The record-union., 1899-10-11

The box-office of the Clunie Opera
house opens this morning for sale of
seats for the Modjeska night, Friday
next, when that artist will appear in
the new historical and thrilling drama
Marie Antoinette.'' The business
agent of the Modjeska mana cement
haS suspended the entire free list, the
press excepted. The San Francisco
'.Argonaut' devotes two columns re-
view to this play relating to the reign
of terror in Paris. 1t finds much to
criticise and thinks the playwright a
prentice hand, in that he has sought
to force into the play too many thrill
ing and tragic events, making every
scene swing about a distinct historic
character. Nevertheless it finds it full
of interest and that the general scheme
of the new drama is excellent. 1.-THE
prologue shows us the young Queen in
the time of her early heydey and girlish
| beauty. A glimpse of court life at the
Trianon opens the tragedy Here roy
atty played it's pastoral against rural
background, where the shepherds and
sherpherdesSes were all a la Watteau
and the sentiments were Of the sweetly
simple that Rosseau had made the
fashion. From this period the story
jumps into the turmoil and horror of
| 80. Had it been properly developed
we would have breathlessly followed the
figure Of the Queen through scene after
! scene of ever-increasing interest, ex-
citement and tragedy. Mirabeau Offer S
her his help and allegiance, and short
| ly after dies. The TuilIeries is sacked.
| the Swiss Guard killed, the apartments
/ of the King and Queen invaded by a
/ hideous rabble. Outside, the Reds of
! the Midi who have walked across
| France to imprison Louis Capet, are
| heard chanting their wild and inspir-
| ing war song. Then comes the impris-
| onment in the Temple, where the dis
| tracted Queen covers with her chill :
/ dren, not knowing at what moment she
/ may be summoned to her window as
! she was the day when the Princess de
/ LambaIle was guillotined, and her head
/ and shoulders, the arms loosely hang
/ ing, were thrust up on the end of a
/ pike. The King is sentenced, and we
! have a last glimpse of him tearing him
! self from the arms of his family and
rushing into the oratory, where the
/ priest waits to hear his last confession
! Finally, we see the Queen, thin, wan
/ and past all feeling except the hope of
death, old and white-haired at 81
waiting for the summons that will bear
her away in the tumbril to the place
of her release In the last two acts the
/ interest concentrates, and that in the
prison Of the temple held the audience
with the spell of it's repressed intensi-
ty." Of Modjeska the "Argonaut'
says, regreting weakness of voice
that is noticeable in moments of light
or intense dialogue: e'She stands fol
the best, the truest, and the highest
that marks the stage in this country
! While Marie Antoinette' gives her but
little opportunity to show her ability
there is every now and then a bursi
of the old power or a moment of the
old charm. No one can portray the an
guish Of a woman who is a grande
dame to her fnger-tips with more
convincing authority. During the frs
acts OF the play she had little else te
do than stand about holding her chill
dren in graceful attitudes But in the
prison scene she passed through al
the phases of grief, fear and frenzj
with a touching and appalling realism
The cry that she gave when her eyes
fell on the decorated altar and she re-
allied that death, not banishment, wa.
the Kings sentence, was haunting il
it's piercing despair