2gelefta ass Nffi SRA 5-a5~a e~.
cpeF're ur crN Wrrif@ f-r rx-fn--ts1-, a.
sestsa'se' lNft>' .r~v Aas ~ss.rs.s.'
= 4ts .sstes-.1stteu ~ the t-H~sr.. fsss..a -
FlTaue7r 49, 81 ''-a fasse srt r.. x
tTe forward fo ter es;HA3. ~er-rtt az a r..s
Isnn- ai-ts sre rrs,rh0s . .eN
Nifus tfft-e Herr-tsv tNa A}--.fv a.sss