The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-10
IRVING's ROBEsPIERRE.
SardOu's New Play at the Lyceum
ThcatSr, London.


London Letter in New York Tribune.
m. Sardou's play IN which Sir Henry
Irving returned in triumph to the Ly
ceum Theater on Saturday evening is as
| complex in composition as an old time
masterpiece of painting. Every accessory
ana detail is clear and definite in mean
ing and helps to explain the significance
of the work as a whole The main mo-
tive is a literary one-exposltion of the
character of obesperre-and 1t is work
ed out through the dramatic relations OF
father, son and mother upon whom
the light is centered in the foreground.
! Indeed, they symbolic the energies, re-
taliatory vengeance and sufferings of that
period. The French revolution in the
crisis of Terrorism is a deeply toned back
ground and at the end all the figures
are overwhelmed with its overshadowIng
gloom. Every detail is carefully elabo-
rated; values are scientifically balanced,
and there is a true sense of proportion
and perspective. Dramatic action halts.
but the art of composition remains.
The play opens with an idyllic picture
of nook In the forest of Montmorency.
where Clarisse de Malucon, a royaIist
widow (Miss Ellen Terry is living with
her niece in a peasants cottage, while
her son Olivier (Mr Kyrle BELIEVE is toll
ing humbyly for their support There are
htful CLEAN of sunlight as this haDpv
llttle family is revealed at peace in this
nest among the oaks. The clouds gather
and the gloom deepens when BENJAMIN
vaughan, an English diplomatist, (Mr
cooper Cliffe), appears upon the scene to
Keep a secret appointment with Robes
pierre. He meets Unexpectedly Clarisse
the wife of his old-time friend, and as
they exchange condolences the horrors of
the Reign of Terror are recIted out
size that peaceful glade is Revolutionary
piood-stalned France at the mercy of A
ianatical omnipotent dictator who 10
hunting down royaists and butcherinq
| rivals in order to fertilize the ground for
the growth of free institutions. That
dictator, whose coming is momentarilv
expected, is the seducer of Clarisse and
the father of her boy, although he has
cast them off and Is paying attentions to
the daughter of a carpenter at his lodo
ihgs. The distracted woman hides her
SER IN the woods while Robespierre meets
the English emissary, rejects hisd over
lures ana suspects treachery. Hearing
that vaughan has been talking with two
az Oih lHGH arrest without
seeing them, and their screams ring
through the forest as the curtain falle
Misery and Gayety Contracted
rms act is highly artistic in COMPOST
ton aud in shading It's dramatic ;,ter-
est lies in the unconscious persacutior
OF The woman whom RobesDierre once
lcVed and whose misery contrasts strong
~ with the thoughtless gayety of the
carpenters family coming to the woods
Tor a picnic in front of her cottage The
secluded rustic home which is invaded
ana broken up symbolizes the peace of
France harried and DESTROYED nv tba
whirlwind of revolution. incidentally. the
playwright is enabled to reveal bv Inc
mouth of Vaughn his own ideas of the
character of Robespierre. and ir,na-
dlately Sir Henry Irving completes the dis
closure by an impersonation of remark
able subtlety and force The ruthless
Dictator who reveis in massacre. trem
pies az every woodland sound and sus-
pScts that enemies are lurking around
nun. lnsensble to oil The horrors of tha
revolution, he tenderly caresses via
flower, enjoys Innocent merrymalltne and
s Shs over sentimental verse Disclainn
ing ambition and preaching with fervor
Rousseau's gospel of perfect equality he
aspires to found new religion without
churches or priests of which he himself
shall be supreme pontiff The great
actor plays the part with fine variety H.
Illustrating the ifoibles by many little
touches and denoting with mastery force
Robespierre's arrogance, heartlessness and
sinister lust of power
The second act contains two strongly
| conrasted pictures. The first represents
| the courtyard of the prison of Port I.ibre
where Clarisse and her niece are i'm
INJURED with a great throng of rovalists
md cl1e
| To this prison comes Olivier. TO find his
| mother and cousin and to witness the
| grewsome recreations of the inmates
| Young girls are rehearsng mock execu-
| lions and learning to pose gracefully while
! awaiting the stroke of the gunlotine. and
| Old arstoerats are awaiting with cynical
| amusement the summons 10 death The
| ron is called with brutal feroctv. and
| husbands are torn from the arms of their
| wives and women and children are fling
| into the trumbrils. The horrors of this
| dungeon inspire Olivier with courage 10
| denounce Robespierre in the succeeding
scene which is a splendid spectacle in
| the Place de Ia Revolution, organized as
| a fete tn honor of the Supreme Being
! With blare Of trumpet, with classical Dro
| ccssiOns of white-robed women crowned
| with roses, with soldiers MARCHING he
hind cannon and great throng of garish
| holiday spectators around the trnmDhal
car of the Goddess of Plenty. there is a
brilliant stage picture. The dramatic
/ touch comes when Robespierre, gorge
ously attired burns incense on a golden
! tripod before the Statue of Liberty TO the
music of harps. His grandiose rhetorl.
! cal speech is interrupted by Olivier. who
! inveghs against him as a dictator and
! headsmand until silenced by captors
! Father and son confront and defy each
Ilother. although neither knows the other
The Most Dramatic Passage.
"The third act reveals the interior Of
! Duplay's house. " here Robesplerre is en-
! joyng the congenial society of the car
penier's daughters. and intermittontly at
| tending 10 public business. A letter from
! Clarisse is read by a soldier and burned