New-York tribune., 1902-02-21
trayed by the servant and his downfall as The

trayed by the servant and his downfall ss the
imperial favorite is the first act of vengeance
Tor private wrong; but when the old student re-
turns in triumph to mock at his enemy before
assassinating him there is a startling surprise
The prince, with smiling face, sits bolt upright
In the chair and makes no reply. The resentfuI
rather, burning to avenge his wrongs. is chilled
by the vacant stare of death. The daughter has
been beforehand with vial of poison which
she has shared with the faithless prince This
dramatic denouement accounted for the over
wrought excitement of the audience on the
opening night. when judcious critics had been
lnVelghing against the insincerty of the story
and the artifciality of the plot.
The acting. moreover. had been unusually
eHective. Mr.. Fred Terry had given con-
sistent and highly finished performance as the
Russian prince, with the sinister qualities con-
cealed by the veneer of polished manners, and
with the emotional passages delivered with sus-
talned Vigor, and not too noisy and vehemently
MISS Nelson always beautiful figure on the
stage mad played the part of the English bride
with touch of light comedy in the earlier
scenes and with intensity Of passion and also
with wise reticence in the last two acts Mr.
sydney Valentine had impaired f1rmness and
grim earnestness TO the impersonation of the old
student and his fine voice had vibrated with
anger and resentment when the object of his
vengeance was identified in the master whose
faithful watchdog he had been Mrs. Brooke
had been amusing as the heroine's Irish friend
MI MllWard had done excellent work as the
oaiiied bridegroom: Mr.. Farquhar had repro
duced with deXterity the broken English of a
RUSSIAN diplomatist. and the subordinate parts
had been well taken. The play was well acted
throughout but the authors, Mr.. Louis "
Parker and Mr.. Boyle Lawrence, would hardly
nave succeeded in winning an exceptionally
favorable reception for theatrical melodrama
utterly lacking in plausibility if they had not
kept he stage fairly astir with action, and pro-
Nlded for cumulative effect OF climax a death
scene of genuine dramatic power. AS it was the
audience was interested from beginning to end
and at the final fall of the curtain was pro-
foundly moved
Sherlock Holmes" is marching on from prov
ince to province and from capital to capital
London having set a European fashion imported
from America. Two companies are already pro-
ducing the play in the east and in the of
England, and two to be put on the
road north and south in the course Of a few
weeks. The scenery and peculiar lighting effects
witnessed at the Lyceum reproduced by
each Of these travelling companies. Two com
panies are playing the piece in Holland, and
next week IT is to be produced in Danish for
Copenhagen and in Russian for St Petersburg;
and the German version viii be heard speedily
in Vienna and Berlin. Mr. Gillette's acting has
been understudied by Dutch. Russian, German
French and Danish Sherlocks. and will be
closely initiated in one capital after another He
has converted Sherlock Holmes into good
European, who is welcomed in every Conti-
mental tongue as the most cosmopolitan figure
on the modern stage. /. y. F.