New-York tribune., 1901-12-03
THE DRAMA.
MR. MANSFIELD AS BEAUCAIRE.
HERALD SQUARE THEATRE
D G

HERALD SQUARE THEATRE.
Mr.. Mansfield. appearing last night. before nu-
merous and brilliant audience, at the Herald Square
Theatre. In the character of Beaucafre responded
to a glad welcome by giving a beautiful perform
ance and he thus places within the public reach
one of the most sautary and charming artistic
entertainments Of the year. The play Of ''Beau-
caire'' is expanded alteration of Mr.. Booth
Tarkngton's delicate. fanciful. ingenious sketch
published two or three seasons since,-a sketch
that a distinct and delightful surprise, coming
as Il did after the laborious ponderous and tedf
Gentleman from Indiana" and revealing an
unexpected felicity of invention. hghtness of touch
and grace of style. habtual readers of current
fiction this pretty story, and all readers who
have thought about II must have been impressed
by its bodness its brightness its depth of feeling
its truth of sentiment. its acute perception of
character and It's skilful incidental display of the
manners OF a past In its way. certainly, 1t Is
gem. Mr. Harrington and his cOlaborer Mrs
Sutherland. in turning it into play. have not i'm
| proved it-but that result was inevitable A play
is. first of all. for the and much subtlety OF
suggestion and refinement of feeling necessarily
disappears when artistic literary fabric is made
actively pictorial and garnished with stage effect
but this Is only to say that story IS one thing
and play is quite another.
In the story the irEs flaw in his idol. and.
becoming disillusionzed.-upon knowing that her
vanity is stronger than her love,-turns from her,
the last with the stately courtesy OF cold indif
ference. In the play he discovers fault in his
the part that heroine. but is just man in
love. blind to all defects. and thankful to win, on
any terms (aS men In general always nave been
and always will be- the woman whose beauty has
intoxicated his and enthralled his heart:
and for the purpose of popular and successful
drama this arrangement was absolutely essential.
The lofty self-conro of sobered lover tand most
lovers. whether male female. eventually become
sober a fine thing 10 read about, but II would
be a geld thing see. and upon any theatrical
audience such spectacle would fall like a wet
blanket. This and other changes, accordingly have
I been made. adapting this subject TO the stage.
and the result is practical comedy OF old Eng
lsh life in which a French gentleman, of royal
| lineage who has whimscally shrouded himself
under an ignoble disguise. dscomfts his enemies
and wins his bride The chief Incidents are the ex-
| pulson of Beaucaire from the assembly room at
| Bath by Beau Nasn who Its social king; the
subsequent Introduction of Beaucaire by Lord Win
| terset: Beaucaire's defence of himself against
armed assaflants. whom Lord Winterset has treach-
| erousy upon him: Lord Wintersets public stig-
| matization of Beaucaire barber masquerading
| gentleman. with Beaucaires placid acceptance
| of this disgrace, in the presence OF Lady Mary
Carlisle and for the purpose Of testing her affec-
| tion and. finally, the revelation or Beaucaires
| identity, Louis Philippe Joseph. Duke OF UT
| leans and nephew to the King of France flstori-
cally the work is. of baseless, nor has the
author troubled himself about harmony or time ana
circumstance Beau Nash died in 1861, at the age OF
| eighty-seven.-and. IT, as seems apparent, kgane
IS the person ntended.-this prince of the mouse OF
Bourbon who died, by the guilotine In 1883 at tle
age Of forty-six, untitled stripping In the
| period Of Nash's reign at Bath: and, moreover
| whatever he may have been in youth his mature
| life Of exceptional infamy. Drama now
| ever has much respected history
Mr.. Mansfield, Beaucaire, has fully possessed
himself OF A character in which he display. to
brilliant advantage and with fine effect that elab-
crate elegance of manner for which, as an actor
he is remarkable, and that strangely comfning'eu
authority demeanor. sweetness of sentiment ana
| ,ciSi.re iron Of
attributes all the social his bearing IS
impressive with dignity, winning with the reu-
cence Of good taste. and admirable for repose
In the climacteric moments of action-such as
the insult and the defence-he exhibits unwonted
celerty In Beaucaire's attitude toward his heroine
he sustains. with invarable ease and natural con-
tinuity sweet humbeness of chivalric feeling that
is very beautiful. And what with attire, conduct
| style nersonality broad free gesture, a fluent di
versity of finely cadenced Gallo speech and a
| firmly controlled artistic method. he makes the
| impersonation opulent and splendid-a glittering
| image of earnest sentiment and romantic grace
| Intellectual men on the stage have seldom carried
| conviction lovers. More or less moonshne in
the temperament to be essential for the really
dominant and convincing stimulation of love Edwin
! Booth as Romeo never struck fire till he came to
tho killing of Tybalt. Mr. Mansfield is, peculiarly
and essentially of intellect and 1t is in char
acters OF mind and imagination that he attafns to
his greatest height and accomplishes his most dis
| ttnctye achievements. There are. however. in the
| mart of Beaucaire. built up and embodied by
him many qualities besides the impassloned fervor
| of sexual infatuation; and while his management
! even of this attribute is remarkably expert his
,n,erhendng of others (of personal distinction
sarcastic humor intrepid promptitude. nimble rail-
| lery repose under trial and dash amid periD, Is
| potential and noble. He has added bright and
| welcome figure the stage. and he has gained a
success valuable to the public as 1t is to himself
II is many a long day since such a sparkling piece
of light-comedy acting has been set before this
community as presented by Mr. Mansfield in
the third this piece, and IL SO deeply
affected his auditors that they called him
before the curtain less than seven times.
Among of the present day MI Mansfieid
was the first revert to the old beaux OF English
life and etters-for il was a mention to him. years
ago OF Douglas Jerroid's comedy of Beau Nash
that led to the production of his Beau Brummeli,
and the procession of dandies that Is still
nassne given point. Beau Nash appears In the
nresent nlaY but is not a very Conspicuous char