The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-24

cadets, this Is the man revealed by Mans
fields art. In the first act Cyrano is the
one man talked about on the stage and the
one thought Of by the audience. His en-
trance is the signal for a riot. He dismisses
the fat Montfleury with the recklessness
of political boss, challenges the house full
of nOse-in-the-aiF aristoCrats with the dar-
ing of a bellicose Gascon spelling for a
fight and then suddenly cools down and
handles words with the ease of a court
Jester. The wonderful cynicism of Cyrano
is displayed when De Valvert advances
with poor fling at the grotesque nose.
Quick as flash Cyrano gives the dandy
fop example Of his best Wit in the now
famous nose speech. While everyone had eX-
pected something sensational of this speech
Mansfield ratified ii off with little effort at
distinct enunciation as If he hated it, As
a matter of fact the nose speech is better to
ment is too subtle for dramatic results.
There is more action an instant later, when
he gives the ballad of the duel. but the
improbability of q duelist improvising a
three-stanZa poem and refrain as he fights
has led Mansfield to cloak the event as
much as possible by having the stage people
entirely surround the duelists, shutting off
all view and making such elamor that
even the ballad is hardly heard
The second act, one of the greatest in the
play, IS mingled comedy, bravado and pa
thos sailed and peppered with more Gym
lclsfn. 1t is also here the romantic
element enters when Roxane-the pre-
vatlon Army lassie would say, the
peach meets Cyrano in the bakers shop.
Cyrano believes he is to have a love tryst
with his beautiful cousin, and finds
she comes to plead for her lover a blue
eyed stupid who has Joined the Gascony
Cadets. Two speeches that thrill and al
most raise one from his seat also come in
TINS act. The electric presentation speech
introducing the Gascony Cadets is followed
by the wonderfully acclaimed NO, thank
you speech to his friend lie Bret Here
also the more brave than wise Christian,
the beloved of RoXane is introduced and
SSyrano takes him to his heart and pledges
nm ms devotion in his suit to win Roxane.
from this on develops the romance of Chris
tlan ana Roxane with the real love-maker,
Cyfano, In the background-an appealing
situation unlike anything heretofore at
tempted in the modern drama, but not new
to story. 1t rises to Shakspearean beauty in
the third act balcony scene with its kiss
speech and the weird moon speech, aug
mented by the uncanny buffoonery of
Cyrano.
The fourth act is the siege and battle
scene at Arras, with the Gascony Cadets on
the verge of starvation and Cyrano still sus-
tanned by his bitter cynicism. His last let
ter of the many he has written for Christian
is sent to Roxane and his heart is almost
ready to give up the fight. There is more
farcical comedy on the eve of the battle
which suddenly precipitates the death of
Christian The last act Cyrano has almost
wholly to himself. Amid the peaceful sur
roundings of the convent grounds, where
RoXane awaits his expected daily visit, amid
the falling leaves and the growing twilight,
Cyrano enters on his cane suffering from
fatal wound by an assassin. His anguish is
concealed, his spirit still defiant as he talks
OF the past and the memory of the long-dead
CHRISTIAN whose image is retained in the
virgin heart of RoXane She brings out the
Beautiful proxy letters from her dead lover
and the last message, the one in which Cy-
Tano had poured his soul and which had
resulted in bringing Roxane to the battle
field to join her Christian, is given to
Cyrano to read. The evening has grown too
Dark TO see, yet he reads on from memory,
betraying that he himself was the author.
Roxane perceiVeS the truth and Mansfield
dies, not with her love declaration in his
ears, but standing up and in a delrium
nghting duel with death.
Little thought is necessary to convince
one that young man is the author of
"Cyrano. Edmund Rostand is said TO be
only thirty and the distinguished French
critics, from Sarcey down, are calling him
the greatest poet dranatist of the time.
None but a young man could have COM
blned so much primitive romance with so
much literary imagination. In youth the
brain runs riot in dreams and the heart is
cClamorous with passion The author of
'Cyrano' had to be young, with magma
ton vigorous, with flesh firm and magnetic
and veins fat with blood to be inspired by
the legendary history of the seventeenth
century Cyrano. Youth is prone to self-tor-
ture and noble sacrifice and Cyrano was
young. The story of this talented youth,
whose ugliness baked his amorous designs
and forced him to spend his energy in
brawls and almost daily duels. whose intel
lect was so fertile that he could indict love
songs or heroic verse on the moment. was
tllS sui VI uIldIItu genius 10 INSPIRE the
gifted Rostand. The play is unlike any other
written unless one accepts the Chicago real
estate kings Merchant Prince" There
is no sex problem and there is no vaudeville
makeshift. nothing to lower it to the rank
of anything modern. 1t is built on the old
lines of romantic drama when improbable
tiles We're treated with as much reverence
as a child's faith in ghost stories. 1t goes
back to the original spirit of the original
drama, when the deeds of the gods became
the theme of amusement epics.
Each act of the play was received with a
demonstration that amounted to an ovation.
Mr.. Mansfield was extremely gracious. He
came before the curtain after every act.
After the third there was long continued
applause and the great actor was called
out until people lost count of the recalls. At
the close the people stood up and faced the
stage, applauding for minutes until Mans
field had removed all vestige of Cyrano and
appeared as Mansfield the man.