The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-05-02
AT THE THEATERs.
METROPOLITAN.


There was less of the play, more of the
players last night at the Metropolitan
when Miss Terry and Henry Irving pre-
sented their double bill of Nance Old
field and THE Bells than there was in
the opening play of "Robespierre, and.
this was gratifying in that it gave the
audience much better chance to appre
ciate the histrionic talents of both the
noted players. Instead of the splendid
pageantry Of Monday night when every
| player seemed but parcel of it all two
character studies were presented; one
the daintiest bit of comedy Imaginable
With graceful, lovable Ellen Terry the
central figure; the other study in re-
morse, as 1t were, with Irving in the role
OF Matthias the man goaded to death by
! a conscience he could not silence Other
members Of the company were also given
a better chance to show what really
clever players they area chance that
was not theirs on the opening night
Election returns diminished the size of
the audience considerably from that
which was present on the initial night,
but it was still goodly house that wit
messed the plays. An enthusiastic house,
too, as the innumerable curtain calls and
| finally a speech from Irving himself tes-
titled. 1t IS a distinct delight to hear
Sir Henry Irving make speech-because
he is such very bad speechmaker His
courtesy is SO very genuine, his wishes
SO very sincere, that naturally he hest
tates and repeats and is never in the
| least brilliant. To those who had only
seen Miss Terry as Clarisse de Malculon.
in "Robespierre," her Nance Oldfield
must have been a delightful surprise
The former character was dignifed, sub
dued, SO broken in spirit that even the
keenest anguish found little expression
a Yeritable study in eomposure. The lat
ter was all that is daintily feminine and
refTeshingly spontaneous. 1t was the
very refinement of comedy that was pic
cured on the stage last night and the
little one-act drama seemed all too short
for those who have learned to love Miss
Terry. She furnished the sauce piquante
for the terribly gloomy feast that fol-
lowed. the deaths feast of "The Bells"
1t would be difficult to conceive anything
more hairraising in its horror than this
play.
To see a man in the prime Of life and
health bereft inch by inch as it were, by
the ghostly jingling of accusing bells; to
follow him step by step through the aW-
full struggle when thought of home wife
and daughter try to hold him to the world
and to reason, and an accusing conscience
drags him relentlessly OMIT is a horror
painful enough, but when the actor who
portrays the character Is past master In
his art the play becomes an awful bit of
realism. THE Bells is destitute of plot
A man commits a murder to gain gold,
not so much for himself as to better his
wife and child. Fifteen years later the
story Of that murder told by a friend,
who is in ignorance of the mans compile
ity, awakens dormant remorse and there
follows a terrible struggle for reason, and
reason loses. A grewsofne bit of acting
is that in the last act Matthias, the muir
derer, retires to rest, securely locked in
from any who might chance to oyerhear
his dreams and learn his secret. But he
is not able to lock out those terrible
Nightmares from himself. In the dark
ness of that chamber the dreams are en-
acted, the dimness showing only the face
and form of Matthias writhing under the
awful torments Of that terrible night
mare. 1t is wonderful piece of acting:
Even when the voice of the actor fails to
carry far beyond the orchestra chairs,
his marvellous gift of facial expression,
the appeal of his hands, hold the audi
ence spellbound.
Deserving of special mention last night
was the clear-eut and dainty work done
by Miss Brenda Gibson, in the dual role
Of Susan Nance Oldfield's maid, and as
SoZel, the burgomaster's servant. Charles
Dodworth also won fresh honors for him
self by his portrayal Of the character Of
Nathan Oldworthy in the curtain raiser.
In the same play Harry B. Stanford did
capable work as Alexander Oldworthy.
In THE Bells" Clifford BoBn was an ef-
fective Hans
Tonight THE Merchant of Venice" Will