New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-10-31
THE DRAMA. .
IRVING As ROBEsPIERRE.

CURED last night ana IS recorded now Tho.
nous actors with their associate players q, -.
London Lyceum. appeared at the Knickerhoct.,
Theatre. beginning their sixth tour Of An.,r.,
and I'm the presence Of great and brilliant noui,
,ude. produced Mr.. sardou's drama Of Rob.
pierre" which has been included IN their reperio.v
since last APRIL and has become rs principal fsa,
urc The greeting accorded 70 them was that n,
devoted friendship They were hailed with acclams
tons Of 10Y and greeted with long continued plsua
It's Of affection and delight Such a beautiful
spectacle Of popular gadness Is seldom seen Tas
tribute must have given much pleasure 70 rs 70.
cipents and certainly n was honorable % the
public. Henry Irving and Ellen Terry stand q, tho
head Of the dramatic profession No other actor 20
great or 50 Justly renowned As Henry Irving Is l.y
inr in cur time and Ellen Terry IN her peculiar ana
distinctive realm Of Imagination. romance. and wild
and vayNard senslbility, is without peer. The
community therefore is indeed wise. thus highly
20 value and deeply 20 appreciate The rare artistic
privilege Of once more seeing these Allstrogs
players now in the funess o, their powers and a.
the summit OF their renown
Mr. sardou's drama Of "R0bespieTre' has been
amply described by many writers. "iiain ne .as,
Six months. and little or nothing b. JEFF - be ssd
about il here The Terror ~ me French key0lg-
ton Of 1850 u.s. Of course suggested by T., ard Is
suggested IN much the usual way All existent
plays relative to this subject follow substantially
the same course and depend FOR their eHerf UPON
the same expedent-the course of sangInary ts-
uriunn and tho expedient OF suspense. r. al ~
them the aristocraf and the pc0eian are con-
frOnted In an of them there Is an insane mob.
and I'm an ~ them there is the smell 81 blood. Ii
the chastity shadow NJ tho guiotine. Their bear.
Ing un3n opinion as 10 political and social affairs
accordingly IS Identical They sugsesuyely in'i.
mate the imperative need Of strong central gov
crnnleat wisely based Justice together m ne
necessity OF tact and prudence In the manaecme1'
n the multitude Edmund Burke reply 70 Pr
when amid ths unspeakable atrocities ana iiet
nal crime ~ THE Terror that Minister sag
we dn England, shall 20 on III the DAY Q,
judgment" Expresses the apprehension ~ every
conservative mind a. 10 social stability when ~.
sailed hv ignorant popular passion. X IS i.e Day
Of no Judgment that 7 am afraid or ans7efs.
Burke and that Is a day which may well be dread
ed by al persons who prize he fruits and giorf'
OF civilization and would promote fhe Welfare y
tho human race To review the direct mr. ients
and INN. date consequences ~ Tho French Rsv''l
ti5n-nith ts rahhle o. such snalio" gaseous
denagoguos As B8rfre Rohespierre toltaoa. s.
Just and Tom Paine-.s 20 lcsthe the very n1me -
Liberty and 20 abhor mankind For any parable .
the 0dious stor, ~ that heiish explosion ~ fari,
ical do,rlum and bestis wrath tho observer mus
revert 20 Tho grim annals ~ Nero or Tanner
lalo on the other hand 70 consider thar oorvgl
sion IN the light Of is final results s % gather a.
scntal lessons u political wisdom. and .n Qart.ru
lar il Is 10 learn that man can never safely 5s
oppres sed and that the mob can never he trusted
But II was not either the presentmont = hs
torical facts tho diffusion u philosophical op!1
ion as to the French Revolution that Mr. sartou
essayed I'm making this play; il was the creation
~ character. comprehensive az many and d.
versied motives and passions. which, displayed N
the fabric Of an interesting story. might 10 EN-
bodied by the art and illumined hy tho genius o. A
great actor and thus might he made practically
effective as an instructive study Of human nature
on tho STAGE His "Robespierre" s. not History.
but entirely and absolutely Fiction. and by iriei
gent observers. accordingly, # Will be accepted
precisely n Shakespeare's tragedy OF 'lNcham
III" f. acccnted-not as an exposition ~ fact hl,
as a work Of imaginative art. In Shakespeare
Richard III the person who figures as Glos's'
IS scarcely Goser at all. but IS another ard dIef
ont person bearing that name. In Nj Sarious
"Robespie the person who figures as ko0ss'
pierre IS not the bilious little country lawyer q
fact addlo-headed with vanity end fanaticaNz
crazsd With accidental and undue po~ef,-Suckins
oranges and playing at government. with no more
capacity OF statesmanship than a h:a,-out fN'R
stronger and far more sympathetic man. ara H.
most exclusively creature or the autnoI laNe)'
Projected against n background of sinister omen'
dlsauetude and suspense; ~ in1palpable yet ever
l,,nerfne ueril. Of vague impending disaster; o.
silence that is a threat and o, sound thar is
warning: this pale. g3unt. omaciated image o.
fanaticsm and fcrocity slowly rises out or a ms
OF romance to loom at last in the horrent grisY
or iUyoferdte ana potential yet NHNi-----
and aconizre wickedness-distraught and agonH'
ing because constituted OF good a. well as evl'
NOT 4 monster exultant I'm his he'll OF carnage ol'
q human being torn by conflicting propensMes
and emotions and environed with horrors tha' "s
IS potent TO create. but powerless 10 control
with view 10 this result Mr.. Sariou mas coz
e,ructcd a drama that for tho fulhlment OF IL
n,rno-e ls literally perfect. n contains. indeed
AN abundance OF scenic spectacle, bur rs plc'u'"
arc naturally Intimately and nextrcaoly t"ihe
with its action and. IN each instance. IT, i''tor@
effect Is dedgccd from the development or Us sloH
and is an indispensable part Of rs movement l"'
derunclation 81 Robospierre would have been al
effective dramatic incident under any crcum'
stances. II is all the more effective from being as.
sociated with that famous historic spectacle. Of
June $ 1874 modified and altered Tor the stage
when that tlusolled tyrant. I'm n skybue coat &C.
creed the existence Of the supreme Being an.
set fire 10 James David's pasteboard statues O.
Atheism Egotsm Discord and Ambition. 10 di''
close above their ashes. the figure ot VISION
which very appropriately. came up with a iaes
completely black. The scene OF Ron'spler'ss
vision of the ghosts Of his victims. by night N 'H'
terrible prison Of the Concierserie.-a dramatic eN
pedeut borrowed from the tent scene OF h'"'
ard Ills one of the most thrilling anc We
nendous achievements IN all STAGE fiction ol' "
occurs i'm "A perfectly natural sequence 81 events
IL is not cxtraneous: il IS not precpitated ny aI'
flee IL accclcratcs the movement or the Story So
II helps to show the character. The final ca"s
tropho when Rohcsplerrc deaed and branded ~
Tanen. I'm the hall OF the National Con'en'o~
fights his way into the tribune but Is over
whemed by the yelling multitude OF his ene"De
is brought about with equally felicitous skill anu
as set managed, and acted by Henry if''hs
crowns with a lur.d and tImutlous horror v
tragic action one Of the most symmetu'" o.
potential melodramatic plays that have ehfN.
the stage In our time. Nothing could be iNt'"
from the truth than tho inrmatlon inal s -.
given by carly writer's on this subject mat -,
sardou's "Robespierre" is more a spectacle We
"A drama Scenic splendor undoubtedly II CONTAIN.
and Of colossal kind. and wonderfully we" ~
vised and displayed. the popuous. divefsiI'' W
,s,ti,n scene has never been cquaed in IT'S way
bat "Robesperro" possesses likewise the '''"'..