The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-12-02
AN OLD MORALITY FLlY.
"EVERYMAN" PRESENTED AT
THE HYPERION LAST NIGHT.

The Dramatic Event of the Season
Cultured New Haven Audience Deeply
Impressed With the Moral Teachings
A superb Cast of Characters
The production of that intense NOR
atty play of the fifteenth century,
''Eyeryman," at the Hyperion last
night was the dramatic event of the
season. To the student of the history
of the drama 1t afforded splendid op-
portunity to increase his knowledge,
AMI to all a striking and impressive les
son in morals. "Everyman" is beyond
all question the best of the morality
plays, both for it's strict conformity to
the allegorical type and its genuine
dramatic interest. 1t is the strongest
of the links in the chain of transition
from the old mysterp plays to the legit-
innate drama.
Last nights performance was sur
prising to many and wonderful in the
extreme. 1t was witnessed by an au-
dience of cultured and representative
citizens, and all were most strikingly
impressed with the excellence of the
play and the perfect and splendid man
ner in which it was presented by the
company of capable people. The COM
pany was precisely the same as that
which presented it for the Elizabethan
Stage Society of London, England, and
the costumes and stage settings were
of the original. The costumes were de-
signed from Flemish tapestries of the
fifteenth century. The acting was of
the very finest, each of the members
of the cast displaying splendid histri-
onic ability, the part of Everyman be-
ing exceptional.
| The story is very simple, it's very sim
plicity making it thrilling in its inten-
sity. Everyman, who represents any
young man about town, is taking a
walk along the street, when he is met
| by Death, who informs him that he
must depart on journey from which
he shall never return. Alarmed at this
! intelligence, he cries: 20 Death, thou
| contest when I had thee least in mind"
and then proceeds to ask his boon COM
panions, who have sworn to stand by
| him in any and all emergencies, to ac-
company him on this dreadful journey.
They all, with one accord, begin to
make excuse, Fellowship telling him
that he will go with him on any errand
of crime, but not on this particular
trip. He then appeals to two closer
friends, Kindred and Cousin. who, on
! learning the nature of the journey, back
out with all speed, Cousin supplying the
only humor in the play by stating that
he has the cramp in his toe. Goods
also refuses, and Everyman, in de-
spair. begins to receive comfort from
Gooddeeds, who, accompanied by her
sister, knowledge, leads the trembling
wretch to the presence of Confession.
Four very close friends now approach,
named Beauty, Strength, Discretion
and Five-wits, but as the little process
sion draws near to the grisly sight of
an open grave these four worthless de-
part one by one, illustrating in graphic
and unmistakable manner the rapid de-
cay of ones bodily and mental faculties
in the hour of death. AS these disap-
pear Everyman cries out in bitter de-
SPAR, but is comforted by the promise
that Gooddeeds and knowledge will
stay by him to the end. He is, accord
ingly, placed in the grave an angel
receives his soul, and the play closes
with short but edifying speech by a
| doctor.
Judging from the impression made
upon those who saw the play last night,
it must have been powerful agency
for good in the time of its first pre-
sentation and welded a mighty influ-
ence on all who were trodding the
paths of "Everyman."