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


! which WAS shown last night at the Column
! bia Theatre. When an audience which.
| downstairs, overtiows into the aisles and
passages: which, upstairs, is crowded to
the steps and acknowledges. sits or stands
( or leans through a performance that con-
/ tinues for quite four hours there can be no
question that the play given has fulfilled its
| principal mission. Such large and pa
| tient gathering witnessed F. G. Whitney's
presentation with interest and even eRthu-
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
tam 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
/ winch the rendering met is not so much re-
suitant 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. StanisIaus
STANCE has done great deal better with
the novel of Henryk Sienkiewicz than could
have been expected by any student who
6elved into that marvellous but bot
tomless mass of words which so gloriously
portrays the Rome of the time OF Nero.
From the very endlessness and variety of
the material at hand, ii was inevitable that
the exploitation should be notable chiefly
Is succession of brilliant and powerful
pictures. That. in the endlessress and
variety Of these pictures, the theme OF the
tale should come as near being lost as
does a 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
30 \ Ii. .fE
to u state OF understanding at which he is
more 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 admires 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 ever-awkward and ugly super.
none so provocative OF enjoyment has been
brought here in an exceedingly long while.
From the above paragraph it must not
be imagined that Mr. STANCES adaptation
OF the Polish work is that OF a bungler
or destroyer. On the contrary. the
iibrettist-until row Mr.. STANCE has been
known best for his comic opera books
has evidenced a rare comprehension Of the
essential points in the story and a remark
able facility in combining them to adyan-
tage. OF course. he has not been able to
literally transcribe the volumiaous pub
LEGATION in question. and much that the
reader must have held precious has gone
uIutliZed. But those portions Of
Sienkiewiczs narrative that deal directly
with the love OF Marcus Yinitius for
LygIa, the hostage, have been handled SO
completely that the result is a thread
CT plot rarely complicated, generally self
explanatory, and always gracefully and
naturally followed. Ii the characters Of
Chilo Ch:lonides. Eunice. Crsus. and a
dozen others have not been absolutely de- !
veloped 1t is because Mr.. STANCE was a |
stage-craftsnan before he was littera- |
teur; If 20 attention has been paid to the l
conflict between the giant and Vlnitius' |
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 a /
time when the "arbiter OF elegance" was (
the most powerful. because the wisest ami
wittiest. Of the several favorites at the
court of Caesar. To Petronius comes the
the wars, has been taken into the home OF ;,
Aulus Plautiu5, 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 countrymen. 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
orgie OF the Emperor. There occur the
incidents chiefly notable in the rovel. Ly
gia pleads with the Empress for mercy.
but in vain; is embraced By the drunken
Vinitius and rescued by her devoted slave;
is accused by Poppaea and is again res
cued, on this occasion through a c'ever
trick on the part of Petronius-a trick not
recorded in the tale. Petronius, mean
while has found his reward in the affec
ton of Eupice, his servant, though the
plotting of the Empress and of Tigellinus
is 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. Viritius then espeuses Chris
tianity. The remainder of the piece re-
lates the efforts made TO free Lygia. tie
final ruin Of PetroniUs, and the salvation
Of the lovers. The elimination is reached
outside of the Circus Maximus, in VIII en-
the devoted Ursus breaks the Eeck OF the
bull and rids the animal of his mist ess.
who has been tied TO its back at the c2m-
mand OF Nero. This is the story of the
drama. Its Whittier goest thou. maste.?"
relates not TO st. Peter. but to Ma Gus
Vinitius.
As has been said. despite the predoni-
l. ...5,.dction over play, the vehicle
itself is worthy and mcritorious. Always
there is that which prompts recollection
Of The Sign of the Cro=s" Occasionally
excellent oppOTturi titles Tor the intrcduc-
ticn OF atmospheric bits are disIegarded. /
There is a superabundance of '-kind an
plause" speeches. But the dialogue is ;
bright, the action strong. the tale stirring
and tersely told. and the adaptation ad- I
Quo Vadis" deserves more than
he empty cheers with which it was re-
,eived last night; it deserves the money
and thought that have been expended Upon
It's staging.
The east is decidedly prone TO dec!aim-
ng frequently mistaking noise for lnten-
lily and force. Nevertheless, the interpre-
aticn is sufficiently good to satisfy even
he cautious. Joseph HawOrth's perform
tnce Of Marcus Vinitius is manly and Wig
,rous. while Arthur Forrest reads the lines
# Petronius with intelligence and discre- !
ion The Nero OF Edmund D. Lyons is {
iiTerent from the ordinary Nero of the {
stage both in appearance and in concep c
ion but though a bit burlesquey, is full {
# excellent touches. Elmer Grandin Is c
zig and convincing, if not always Il careful, {
JrSus; he TigellinUs of William +. Cliff a
on lacks in no particular and both Rich i
.rd Butler and Horace Lewis do much
With the scant opportunities allowed in the 4
oles OF Aulus Plautius and Chilo Chi.onides. Z
Master Teddy a mere boy. is admirable In q
he important part OF the son Of Piautius =