New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-03-03
LONDON NOTES.
TUMBRIL PLAY AT THE LYcrrr,, =.
FINE WATER COLOR sHow-Mp
ARCHER's VISIT TO
AMERICA

AMERICA.
London. February IA
There have been various adaptations % ~.
Dickenss "A Tale Of Two Cities" for stage nu,
poses and Mr. Freeman Wills can hardly \.
said to have improved upon them In the ver,,o,
which Is now running at the Lyceum Thea.,.
No play based upon that wonderful roman.
OF the French Revolution can be a poor on.
and every version must be essentially nsL
/ drama MIR. Wills entities his play The op,v
Way" and describes II as a romantic drama
but it Is q picturesque melodrama, the inters,
/ OF which is dependent In large measure uno,
/ the dramatic action Of the French mob A.
! spite the palnstaklng efforts OF playwright An,
/ Mr.. Martin Harvey 10 lay stress upon the "a
mantle and even poetic qualities Of the noN.
theme Of self-sacrihce. II was the fine Actin,
OF the mob that determined the SUCCESS q.
Julius Cnsar" as produced by Mr.. Tree al Hs.
Majcsty's Theatre last year with the aid q,
artistic panorama. II is a well-drled mob. ac.
ing with the realism 81 the French stage ma,
IS the chief characteristic Of THE Only War.
This play. Ike The Prisoner Of Zenda" an,
"The Musketeers' at Her Majestys. opens VIII
prologue which serves 10 explain the relation,
OF the Manettes to Darnay and Defarge In n.
succeeding acts. II portrays The duel betwes,
Jean Defarge and his sisters seducer. and N.
arrest Of Dr. Manette by order Of the two nobA
men. who condemned him 70 long imprisonmsD,
in the Bastile with this prologue there is "a
real necessity for detailed exposition Of the rela.
tons Of the characters in subsequent acts bu,
Mr. Wills allows his audience little scope %,
natural inferences and insists upon explanlr,
everything minutely as the play goes on Tn.
/ drama drags in consequence ~ this surpluus.
OF expository treatment by which action ana
motives are rendered too ineligible and plas
The dullest playgoer has the power u Intuition
and resents having his quick perception Of I,
situation reasoned out for him IN detail
After the prologue the action opens in SID.
ney Cartons London chambers. where Darnay
thanks his defender for tho services RENDERED
10 him I'm the case Of mistaken Identity. end n.
} Younger Defarge is introduced IN his mission 70
decoy the emlgrc back 10 Paris The seemed
/ the. second act is Or. Manette's garden IN sca
where the lovers have their woolng and brs
/ interval Of happiness and where Defarge lures
his prey TO Paris. Carton appearing too late 10
have his warning needed. The third act por.
trays with vivid realism the Revolutionary
tribunal at Paris Danay. as the descendant
OF the ST. Evremondes. Is AZ first acquitted In
/ consequence OF the ingenious and eloquent plead
ing OF Carton. and Is then condemned TO the
guillotine at the dictatlon Of the frenzled mob
led by Defarge and The Vengeance. The fourA
act has three narrowing scenes and hl
tableau. Carton appears In DR.. Manettes apar
ments. where Luce Manette lies unconscly
and the arrangements for the escape Of ns
/ lovers from Paris are carefully explained. He
next enters Darnay's cell. and after an exchange
Of clothes the unconscious nobleman Is carried
out by the soldiers. The third scene Is laid II
q hall OF the Conclergere, where the numben
Of the victims are called IN turn. and whsno
/ Carton passes out 10 his self-imposed fate hasa
in hand with Mimi. who. instead Of being chana
companion for the guilloune, Is brought into
earlier acts and is represented as entertaining
q hopeless passion for him. The final taoeaa
reveals Carton ascending the scaffold in the tn
umph Of self-sacrifice
The tableau emphasizes the significance Of the
title. since II is A moving picture Of the only
way" IN which the hopeless lover. sydney Car
ton, can serve Lucle Manette and Il also enables
the actor to repeat the pathetic lines: II Is a
far far better thing that do than have ever
done: IT is a far. far better rest that | go "
than I have ever known" Nevertheless lik.
much Of the exposit0ry matter In the play II Is
superfluous. since the only way f. appareni
at the end Of the scene in the cell and asah
when Cartons number Is called IN the hall q
the Conciergere. and the loud. hoarse roar q
the mob is heard from the street There are at
least two good places for the fall Of the curtain
before the tableau. and the strain Of artificial
climax 10 felt when the final scene Is witnessed
The series OF narrowing scenes at the end OF me
play needlessy prolongs without intensfyng the
pathos OF the tragic situation. Heroism IKE
Cartons is portrayed most effectively by SIN
nllcitv Of treatment II IS over emphasized and
| exhibited too conspicucusly IN Mr. Willss YER
sion.
Mr. Martin Harvey's performance In thsp"
on the opening night was one Of high oss'e'
If excellence and Reserved force. His sydn''
Carton was never theatrical and the part was
PLAYED with fine variety and effective realism
In the earlier scenes he displayed suoueV !"
denoting the possibilities Of heroic motive III ~,
baffled and hopeless lover who was "@s..A7
his life in dissipation and am!essness' tH'
latent nobility gradually lighted up the 'ehue.'
melancholy face with CLEANS of hope ana "s'
resolve It was daring thing for youns
actor who had only been seen in suoO'u'"@'.
parts to undertake French piece IN 'ns
: I.vceurn n few weeks before sir Henry lrV'ns'
return To that famous house in "Robespie'rs
but Mr. Harvey. by a happy comoinauo" u
erection and audacity. succeeded IN Keep'hs
resources we'll in hand and in deeply mons
the audience by a thoroughly consistent 49,,
personation. There was not single 'nea''N~
tone or pose The method was simple 'e~"'
and one-half OF the audience was IN teafs 49,
/ choking with emotion before the curtain ~"
The play was effectively staged ana ".
acted. despite the nervousness OF some o.
performers. whose voices were not accus'O-
to the pitch required for the house MN
Silva acted with so much spirit and inteD'n =,
that Mimi gained Fictitious Importance -.
expense Of the heroine. Lucie Manette-s
less part taken by Miss Grace Warner. Ia.
was no Nine. Defarge in the play pu'
Vengeance was present. and an oia'''.,
actress Miss Marriott. made much OF the 20
Mr. Holbrook Blinn as Defarge and MI ~. -.
/ Sheath as Darnay were fairly good, anu