The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-12-26
"The Musketeers.v -

The Musketeers," Sydney Grundy's
version of Dumas famous story
or the same name, was presented
at the Lyceum yesterday afternoon
ana evening before audiences that
taxed the capacity of the house.
James O'Neill, in the role of D'Artag-
nan, was given a very cordial recep-
ton. The story of Grundy's stage
version is as follows:
Anne de Breui is courted by the Count
de la Fere, but their love affair is brought
TO an abrupt close, as the brother of a
former love of Anne, brands the woman
with the feur-de-lis, the sign of the COM
mon felon-as punishment for the treach-
cry she has committed. Anne de Breuil
then becomes "Miladi," a creature of
cardinal Richelieu and the Count de la
Fere is transformed into Athos, one of
the three Musketcers
DArtagnan, lad from Gascogny. is
on his way to Paris to Join the Muske-
tees when he at a wayside inn, falls i'm
with Aliladi and Richelieu. She makes
love to him as she thinks he can be used
in the Cardinals plot to trap the Queen
lmpetuous and adventurous, D'Artagnaa
Keeps his assignatiOn at Miadi's home,
only to find out that he is about to be be-
he escapes from the scrape and returns
to his humble lodging in the attic Of
BonacieuX's house. There he meets
BonacieuX's daughter Constance, with
whom he Immediately falls in love. She
is one of the Queens maids, and through
her influence, DArtagnan promises to
save the Queen and the Duke of Bucking-
ham from the persecution of the Cardinal
He warns the Duke in time to get away
from the Queens apartments before the
spies can come on their track.
However they are already discovered
by Miladi whom the Cardinal has in
troduced into the Queens household as
one of her ladies' Milad secs the Queen
give Buckingham a jeweled shoulder knot
as a memoir before she dismisses him.
The knot was given to the Queen by King
Louis. In order now to prove her guilt,
Richolieu suggests to Louis that he give
state ball, where the Queen should he
present dressed in all her jewels. When
she learns Of this she is in n predica-
ment as to what to do to get the knot
back from buckingham, who is already
on the road to England. D'Artagnan vol
untcers for this dangerous service and
aided by his three friends, Athos, Porthos
and Aramis he succeeds in ovcrtaking
the Duke, getting possession of the knot
fore she is about to make her entrance
into the ball room. When the King socs
that she does possess the jewel. he turns
i'm a rage on the Cardinal, who has false
ly accused his queen Of disloyalty to him
and banishes Richelieu from court. The
same punishment is mctcd out to Miladi,
and as reward for his bravery, D'Artag-
nan gets the hand of the fair Constance
I'm marriage.
With the possible exception of "Gis-
monda," no theatrical production ever
seen in Scranton had more gorgeous
or elaborate stage setting than "The
Musketeers," as presented at the Ly-
ceum yesterday. 1t was arranged in
four scenes and ten tableaux, and eacn
of these tableauX comprise full stage
setting of elaborate scenery and mass
i've furniture.
In dramatic way the performance
was equally admirable. Mr.. O'Neill
was the embodiment of the reckless,
impulsive, dare devil son of Gascony.
who came to Paris to hew out his
fortune with his sword for whom no
enterprise was too hazardous If it but
won him beauty's smile. The charac-
ter does not give Mr.. O'Neill an OPP
portunity to be seen at his best, for
he is the truest artist when he is per-
mitted to repress rather than expand
passion. There is no repression n
repose in the character of D'Artagnan,
as Dumas portrayed him, and Mr.
ONeill was the D'Artagnan of Dumas
to the life. 1t is doubtful if the stage
has seen a more virile Interpretation
of that character during the present
generation with the possible exception
of the lamented younger Salvinl.
Mr.. O'Neill was surrounded by an
excellent company. Nora U'Brien was
Anne of Austria, and Maude Odell
gave a very realistic portrayal of the
devilish Miladi. Jefferson Lloyd, John
W. Thompson and Mark Ellsworth
were the three musketeers and Ed
mund Breese did good piece of char
acter work in the role or Cardinal
Richelieu.