The times., 1898-09-27
AT TIE TEEATERS.
National-4rhe Christinn.v

duuienc6 SO IdshlondDle lHdt Hlcrt lHdH
half of it was seated only after the pro-
logue had been finished, assembled last
night at the National Theater to witness
Viola Aliens formal debut as a star in
Hall Gaines play, THE Christian That
such a house could split the seams of its
collective gloves in demanding speech
of the author and fourteen curtain calls
of the company, is such tribute to the
success of both in their efforts to please
that realizing its significance stunts the
least moderate praise an enthusiastic
critic could shower upon the performance
Suffice it to say then that THE Chris
tian'' is one Of the most powerful pro
ductions the stage has had in recent
years, and that its predestined triumph
loses no verify at close range
In adapting the piece for the theater.
Mr.. Caine has. of necessity, made some
radical changes in it's construction and
purpose. Even in the day of high art and
art alone, footlight versions of moral SER
mons never prove what they might have
been, and the author of last nights Of
fering had the good sense TO see this and
TO profit by it. In making The Chris
tian' play. therefore. he has taken care
that it shall first be essentially love
story, and to that end he removed from
his former version everything but the
characters of John Storm and Glory
Quayle. with the ;motive of their difficult
ties. that he might have a foundation
and only a founiation on which to re-
build his structure. Many of the stronger
incidents of the book have been used in
propping up the new effort. and some bits
of the discussion that waged in the novel
haN6 forced themselves into form, too.
but the main part of the matter arranged
has passed through the skilled hands of
a man who knows the value of what he
destroyed and the superior uses of that
with which he replaced it.
And yet with all this THE Christian"
is not so much a drama as 1t is drama-
tization. The material held over from
the book is ali of so strong a nature that
the piece often seems 10 be but success
sion of independent and rather disJointed
pictures Sometimes these scenes had to
be connected with flashes of imagination
from those in the audience-the greater
part seemingly-who had read the mover,
and again the bits mentioned We're so
cleverly knit together that one who mad
slept since ten years before the story was
written would have had no difficulty In
following it with interest Even TINS
caused some abruptness in action. where
abruptness was least pleasant, but it was
more desirable than the other fault, and
will be more easily remedied.
The Christian is in a prologue and
four long acts, and would, therefore, be
source of great delight either to readers
of Ibsan or patrons of the Chinese drama
One is first introduced TO the ruins of
Peel Castle. with Glory out on rather an
unnecessary picnic. and the. remainder of
the well-known characters of the story
either accompanying her or attending the
session of an antiquarian society Through
these mediums the hero and heroine, Lord
Storm, Parson Quayle. Horatio Drake.
Lord Robert IRE Archdeaeon Wealthy,
Brother Paul, Mrs. Calender. Polly Love
and even devoted Father Lampough are
introduced properly and strictly in ac-
cordance with Elmer Vance's instructions
to pIaywrights. Then John and Glory
have rather ad~anced love scene and
the young man tells his father and every
one else in the neighborhood that he IS
going into the church. The curtain de-
scends only after the interest of the aud
ience has been obtained and the designs
of cafe proprietors outside balked.
In act two the author jumps directly to
the night of Glory's success in a London
music hall, ignoring her struggles in the
hospital and Storms suffering in his
monastery. Lord Robert is given some
brilliant repartee and the new Coliseum
favorite has a clever interview with her
priest-lover. She is warned of the dam
gers before her and the lesson taught
is given an appropriate object when a
trusted friend, Drake, Furnishes her for
thanking him by kissing her. This does
not prevent the girls continuing in her
career, however, and the following scene,
in Storms little church, finds her willing
to sacrifice his professed affection for
the career before her. She does this,
though, with no end of mental agony,
and the superb acting which Miss Allen
gave the bit would have made it an ex-
cellent finale had not something stronger
remained in Johns biting and angered
reproa ches to the men who had sold his
shelter from above his head. Indeed, it is
not improbable that this last maysbe found
the greatest scene in the play and that
because of it the American Christian
may become, like that Mr.. Barrett is to
produce in London, a wheel revolving
around the role of John Storm.
But ii is In the third act that Glory
resumes her position in the picture and
Miss Allen gets her chance for work
Here she is brought into sharp contrast
for the first time with Polly Love, and
here, after her return from the race
track, occurs the quarrel between Drake
and Sir Robert that brought the sympa-
thies of the reader strongly to bear on
the former gentleman when merely re-
lated. Here finally, John comes with his
mad idea of killing Glory that he may
save her soul and the woman he loves
blinds him with her beauty, crazes him
with her memories of the past and over
whelmS him with her passion for him so
that he leaves at last in his sober senses.
This, in turn, gives way to the attack
of a mob upon the little church in Soho
with the salvation of Storm and the re-
union of the two-neither of the latter
incidents having been in the novel at ALL
The Christian is first, second, and al
ways a forceful play. Occasionally its
plot and circumstances become melo-dra-
matte, but this is rare, and even when it
occurs one forgets the means because of
the result. Many of the incidents of the
piece have never been surpassed for
strength and purpose, power and pathos
The audience turns from interest to SYM
pathy and finally to intense devotion
upon the twist of the authors pen or a
line from the players lips, until the look
er-on canot help marveling at the won
derful sovereignty OF all concerned in
what is undoubtedly the greatest success
of the entire theatrical year.
Viola Allen herself is a revelation to
many of those who know her best. With
out attempting to subdue her own pers
sonality, she realizes in the most direct
way the character given her. Miss Allen
is no more Glory QuayIe than Glory
Quayle is Miss Allen, and yet both peo-
,eTa ta nd ba
seem but creatures reflected in each
others lights There is plenty of moving