The age-herald., 1899-08-15

order of Robespierre so soon as he learns
 of it's beseeching contents and before the
 signature was reached Consequently
 Robespierre does not recognize his son in
 the youthful prisoner now brought before
 him. This is one of the finest scenes in | the play. The hatred of the fair youth for
 the tyrant and the discovery by the latter
 through questioning that the prisoner is
 his own son, Robespierre, too, learns that
 Clarisse Is in prison. The boy surprised
 out of the secret of his mothera's impris-
 onment under assumed name, swoons
 away and the fathers solicitous grief is an
 attribute readers no doubt rarely ascribe
 to Robespierre. For mutual safety the
 boy must again be consigned to the prison
 and in the next act when Robespierre has
 rescued Clarisse and her niece and
 brought them to his own home occurs the
 finest piece of acting in the entire play.
 Messengers have arrived to say the boy Is
 not in the consciergerie, and as the pro-
 oession passes outside the house they fear
 he Is in the cart on the way to execution.
 Ellen Terry, as the distressed mother, is
 very fine in her impassioned appeals to
 Robespierre to stop the cart and rescue
 him if he is there. Robespierre looks from
 the window each cart passes, searching
 for the face and form of his son. It is
 the finest scene in the entire play and pos-
 sesses boundless opportunities for the dra-
 matic ability of the two famous actors.
 Clarisse's importunate appeals during the
 terrible suspense between the passing of
 the carts and Robespierre's heartrending
 confession that he has not the power to
 l.s
 wonder, say I, that Henry Irving's health
 gave way under the tremendous strain of
 the impersonation. So vivid and real,
 full of truth and passionate fervor was the acting that by the time the last cart l passes and the weeping mother fell on her
 knees in praise and thanksgiving, the dience, too, relaxed strained nerves and sank back with an unconscious sigh of re-
 lief from the very intensity of the thing. In the last scene occurs the well known sit- tings of the national convention and the uproarious disputes of the committee of safety.
 There are many who claim they see no master of the art in Henry Irving and | there be Englishmen who tell the old anec- l dote of the actor, Foote. There was | banquet given to Irving long time ago, 1 at which he indulged in jokes at the ex- pense of his fellow actors. Presently Foote | arose and said: 'I had dream last night
 l dreamt that died and went to heaven, l and when St. Peter opened the gates he l said Who are you? replied T Foote, an actor in London,' whereupon St. Peter | slammed the door and said, We don't have 1 actors in here Then knocked again and vuba,, thn | Peter, you said you did not take actors 1 in here, but I see Irving over there Oh! said St. Potter, again closing the door, he 1 is no actor'
 | "But have been fortunate all the times | I have seen him and 1 believe have only 1 seen him at his best and I would say that | in Robespierre he is at his very best. Irv- 1 ing, though has many mannerisms, which l seriously affect the artistic effect of his l work; however, in Robespierre, they are | less apparent than I would have believed | possible. For one thing Irving has stage
 walk that critics in America would call a l strut and gives an effect of ranting' to
 his impersonations that was so obvious by | its absence in the immortal work of our | own Booth. In Robespierre this is modified | somewhat, but still apparent. Irving's con- | ception of the character is entirely diff l ferent from the conception I had of the
 character of the man from reading He is | more infirm and far less vigorous in out 1 ward appearance and in vehemence of | physical energy than was the mental inn | age I held of the man Robespierre. There | is only the one scene described that holds | any special dramatic possibilities for Ellen. 1 Terry, and in her own winning, yet power | full way, she was fully equal to the de- | mands upon her. Kyrle Bellew, too, as 1 "Olivier," gives an able conception of the l part and in naughty, reserved interview l with the tyrant, acts his part with enthu- l siasm and a high degree of merit Could | higher enconium be passed upon the vir- | tuees of the entire performance than that 1 declared by "Young America" at my side | that, If that was the way they were in l Paris, he didn't believe he wanted to go there"
 Now did I step another seven leagues in | my fairy boots when I went around the | corner to the Lyric to see and to hear our l own incomparable De Wifi Hopper? It l all depends upon the point of view, trow, | but it is a relief after the arduous duties | of sightseeing and remembering and relat- l ing all the eventful episodes of English
 history and strengthening them out to the
 entire comprehension and satisfaction of | "Young America" to so delightfully."- retax l and be carried away out of ones self by | the originality and genius of the big | comedy actor. De Wolf Hopper has made | a tremendous hit in Sullivan's musical
 comic opera, "El Capitan." and he contin-
 ues to play to splendid houses. There are
 many delightful musical numbers in El
 Capitan which draw forth hearty and pro-
 longed applause and the originality and
 genius of the big, yet graceful and agile
 actor seems to be fully appreciated. It is
 said that De Wolf Hopper has had the
 courage to try some of his jokes and popu- l lar "hits' on an English audience, and, Il too, with tremendous success-but then,
 maybe it was only the American contin- | gent present that led the ready applause
 and appreciation. It was daring thing to
 do, but of course, he no doubt knew he .I1 Af.u x-..