The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-03-03
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ONelll returned to St Paul last night,
ana goodly portion of his friends turn
eu out at the Metropolitan to give him
royal greeting. And though the Offering
ne brought them was an old one, they
welcomed him as if he came with new
treasures. Indeed, il is doubtful if he
could have received so warm a welcome
IN any new, for doubtless the welcome
was IN large part prompted by the spirit
of memory
Inc public will have its own way ON
the stage as elsewhere. No actor may
say II nay. 1t had its way with Je1fcr-
son; 1t has had its way largely with
James O'Neill. O'NenI4 is identified with
Monte Cristo" as inseparably as JEFF
ferson with rip Van Wrinkle" Il is
twenty years since he first produced t.
ana SINCE that time he has made any
EFFORTS to break away from it-but the
public always brought him back. Much
as one must admire Mr.. O'Neill's mag
nltcent production of this thrilling drama
there VIII be tinge of regret at the
thought Of the great possibilities which
TINS sterling actor may have lost in
the years in which he has been giving
the public what it wanted.
trained IN a school that produced
actors of heroic proportions, inheriting
the best traditions of the American stage
lowered with a combination of intellect
ual gifts and personal graces such as
few actors have ever possessed. James
ONeill was undoubtedly moulded for
something better than Monte Cristo -
The greatest Virginius since Mccullough
and having proved his claims to high
| hon0rs in classic roles, his admirers can
not but long to see his name identified
with some more enduring drama than
Monte Cristo." Mr.. O'Neill in a curtain
speech last night, promised them that he
would bring them something new next
year. He confessed that he was tired If
Monte CristO," and wanted a rest, ard
declared that this time he was really
| going to take a final farewell and bring
out pew play next season. He also said
that he would appear in st. Paul next
! year
But all this is not to say that there
| is anything lacking in the production of
! Monte CristO" which Mr. O'Nein has
| brought to St. Paul 1t is magnificent. 1t
| deserved the immense audience which
! greeted it last night-the largest Sunday
audience of the year When all is said
and done, Monte Cristo' remains an I'M
| usual play 1t just falls short of great
| ness The fact that it has, as Mr. d Ncili
| said last night, outlived all other roman
| TIC dramas. is proof that it is of worthy
| Quality 1t has power of an elemental
| hnd-power which appeals to man be-
| cause 1t Is justified of righteousness
| OF the play any description would be
| superfuous. Few theatergoers have not
| seen it many times. OF this particular
! production much might be said Never
! before has Monte Cristo" had so mag
| nihcent setting; indeed few moGern
| plays present such a dazzling array of
! scenic effects. The scenic embellishments
| OF the GTama of themselves constitute a
! spectacle We'll worth seeing Scenic art
has done all that it possibly do to
make the production perfect
The opening scene is 1.-The Port CT
| Marsellles, where the ship sails into
/ the harbor, turns around and fires a
/ salute The storm scene in the second
| act is one of the most thrilling scenes
| ever put on any stage. The waves roar
and toss with fury as Dantes fights his
! way to the rock of safety The lightning
/ hasheS across the sky, and all the ar
! tlllery Of heaven thunders above the
| raging sea. As DanteS stands upright
| on the rock to cry THE world is mine 3"
bail of fire shoots from the heavens
and drops into the sea before him. its
/ hight discovering a ship in the distance
which the rock-bound prisoner halls.
The fourth scene, the conservatory and
! ball room in the Hotel de Morcerf is
the finest scenic setting Of the whole play
1t could not be adequately described. Art
can produce nothing finer.
The closing scene shows the forest of
trees all sparkling with snow and ice
and feathery flakes falling through the
! air In the moonlight of the early morn
! ing. Then comes the dawn with the ris-
ing sun, and the snowy ground glistens
| in the golden light of the breaking day.
1t would be superfuous to speak Of
Mr.. O'Neill's acting. He has mace the
Fart Of Edmond Dantes his own. Be
| lore such acting criticism is dumb.
The COmmanV is on no u-hO
cellent one. There are few weak spots
| in the cast. Mr.. O'Neill has surrounded
himself with excellent actors Mr. Fred
eric de Belleville, as is to be expected,
| shares the honors of the performance
with Mr.. O'Nien. His Interpretation Of
/. the trying role of Nortier won him
warm place in the hearts of the audience.
Throughout he played with the fine ADAM
don of the trained actor, his work indeed
being so perfect as to hardly seem like
acting
Warren Conlan. as Villefort. Edward
Thomas as MOrel and James O'NeiH Jr.
as Albert de Mprcerf were all satisfac-
tory. Edward Lally, as Caderouse, was
exceptionally good. Miss Selene John
son, as Mercedes, was wholly adequate
and performed an eXacting part with dis
erection and feeling. The rest Of the com
pany was very good.
The gallery was crowded and the
gods" gave full vent to their wild en-
thusiasm. So YCciferous was their an
plause that Mr.. ONeill. after four ap-
pearances before the curtain, was forced
to come out again and make a speech
which he did with tact and grace. If
Mr.. O'Neill keeps the promise made last
night, Monte Cristo'' may never be seen
in st. Paul again. The theater-goiner pub
lie can hardly afford to miss seeing so
splendid farewell performance of so
popular a play
Novelty and it must be said originality
has much to do with the success of the
Royal Lllputians the unique mixture Of
midget and giant that has the stage at
! the Grand this week The attractian lit
tie changed in respect to cast and lines
made its annual bow at that play house
last night and was enthusiastically re-
ceved
A nonsensical farce entitled 1.-THE Merry
| Tramps' is the medium through which
most of the fun in which the attraction
abOunds, finds its way to the surface.
its mountings and novel in it's features
serves as a climax.
! Maj James D. Doyle, diminutive
specimen of humanity: James E. Rozen
and Louis Merl<le midgets in the fullest
sense of the word, are the funmakers Of
this aggregation, and they are eQua! to
| the occasion. Rozen has his companions
in fun slightly distanced in respect 10
smallness in stature. He was a fayorite
last night. The smallest mite OF All IS
Miss Helen Lindner, whose height is
twenty-eiglht inches AS a contrast three
towering giants, one of whom is over
seven feet, find a place in the cast.
The attraction abounds in the spectac-
ular, and throughout is interspersed with