The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-11-07

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But underlying the unvarnished story Of
the Magdalen n a broad and impre ssive
portrayal OF human selfishness and hu-
man sacrifice. such as IL often enough
displayed I'm other stage guises. but has
rarely been more strongly illustrated as
In the setting OF the trtumphs and dis
hams creation-and. by the way. what a
grotesquely unromantic and unstagely
name that isl
For love OF "a dying sister. Katinka
goes wrong" Among all the motives
for woman's deliberately taking such
action. perhaps this OF "a Modern Mag
dalen' would seem unreal as the most
far-fetched. But that motive like the
obvious story OF the play. is OF small i'm
portance since, as before observed. the
real story that an audience takes away
with them is that OF character rather
than plot. The situation simply is that IN
this way. instead OF some other more
familiar 10 stage and story. Katinka sac
r.fices herself for others and In made to
suffer with no compensating reward.
Hiram Jenkins. who Is a capital character
study, a combination OF Micawber and
perhaps. Captain Jack Costigan. a cheer
ful and thoroughly despicable chap.is quite
Indifferent to the needs OF his family, the
stepmother Is a hard case the temptation
as relief measure is strong and so the
Magdalen begins her career.
So the fortunes OF the Jenkins family
how the source of the steady income is
unknown TO AL but the despicable father
and how Katinka, when she comes home
to share a little OF the family Joy. is re-
jected by the sister for whom the sacrifice
was made and departs broken hearted TO
go the pace. now, shamelessly. She Ia
still further reduced TO the depths Of de-
spair by the discovery that others beside
herself have been sacrificed for her
thankless family and Is saved from self
destruction only by the devotion of the
only other really unselfsh character In
the play and the only character who IL
both self respecting as well as unselfsh
capitally done by Mr.. Bosworth. The
problem OF Camille" begins where the
curtain falls on "A Modern Magdalen."
The mere description gives one the i'm
preston OF gloom IL is not so. With all
the pathos and the Illustration Of pitiable
humanity. the play Is too spirited to ever
become gloomy. But more than that,
there is a surprising lot OF rich humor
and indeed real fun in IT. There Ia a
Charles Dickens quality TO 1t. There is
a lot OF really clever dialogue of a witty
kind and ample opportunity for laught/-.
without at any time threatening to snap
the thread OF the story or divert the
action. And IL Is free from cynicism as
IL is from preaching,
AS piece OF dramatic workmanship
the play is admirable. with all its other
qualities One marvels at the diversity of
of incident, at the free play of
humor almost TO the point OF farce at
times, alternating with pathos that
approximates the tragic, and
yet all in keeping. in due proportion and
In harmony. With all their sharp con-
trasts, every character fits snugly In its
place and every bit OF the rapid action
directly to q consistent devel-
ment Of the theme and story.
Stranger things often happen in a play
than are set down in the bills. In short.
actors often play strange parts, do
folks In other walks of life; but II is not
so often that the actors part comedies
with his own career. The stage. of course,
has had bridge-jumpers who played the
part OF a jumper I'm play-and In doing
so saved the life OF the heroine, and last
winter a well-known performer who serv-
ed term for wife-beating. enacted a
like role in a Broadway production.
The first case was Intentional, the lat
ter, that OF the wife-beater. purely a
Another case OF equal inter-
est is that of Frederic de Bellevllie, who
plays the part of the Baron Bonelli the
prime minister OF Italy. in Miss Viola AL
lens production of The Eternal City"
Frederic de Belleville never occupied so
exalted a position as that of prime min
lister of even Altruria, although In his
proper personal Mr.. de Belleville looks
the part" but what is more TO the point
is that his grandfather was, not so long
ago. prime minister OF Belgium. IL will. i.
not require much make up on this fine
performers part TO impersonate an Ital-
ian prime minister. for his bearing, like
his lineage. is noble and imposing
Had de Bellevlle really been prime
his playing the role in Miss
Viola Aliens play would not be the
height OF singuiarity in this particular.
for the reason that George the Second
once impersonated the character OF
Henry V i'm Shakespeare's play Of like
name. This was not a public performance.
Of course. but at private exhibition OF
regal histronics at Windsor castle.
The costumes worn az this memora-
Bile performance were the originals worn
by many OF the personages OF the play
when i'm real life. Whether George the
Second looked the part" and was able 10
make good" is not disclosed: but II Is
-ather more 10 the point that Mr. De
impersonation has proved 10
De. what George the Third probably was
rot. artistic and satisfying. Miss Allen
viii present "The Eternal city at the
Providence opera house all next week,
natinees Wednesday and Saturday.
1t is said that no play OF rural life has
20 successfully caught the true dtmos-
lhere of the New England country home
Is the dramatization OF that famousy
popular New England novel. Quincy Ad-
lms Sawyer" which rs TO have an eabo-
ate production at The Imperial next
week. The performance Will be the same
n scenic detail and cast as during the
New York run OF three
months. and that the coming engage
nent has aroused great interest is shown
~ the fact that the advance sale OF
'eats Is the largest since the. Imperial
vas opened, SO thpt those VINO wish 10
,njoy this sweetest. purest and most
natural of all rural dramas Will find IL
necessary 10 secure their seats immedi-