The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-03-15
NEW THEATRICAL THINGS.
PASSION PLAY LUsTRATED ny
MOTING PHOTOGRAPHS.

-,.,r IpterestinE Representation 81 Christs
,,os ana D~eath-sormn's Return-A Con-
,.,,es Drama snd = wrestler In Vaudeville.
-, d, not many years since salmi Morse died,
a was said that tho prohibition of n Pas.
.,an NAV killed him. He hadsspent much time
~ lifting n drama of the life and death OF
rs-A,, and had made elaborate preparations
~. ne performance In q theatre built for the
rn-nose, but Mayor Grant refused to issue the
p..risi,o license for tho now house of amuse-
-, and in that way the representation was
sasnIdden. 1t was thought that Cardinal Nc
rto.key inspired the adverse action. MI.
,,or,o had boon Jealous, perhaps fanatical, In
-, labor, and the disappointment crushed him.
NJ, friends beloved that II broke his heart, in .
.n.sJcal as we'll as metaphorical sense Of the
~ At Days Theatre yesterday afternoon
passion play:was given by the c~inometograph,
,.otnrer. two singers and an orgnnist.. The
sJot.d bill quoted q letter from Cardinal Glib
ssors commencing the exhibition a. realistic.
s%.votlonal and elovating." Tho peasants OF
roritz, In Bohemia, like the moro famous ones
a ober Ammergau, give pious limitations ofsthe
,,uciaxion Of Christ These religious amateur
,ctor,. by permission OF the Roman Catholic
ni,bop OF their diocese and for . confederation
A cnsh royalty for the use Of the resulting pio-
lures. gave performances OF their play before q
photographic camera. The upshot was q panto-
mimic representation, much FASTENED and
,hortenod, of O Passion play a. produced by tho
dsyout peasantry; and that was what the peo-
nj. At Daly's saw yesterday. The first section
a the show consisted Of ordinary photographs
A Horits thrown on Q screen by means Of o
,tsr.oscope. Next came . set of moving pic
tures OF appropriately CARRIED persons illus
trstine Old Testament episodes bearing on the
coming Of Christ. After those views tho Pas
,ion play itself proceeded In this order with tho
,nnunciation to tho Virgin, the alteration by
the wise men from the East, the fight to Egypt,
tho baptism OF Christ by John. tho blessing of
children By Christ, tho resurrection of Lazarus,
Cbrist's entry into Jerusalem, tho last supper.
Christ washing his disciples feet, tho betrayal
by Judas, the denial by Peter, the arraignment
bsforc Herod, the trial before PLATE, the way to
the cross, the cruciixion, the placing in the
ppulchre and the ascension Ernest. Lacy
made explanatory remarks and recitSd briSr
DuSagne Coward sang while some Of the scenes
Nere In progress and John X. Clemmons played
tho organ. All these things were done in o be-
eomingly sed to fashion and they seemed to
Impress the assemblage in the manner intended.
II the performance wero to be subjected to q
BY an ordinary play in q theatre, tho writer
would be bound to say that it was remarkably
meritorlous for rustic amateurs. But II
these Horitz peasants. who have been trained
pedulously in their roles, are to be regarded
therefore as professional actors, they must be
rated as inefficient. There was the crudity Of
action lof course, no Judgment of their speech
% possible here, whichever SO careful novices
would display in pantomime. The man who
accepted ideal without reaching it: His role
was passive, as the author of the Horitz play.
Q native Bohemmian, had not presumed to ven-
ture beyond Biblical authority in ascribing &C.
finn and the condensed representation before
the camera had evidently skipped much Of the
tme occupied by the speeches. This figure
,SssO It unsracefai. though iiitlacked in impress.
iveness., The Virgin Mary was not tho visit
fully sad Italian woman that has served as the
atyplcal Bohemian peasant. Her face. while
not the familiar one of Christian art, still was
R 70. ., @o snssIlS1ae nSIp as eb 70 pc at AL h1 G one son e;
%Caaphas, whose fanaticaf prosecution Of Christ
i.ns moments and few We're " awEward. In the
scenes that were crowded by people very pic
~turesque effects were produced. notably in
in Christ, bearing His cross. guarded and mall
treated by the soldiers. gibed by the Jews, and
followed by his faithful adherents. tainted and
fell on his way TO the place of execution. The
atrically considered, that episode was admfra-
bly, Illustrated. and to the pious sense 1t could
e CO. annS be shsR 1o L @as prossb yn sdlfy IL m0 a.
representation Of q Passion Play. performed
By peasants II was intensely interesting.
Agnes sorma reappeared last night at the IT.
wing Place Theatre. and II there were many per-
sons in the large audience there who remem-
bered her introduction to American theatre
goers one year ago, tho temptation to con-
trast that occasion with what they wit
messed last night must have been irresisti-
bio. Frau Sorma was q stranger to this
country at that time, and the reserved FIRE.
~quenters Of the Irving Place Theatre waited for
her 10 prove her right to acceptance before they
grew enthusiastic over tho ~actress. But she
was welcomed last night with tho warmth
that is shown only toward old friends. The
night which saw her standing under a
shower Of rose leaves after her appearance
In "Dorf und Stadt," the play that concluded
her engagement in New York, was moro like
last evenings performance than her first ap-
p~earance here was.
She was seen again as Nora in Ibsen's
play, "A Dolls House." That was tho first
role she acted here. and had she never
played any other. probably Now York au-
dehees would never have seen her again.
hher performance OF the part, Is little changed.
" remains n splendid exhibition of her tech
nical abilities. In the wide range OF Morals
words and emotions there is none which she
cannot indicateFyith complete facility. Her mere
u ISL ihio ~ nO punt. DuI luC tdCUuiChl III
nh OF her Interpretation Is the hest OF 1t. Every
neAhs OF the actors art is at her fingers ends.
naI there seems little or no sincerity in the in
appreciation from beginning to end. Frau Sor-
Hs weeps real tears. But every other eye isdry.
indeed Nora Is not "A Sympathetic" part as the
,s.nacl!@r OF the stage classifies roles. But
sne can be made more interesting than Frau
SCtma makes her: The actresses art is always
,,hh.eFesSiing. But her Nora is not. Every emo
.on she expresses seems assumed-very eX-
petuy and brilliantly indicated. but none the less
external. OF Frau Sorma's position as an actress
Inc audiences therefore that have seen her in
Sennitzler's "Liebelei." in Hauptmnnn's Yer
ssGrnkehe Giocke" or even in the rose-colored
chic v will never care to recall her as Nora.
evidently she regards the Ibgen heroine. how
Sver, as her show role. Some of the spectators
AmSahight seemed to agree with her.
vine general performance was poor. Bernhard
corWerk. who has done his best work with Herr
Uohrleds company as n character actor. wal
~ impossible Helmer. Julius Stroll made n
,utalsht effort to play Or. Rank, but nil
eat ne accomplished was an appearance
!" stiffness In ono leg. He figured with tho
ttetress In one OF the best sc~Gnes--which is the
.ntsrylew with the doctor in the second act
W. now far behind R6iane that was! Emil
Nsrh was a prepostcrously solemn Kro0stdd,
could not have frightened a child.
a string OF popular comedians yesterday af-
So'hoon offered for sale at the Metropolitan
opera House the parterre boxes for the benefit
!. DC given there on Sunday night for the rela-
W y M H.