The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-13
AT THE THEATRES.
CoIumbin-"auo vadiS."

downstairs. overfows into the aisies and
passages: which. upstairs. is crowded to
the steps and window Lodges. sits or stands
or leans through a performance that con-
,iRues for quite four hours there can be no
question that the play given has fulfilled IT'S
principal mission Such large and pa
tient gathering witnessed F. C. Whitney s
presentation with interest and even enthu-
siasm. The tribute of applause was be-
slowed frequently-on one occasion endur
ing SO long that half the interpreting COM
pany was obliged to sally before the cur
tain and TO take Kisses and cheers that
seldom have been heard beyond the doors
OF popular-priced houses. Emotion, like
the grave, makes all men equal
Considerably. the hearty reception with
which the rendering met is not so much re-
sultant upon the efforts Of author and
actors as upon those OF carpenter and cal
cium operator-this not to the discredit OF
the individuals first mentioned. Stanislaus
STANCE has done great deal better with
the novel Of Henryk Sienkiewicz than could
have been expected by any student who
Gelved into that marvellous but bot
tomess mass of words which so gloriously
portrays the Rome Of the time Of Nero.
From the very endiessness and variety OF
the material at hand, il was Inevitable that
the exploitation should be notable chiefly
IS a succession OF brilliant and powerful
pictures That. in the endlessness and
variety OF these pictures, the theme OF the
tale should come as near being lost as
does single act in the number provided
by a three-ring circus combination was
equally inevitable. The attendant at the
Columbia this week must reconcile himself
to these difficulties: must convert himself
to u state of understanding at which he is
more a spectator and less an auditor than
usual; must forgive faults OF omission and
be grateful that there are few OF commits
sion Having accomplished this much, he
is assured Of thoroughly enjoying the pro-
duction furnished for him. To the indi-
vidual who edmires displays OF massive,
detailed. and elaborate scenery; costumes
that invariably are tasty and often are
richly beautiful ard mob effects that do
not seem to be spoiled even by the pres-
ence Of the eyer-awkward and ugly super.
none so provocative Of enjoyment has been
brought here in an exceedingly long while
FrcCn the above paragraph it must not
be imagined that Mr.. STANCES adaptation
Of the Polish work is that OF hunSler
or a destroyer On the contrary. the
iibrettist-until now MIR. STANCE has been
known best for his comic opera books
has evidenced rare comprehension Of the
able facility in combining them to advan-
tage. OF course. he has not been able to
literally transcribe the vOlumilOus pub
lication in question. and much that the
reader must have held precious has gone
uautilizcd But those portions OF
Sienkiewicz's narrative that deal directly
with the love OF Marcus Vinitius for
Lygia. tie hostage. have been handled so
completely that the result is a thread
,Ha.rI rH1t Golf
explanatory. and always gracefully and
naturally followed. II the characters Of
Chic Chilonides. Eunice Crsus. and
dozen others have not been absolutely de-
veIoped 1t is because Mr.. STANCE was
stage-craftsTnan before he was a littera
teur; If 10 attention has been paid to the
conflict between the giant and Ninitlus
gladiators TO the passage 'twixt that hero
and Poppaea en- the banks Of the pleasure
POND. and to the merited end Of the all
wise Greek. it is because he knew what TO
leave out OF his structure quite as well as
what to put in.
The play "Quo Vadis'' begins. as did the
book. at the house Of Petronius, and at
time when the "arbiter Of elegance was
the most powerful because the wisest and
wittiest. OF the several fayorites at the
court OF Caesar. To PetTOniu5 comes the
nephew. Marcus Vinitius, who. wounded in
Aulus Plautius. and there has met and be-
gun to worship Lygia, the Christian girl
who was left to the tender mercies Of the
Romans BY her countTymen. Marcus ap
peals for the help Of his uncle, and that
uncle plans to have Nero summon the maid
to his palace, that. later, she may be sur
rendered to his relative. The scene fol-
lowing shows how well this plan succeeds.
and the second act brings Lygia to the
- hn
incidents chiefly notable in the rOyeL Ly
gia pleads with the Empress for mercy
but in vain; is embraced b. the drunken
Vinitius and rescued by her devoted slave;
is accused by Poppaea and is again res
cued, on this occasion through c.ever
trick on the part Of Petronius-a trick rot
recorded in the tale. PetrOnius, mean
while has found his reward in the ailec-
ton Of Eupice, his servant though the
plotting of the Empress and OF Tigellinus
is a constant menace that takes form In
the persecution Of Lygia In The third act
the order to fire Rome is given, and in
the fourth the Christians are accused Of
the crime. NiCitius then espoUses Chris
tianity. The remainder of the piece re-
latcs the efforts made 10 free Lygia, tie
final ruin OF PeUonius, and the salvation
Of the lovers. The elimination is reached
outside Of the Circus Maximus, in Wa en-
the devoted Ursus breaks the neck OF the
bull and rids the animal of his mist ess
who has been tied to its back at the c7m-
mand Of Nero. This is the story Of the
drama. It's WHITTIER goest thou. MASTER
relates not to st. Peter. but to Ma Gus
Vintius.
As has been said. despite the predomi-
nance of production over play. tee vehicle
itself is worthy and mCTit0riOus. Alwa
there is that which prompts recollection
Of The Sien of the Cos" Occasionally
excellent opportunities Tor the iltrcduc-
ticn Of atmospheric bits are disIegarded.
There is a supera6undance Of kind ap-
plause" speeches. Bat the dialogue is
bright. the action strong. the tale stirring
and tersely told and the adaptation ad-
mirabie. "QuO Fadis' deserves more than
The empty cheers with which il vas 1e-
,eived last night: it deserves the money
and thought that have been expended Upon
its staging.
The cast is decidedly prone 70 declaim-
ing frequently installing noise for lnten-
sitv and force. Nevertheless the interpre-
faticu is sufficiently good TO satisfy even
the cautious Joseph Haw0rlhs perform
,nce Il Marcus Vinitius is manly and Wig
argus while Arthur Forrest reads the lines
Of Pptronius with intelligence and dlscre-
tion. The Nero OK Edmund D. Lyons is
different from the ordinary Nero OF the
stage both in appearance and in concep-
ton but though a bit buriesquey. Is fun
Of excellent touches Elmer Grandiu is a
big and convincing if not always careful
J-rsus: he Tigellnus OF William F. Cliff
ton lacks in TO particular and both Rich
ard Buhler and Horace Lewis do much
with the scant opportunities allowed In tbs
roles of Aulus Plautius and Chile ChLonides
Naetpr Teddy mere boy is admirable ID