The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-23
PLAY BILLS THIS WEEK
"sIGN OF THE CROSS WILSON BAR
RETT,s PLAY, AT ENGLTsH's.
s.Down I'm Dixie at the Park and Two
VaudeytlIes at the Empire
Amusement Notes.

THE Sign OF the Cross" that celebrated
religious drama written by Wilson Barrett
the great London actor. and which at
tracted more favorable comment from both
Protestant and Catholic clergymen from the
day of its first production than any play
written during the present generation, Will
be seen all week at E.nglishs Opera House,
with matinees Wednesday and Saturday.
The advent of this wonderful play, which
portrays on the stage the persecution of the
Christians in Rome during Nero's reign, has
been a theatrical sensation In every city
where it has appeared. The story of the
drama is said to be SO pure in its moral
tone and so accurate in its historical treat
ment of the famous personages of Nero's
time, that it has attracted the attention OF
clergynen in this country as it did in Lon
don, where Wilson Barrett produced it at
his Lyric Theater. After two years in Lon
don, Mr.. Barrett took his company, COM
plete, to Australia this season, and reports
from the Antipodes indicate that THE Sign
of the Cross has met with equal popularity
in that far-off continent.
Thousands of ministers, priests and rabbis
have seen the play since it was brought to
America last season. The company was Sc
lected in London and drilled by Mr.. Barrett
himself SO as to give Americans the same
faithful production that the English saw.
During the action of the play, the famous
Emperor Nero is shown just as history
painted him. Many of the personages who
figured during that trying time for Chris
tianity and who are shown in that great
book Quo Vadis'' now being read by
everybod& appear in the play. Marcus Su-
perbus, the great central figure, one of Ne
ro's chief lieutenants who fell in love with
the beautiful Christian maiden and followed
her to the arena, TO be devoured by the
lions rather than execute her as Nero had
ordered, is played by the wel-known Eng
lish actor Charles Dalton. The Christian
boy, Stephanus, who is captured and tor
tured to cause him to reveal the secret re-
sorts of the prosecuted sect in Rome and
then sent to the lions is played by Miss
Gertrude Boswell, an American girl. Thirty
actors are required to give the performance,
and the scenery and costumes carried by the
company are said to give a realistic effect
to the play never to be forgotten
PLOT OF THE PLAY.
The plot of 1.-THE Sign of the Cross" is as
follows: Marcus Superbus, project of
Rome, is ordered by Nero to exterminate
the despised sect Of the Christians. He
meets in the streets of Rome beautiful
young girl, who is defending an old man
against an attack of the rabble. He inter-
feres, sends the girl to her home under the
protection of one of his guards, and when he
finds that she is suspected of being Chris
tian goes to her house in disguise and warns
her of her danger In the meantime Ste
phanus, young Christian boy, has been
followed and taken prisoner. He is put on
the rack in order to make him divulge the
meeting place of the faithful His pitiful
cries are head from an adjoining dungeon,
and at last the desired information is wrung
from him. Marcus learns that Mercia will
be at the meeting place, and, followed by
his guard, he hurres to the appointed place
and saves her from the attacking Roman
soldiers, in charge of two officials who are
seeking to obtain Neros favor. She IS
taken to his palace and there, while a
drunken revel is going on in the next room
he pleads with her for her love- His com
panions enter in half-intoxicated condi-
to tempt her to give up her faith for the
life of pleasure they lead. She remains
firm, however, and endures their taunts IN
silence Determined to possess the girl,
Marcus orders his companions from the
room, extinguishes the lights, and, after a
passionate scene, in which he pleads and
threatens he throws his arms about her.
She struggles to escape him, and just as he
is again about to clasp her in his embrace
a flash of lightning and a terrific crash OF
thunder blind and deaten MN: Mercla
draws a cross from her breast and holding
sign; the Master has spoken, you cannot
harm me nowp' Marcus, filled with super
stitious dread, crouches before her and the
In the last act Marcus, having fallen
truly in love with Mercia, appeals to Nero
for her. pardon. Probably he would have
been successful had it not been for the in
fluence of jealous woman and Nero's wife,
Papara, who also loves the handsome Ro-
man project. Nero at last consents to
spare her life if she will renounce her faith
The last scene Is dungeon OF the amphl-
theater. and the Christian prisoners are
awaiting their fate. Mercia eXhorts them
to be steadfast to their faith and to look
to the cross when the hour comes. blast
of trumpets is heard and the heavy doors
at the back slide open, showing the huge
amphitheater thronged with spectators.
The distant roar of the lions, mingled with
the murmur of thousands of voices, is
heard Singing one of their beautiful hymns
of praise, they go out into the arena and
the doors close leaving only Mercia and the
boy Stephanus on the stage. The girl kneels
before her terrified companion. and, with
womanly caresses and words of hope, tries
to prepare him for the terrible ordeal
through which he must so soon pass. Again
the doors open, and the shrinking boy
moves slowly toward the brilliant arena be-
You'd. only to burst into series of hys-
terical shrieks when the sight of slaughter
bursts him. He rusheS back and throws
himself into Mercia's arms but soon re-
gaining his courage, and strengthened by
the sight of the cross which she holds be-
fore him, he goes calmly out and the doors
close. Mercia throws herself on the stone
steps over which the boy has passed, and
for the first time bursts into a fit of pas
sonate weeping. The sound of the undoing
of bolts and bars is heard, and Marcus en-
ters He pleads with her to renounce her
faith and be his wife. She refuses, but tells
him that she has now no shame in confess
ing that she loves him and has loved him
from the first. Then follows a discussion,
during which the light of religious truth
slowly dawns On the aristocratic Roman,
and when again the doors open, the trum-
pets sound, and Mereia turns with out
stretched arms to bid him goodbye he
boldly announces that he. too, is Chris
tian, and that he is ready 20 follow her.
His last words are: Come to the light be-
yond," and, hand in hand, they pass out
into the arena together just as the curtain
falls. In the cast are such well-lSnown Lon
don players as Charles Dalton as Marcus,
w. E. Bonney as Nero. G. r. Peach, Basil
Gill, Hubert bruce, j. Monkhouse, Harry
Burcher Harry Child Irene Rookie as Mer-
cha, Gertrude Boswell as the boy Stephanus,
Marion Grey. Marjorie Cavania, Agnes
Scott. Edith Paullin and Lilly Child.
Liliputians Next Week.
The Liliputians the first half Of next week
will open their annual engagement ar Eng
lishs with their new spectacular play. The
Fair in AIidgettown, which scored an i'm
IL MI