New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-10-04
THE ORA MA.
RICHARD MANSFIELD AT THE SAhDI'''
"cyRANO DE BERGERAC."


iotion Of Edmond Rostands famboyant' roHiah''o
and military drama Of "Cyrano dc BergeIac nau
It's first representation In America ana t''.' va,
watched with eager interest ana receNeu ~.
abundant favor by n multitude OF spectators Inc
old theme of a mans possible infatuation TOT All
enchanting though shallow woman Is once more
exhibited and once more the tribute OF symPa'"!
and admiration Is invoked. for fidelity wasted ana
devotion given In vain.
"A hitherto presented on the stage. TINS type vi
romantic hero has usually been gloomy and pecu'-
lar In this he Is brilliant ana eNpe"''o
His prowess IL tremendous and his vaor knows
no bounds He does not prosper as u 'o'er' D
in every other vocation Of his choice ne Is pro
dominant and colossal He stops drama"c per
Torrance In order TO drive from the stage an actor
VINO has become obnoxious to him. ana thereI" nc
deees and overwhems a whole theatre OF MS
countrymen. He fights an mpromptu duel Vpea'
OF his daily custom and.-conposihs anu -
poetry while he fences.-he adro'tly punctures his
adversarys gizzard precisely as he utters ms 'as
noetic line He goes gayy forth to meet, sns'e
HANDED n hundred armed men. Staying dozen Oh
,hem at n stroke and driving the rest IN panic
stricken fright In battle he s ubiquitous anu y"
vlncible No peril daunt him ana no enemy
withstand Like Fastaff he dilates upon MS en-
ploits Ike Acres he would appear " -
nrivate graveyard; and yet. like Sidney Car,on' ne
is capable of magnanimous passion and hoY SELL
sacrifice In the vlndcation Of his huge snout he
Is fierce for combat. and whatsoever jeers at that
nortentous encunbrance is promptly sdln w
such hero has emerged IN fiction since the days OF
Phil Fogarty. who, as the reader OF lhache'as
will remember rode his horse at Napoleon Bona
norte on the famous white Arab leaped over both
steed and Emperor scarcely grazing the Imperial
cockade and dashed merry away, with the "hoie
astonished French Army. OF 1I3s00 men, III ho'
insult at his heels. Evidently the accomplished MI
Ros,and who according 10 Mr.. Coquelin. KNOWS
evervthing saw the need OF quicksilver In his
sentimental herOics. 1t is the imperative demand
of our time that nobody on the stage shall DE d
bore and Cyrano has been perfectly well devised
to meet that demand. Nothing indeed could be
more ingenious than the dramatic fabric-scarceV
more than coruscant monology.-that has been con-
trived for his display
There is n serious side to this character. Cyrano
is desperately love. and ncontestably as expert
ence has often shown and biography repeatedly
testines a in love Is sometimes capaDe vi
great endurance and rare achievement. hstute
statesmen have taken account Of this fact ana
some OF the most daring deeds recorded In history
have been done by lovers II could he wished that
cyranos ecsatc passion might so have operaten OF
might 90 have been controlled. as to lift him above
weakness and to make him capable OF the subImiy
of self-represSion and exile as well as silence III
could be wished that the generous virtue oil SELF
sacrifice had been exempfed In a less drastic man
ner-without the whirr of the watchmans ratuc
and without the explosion of fireworks Inc image
of the Pathfinder turning from his idolized Mabel
and vanishing into the forest or that of Ham Peg
cotty confronting the terrible tempest and the fatal
sea TO save his wronger. or that of clumsy Dooplf
fondling Amelias shawl, Will always be sweeter
in the memory types OF unselfsh devotion. than
any such belligerent and decorative person az
| Cvrano de Bergerac. But, allowing for extrava-
gance Of establishment land It Is upon extrava-
| rance Of establishment that Mr.. Rostand's drama
chiefly depends for pquancy or enecp, TINS anc'ed
over-grotesque in person but fine In spirit crueHy
deformed by nature, torn from all moorinss and
| of nj I'm
| mad conflict between reason and passion.-has his
| natural claim upon respect and pity The dramatist
| has fashioned for him theatrical dilemma which
| involves once evaporation and agohy'-caus'hs
him. in the vicarious wooing OF caprlclous anu
| frivolous though lovely Ounce OF woman oS
| whose beauty he is enthralled and whose YOKE ne
| cannot break to furnish her favored 'o'e' VII"
brains feeling eloouence art and song, ana every
thing that is aurng to the female nervous sss'ei'
| commonly called the female mind The schehhe Is
| completely artfcia-for IT rests upon the laise
| assumption that. under any circumstances ana even
| for the brefest time. woman can remain III
Ignorance as 10 any man who comes into ner pres
| ancs ~ the love with which she has inspired him.
The instinct OF woman, upon that point is instan-
| ,aneous inerrant and inevitable But Mr. hos'aha
has andled his scheme so as 10 make II interesuhs
and effective and in drama the element OF erect
,s the one puissant, supreme and mai means oi
victory. - o.
| Mr. Mansfield as an actor. is In many respects
exactly fitted by the character OF cyrano' HS
| bizarre extravaganza consorts with MS nui"olo'
| eccentrcitv Its mordant bitterness Is accordaht
With his spenetic tempera ment. Its derium stin-
ulotes in him a profound, pleasing and inspiring
| agitation Its wdness, its irony its flashes OF
| soorr ira ouick transitions and its vehement
Trades harmonic with the characteristic attrb-
utes OF his mind and impart unusual freedom ana
nuency to his faculties of expression He lacks
| height of figure. and he seems not TO nave culu-
| vated buoyancy and alacrty Of movement and
breadth of graceful gesticuat on,-the large pro-
cessional ulumnative, splendid manner OF such
! Oil actors as Finn and Murdoch and the elder
| WaIlock I'm their prime,-which would be OF ines
! Unable value in such a part as THIS But ne Is
| equally grandoquent and formidable; he supphVs
all the requisite ferocity; he is By turns pacaole
sardonic reckless and eroesque; he deity dlscrm-
| mates between the delirium which Is actual and
| ,hat which Is fictitious: he wins with nonchalant
| ,,,,v and he charms with volatile humor; and his
| action If not always adequately impetuous, Is
| usually energetic and sometimes Is spirited ~
roro constitutes the play, and therefore the draft
| that the part makes upon the actor must be pro-
! d,.ous In Mr. Mansfelds impersonation the sro-
| ,esoue ironcal combative, satiric mentai, ana
.o o,,col attributes of the character are conspicu
| ouslv and brilliantly portrayed while the passion
is more intellectual than ardent. ana the pathos
| ,,clines TO be lachrymose and cold The comedian
| will be greatly and justly admired Tor originality
| and executive force. The authors ldeal'-a mag
| unanimous poetic. hayward soul prsoned IN an
ugly body-was intended Tor many eHec's' out
centrally and supremey. apar, from all Gascon
| ,a,,aronade n was intended to be an image of
! nossiopate tenderness. chivalrc fidelity and acute
| sorrow-all OF them touched with self-seorn and
With misunderstanding beneath an assumed de-
r,oanor OF braggart defiance and careless indiffer
o,co Such an image. II perfectly presented would
produce that Irresistible and overwhelming effect
If upy al ls nd
49,, - or,ef garnished and masked with smile
| htch is oven more affecting than the most explicit
tragedy and which fulhls the best purpose Of
| ,,a,,c art by arousing the soul OF the spectator