The times., 1898-01-04
AT THE THEATERS.

Mansfield III 80 lie DevlIS DiSt tiP1"
The coming OF Mr.. Richard Mansfield
is always the promise of good things
Sometimes we hal them in the fore part
of the week, which usually displays his
new offerings, or again we eontentediy
and securely wait until later, when we
may be sure to find them in the staple
excellencies OF his repertoire. Sometimes
these good things are ofhis creative genius,
sometimes of dramatist's. sometimes they
are picturesque and dainty, again sinister
and terrible, or flippant and impudent.
But Mr.. Mansfield is never tedious in his
offering. 1t may be anything eIse-it is
not stupid That is why bis coming is d
promise, his advent stirnulative, mis- go
ing regretful.
Last night this artistic gentleman pro
dueed a new affair in tlra matte form, The
Devils Disciple" from the refreshing Mr..
Bernard Shaw, who wrote ARMS and
the Man 1t is very hard to ana lyze
and chara cterize the new piece. III is
hard even TO analyZe ones impression or
IL. Two things il suggests In generaiiza-
ton, originality and cleverness. To tfis
might be added impudence- At first Mr..
Shaw discloses the most unfair examples
ofprovinciaI ignorant Christians nd forces
the laugh by contrasting them witD
pagan youth gifted with the subtiest wit
OF the dramatist. II doesn't seem fair.
Meantime, there is not much drama about
it. In the next act he launches situa-
tio1. The disciple gives himself to what
he believes will be death for the sake OF
woman. This might have been heroic
and is, until he assures her, in the next
act. that il is isn't He would have done
10 for anyone. There is no heroisni for
one possessed of such sangfroid. In the
last act, by the way, the disciple is saved
after much smart dialogue and mocsery
Of Christian conventionaIty.
1t is splendid satrical literature. There
is not much drama about it. for the es-
sence of drama is event, action, a nd move
ment, not necessarily among individuals,
even in the heart and mind of each. MI.
Shaw has given scarcely enough of this
Ingredient TO Justify the borrowing of
the play from the library for the stage.
The language is the charm OF IL. 1t is
alive with cynical witticisms. a column
of brilliant epigrsms might lie quoted
at once to the theater to heal others that
are in the play, but couldn't be confined in
that space There is this aIsa to he said
for this ealibef OF play. IL is a refreshiGg
relief from the tension OF theatrical in
tensity, it gives enjos.nent III easy, but
suffusiDg fashion, and inspires admiral tion
iii a genteel way, without exciting more
engrossing and exhaustiDg emotions.
When Nj. Mansfield produces play, we
have become trained to expect fine char
acterzation. In ''The Devils Disciple" he
has been most unselfish in furnishing him
self a role. TIE part of Dick Judge on ,da re-
devil and atheist, is easy, flippant, rollick-
ing, eXaggeratedly atuTal. II requires no
action He is man without appreciabie
emotions. Mr.. Mansfield plays him liter
ally. But in another respect the actor was
a revelation He gave the character the
unaffected naturalness which it was not
believed he could bestow on part, after
having seen him so long mask behind the
tricks of makeup, and the inherent inl-
pressiyeness of strong individuaIities.
Characterize tions were in this case fur
njshed by nearly every other member of
the cast than the star, whom We had
come TO look upon as a character actor, in
the technical sense of that lecution. Mr.
Andrews gave an amusing sketch of a
simple pumpkin: Mr.. johnson was real and
as Parson Ande rson; Miss Monks
of the haTd-dTiving Phritan
A nne Dutgeon was Well constrained, and
finely delivered for so highly colored q
Character; Miss Evelyn drew the audience
into sympathy for the enigmatical position
rs Anderson's wife, and the Messrs. For
rest, Maver, and Kingdom, as British off
GERS, were amply able to cope with their
parts. The mounting of the piece was
handsome. Fine, admira bly, painted and |
set scenes were shown. Thursday even
ng, The Partisan Romance