The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-19
COMEDIANS In NEW ROLES.
SERIOUSNESS FROM FRANCIS WILSON
AND STUART ROBSON.
Nothing but Comicaiity from the Rogers
Brothers In y Mentally Fnrce-"Cyrano
de Bergerac" Musical Piece

was not burlesqued very much In the version
which Francis Wilson. the usually comic
comedian. produced at the Knickerbocker
Theatre last night The piece was here put for
ward as an opera comiuue. or something less
comic in intention than the ordinary comic
opera. Stuart Reed had rewritten the French
play in English, keeping close to the original
form and meaning most OF the time. Harry d.
Smith had provided rhymes for interpolated
eongs and choruses. Perhaps some OF
the colloduial witticsm was his. too. Victor
Herbert had imposed the music portions OF the
singular mixture Of incongruous materials.
But nothing in the whole peculiar AFFAIR was
more strange than Francis Wilson. he of the
merry jest and cownish aspect. enaotinR
tyrdno with purpose largely serious 1t
seemed so. anyway. to an audience
which was ometimes uncertain how to take
him. There was no doubt whatever that he
meant to be sobery impressive with the
Incidents OF the duel. accompanied with
ycrse-making. the cruel misunderstanding
OF RoTdne's sentiment. the sef-sacrificing
agreement to- protect Christian on the
battlefield. and the serenade on behalf Of
the oomelier lover. These and other passages
were treated with decorum, and with all
the diGniHed skil-which was very little-that
the actor was able to apply to them. At other
times he was Iocose momentarily. though
barely long enough to speak joke or cut
subdued caper. But his popularity was in
hardly a greater proportion to his sedate-
ness than Coquelins or Mansfelds had
been in the legitimate acting OF the
Rostand creation. Nor was his aspect any
more abnormal in tho big nose than theirs
had been. That organ was no longer and not
put to any funnier uses. The audience
crowded the theatre handsomely. and
was in friendly mood. 1t was puzzled
at first to com prehend Mr.. Wilson's pur-
pose. slow to believe that he had made
the mistake OF letting his ambition
o'erleap itself. quick to be encouraged by each
little lapse into his accustomed lanehability.
but at length despon dent under his ineffectua
attempt to do something quite impossible to
him.
1t must not be assumed that Mr. Wilson's
own mistaken endeavor spoiled the whole
entertainment. In bright contrast with his
duness was Lulu Chaser. Her acting OF Rorane
was excellent. not only as the sentimental
essay OF an actress hitherto associated
with the nonsense OF comic opera.
but as a performance which few OF our
dramatic young women OF the stage could
improve upon. She shone brilliantly as q
lie Ultimate come diennee and as the real star OF
the evening. her opportunities being as good
as Mr.. Wilson's and her uses OF them far
Letter II she did not enhance her reputation
as a singer. it was simply because the
songs allotted to her were scant in
attractive tunes Mr. Herbert's music
had merits. however. in the choruses
and in orchestration. 1t was disoreetly
ambitious. It developed strength in the eli
makes. and several marches were genuinely
stirring. These latter were for Richelieu's
guard and the Kings musketeers. there being
an admixture OF the Dumas melodrama in this
version OF the Rostand tragedy. No complaint
will hold against the manner Of the production.
The flrst act was good copy OF the theatrical
hall in the Mansfield outfit the second
duplicated the cook shop. and the third COM
bined. with ingenuity and picturesqueness. the
balcony and battle scenes, with Cyrano finally
winning Roxane. II Mr. Wilson will at once
abandon his idea Of rivaling Mansfield and
Coquelin. and return the kind OF fun In which
he is unequaled. he can make success OF his
new play In a iovially rewritten form.
Stuart Robson produced last night at Wal
lnck's dramatic version Of The Gadiy" In
spite OF threatened injunctions aud
other Interruptions TO the performance.
The name Of Mrs. E. L. yoynich. who
wrote the novel, did not appear on the
programme. Nor was the adapter OF the
work revealed. This obscurity must have
been agreeable to both OF them The popular
romance OF the Italian revolts was never es-
tOem6u u CldSblc IN tn0 udyS vi ltb HTSl NOkuc.
But it does possess the priceless elements OF
vitality and sincerity. whatever the art
istic value OF such formless compound OF
irreliRion and bad ethics may be- 1t is throb
bing with life throughout and 1t Is full
OF engrossinE incidents. None Of those
merits OF Mrs. Voynchs book were re-
veaed last night on the stage-the place
in which they would seem most ef-
fective. The novel had been used at the
mere suggestion for certain scenes from which
every idea OF motive. sequence and reason had
been deliberately removed.
II little credit would have come to the
author OF the novel from the performance Of
fered last night. the adapter certainly
suffered no loss OF fame from remaining
anonymous. What impression the piece con-
veysd to a spectator ignorant OF the story. it is
difficult to imagine. Adaptations OF fiction are
sometimes strange things But that does
not diminish surprise at method which
altered every phase OF a story and yet
left the audience dependent on an acquant-
ance with the original to discover what the
relations of the characters were. what their
led them to Such actions. The sources Ws from rom
which Ths t GSadfd mtb ITS SE was taten
able to make effective theatrical use OF the
material he fnds; But to eliminate ate eyery HUI
and thrust aside, its only merit in this
way finally to produce chaos is manner OF
adaptation which seems to serve no pur-
pose.
TO repeat the story OF the book
here would be unnecessary Persons pos
sessing some knowledge OF it may be
able TO- piece together a CONFERENCE.-The
SfF only SS ns for Dsn. that 4 hey
greatest merits OF the novel have disappeared.
Without some previous acquaintance with the
work they will never penetrate tho mys-
stage. There were separate scenes last
night which at times appeared to
interest the spectators. 1t may have been that
they were engaged in trying to discover what
the Significance OF the situations was. The
methods by which the book was made into
play may possibly be understood from two in
stances. The young student loses Il faith in the
world because the priest to whom he confesses
his association with the conspirators betrays
him. because the girl he loves believes him
guilty OF tr0achery and because he
discovers that he is the bastard son OF a
priest. In the play the latter motive L. retained.
but the hero is made to believe that the girl he
loves Is guilty OF faithlessncss in bstraying
the secrets OF the conspirators. The psy girl
wi n n IN ha-