The Washington times., 1902-03-30
STARS EXCELLENT ACTING
Notwithstanding the Splendid Work of
the Entire Campbell Company, the
Norwegian Dramatist's Play Did Not
Evoke Much Favorable Comment.
COLUMBIA-"Beyond Human Power" a
serious drama by Bjornstjerne Biorn-
SON..

Mrs Clara Sang .........M Mrs. Patrick Campbell
Mrs. Hanna Roberts. ..... Mrs. Theodore Wright
Widow. Florence Montgomery
.Aueiine boufh'
Mrs. Patrick Campbell played Bjorn-
sons strange play, Beyond Human Pow
er," at the Columbia Theatre yesterday
afternoon to an audience that was not as
large as the English actress. perha ps
looked for, but had the house been COM
pletely filled. there is no telling just what
the murmurings of disappointment in the
performance might have amounted to.
AS it was, the somewhat small but Sc
lcct, audience discussed the merits OF
the clay as it passed out of the lobby
and were one to judge from the express
| sions heard on almost every side, Mrs
Campbell failed to give her patrons just
| exactly the sort of an entertainment that
the majority CT them might have chosen,
if the selection had been left to them.
But there were few-some critical
persons, and number of the cult
whose hair was long, and appearance in
general of the melancholy sort-who de-
clared in no unmistakable tones that the
performance was mastery revelation
of the actress art.
| So. after all. it was simply a matter of
choice.
| Most of the feminine part of the gath
| ering had doubtless expected to see Mrs.
| Campbell wear some stunning gowns;
| they looked for speeches of the sort that
Pinero has given to Paula Tanqueray. a
| Few hoped that the play might tura out
to be OF kind that would mildly shock
them, and most every person looked for
more generally diverting play than tho
Norwegian's work turned out to be.
Story of the Drama.
This is the story OF Beyond Human
Power:
woman has been an invalid. in bed.
| for years. Her husband is a pastor and
his belief Is so strong that he is of the
Impression that by earnestly and trust
ingiy praying for a right thing, God will
grant the request Several miracles are
| thought to have been performed through
his faith, and he decides to pray that his
wife shall first sleep. which She has been
unable to do for many weeks, and then
regain the power to walk.
Their children are to pray with him.
but their faith is not SO strong as his.
and they sleep past the appointed hour.
So the pastor goes alone to the chapel
and tolls the bell as the signal that he
has begun prayer that will not cease
until some sign that God listens comes
to him.
Hardly have the tones of the bell died
away when the woman's eyes close and she
sleeps like a painless child. And as she
sleeps. a great landslide rumbles in the
distance, the children fear for their IA
ther in the chapel. but the falling rock
turns aside and leaves the church un-
harmed.
More than half OF the second act. which
passes in another room OF the house of
Pastor Sang, is taken up with religious
discussion. Sang is still praying in the
chapel and his wife sleeps peacefully.
Six OF the pastors are narrow-minded,
half believers, and are cynically revealed
in the hypocrisy of their religion, but
the other OF their number earnestly ad-
heres 10 what he holds to be the divine
shall be revealed to him.
As he stands there, vehemently defend
ing his faith, the sky darkens and cross
on the wall shines forth brightly. Slowly
white light illumines the door into the
sick room. The invalid appears. She
walks. The clergymen kneel and the
watchers outside chant a hallelujah
Sang rushes from the church and thanks
God that his prayer has been answered,
but the womans strength has come from
her love in him and not from her belief
in the Almighty. She is a doubter, and
when her husband folds her in his arms,
she dies, unworthy in her predominant
love for her husband TO be healed by
God.
Mrs. Campbell's Good Work.
Mrs. Campbell played the part of the
sick wife of the pastor and revealed her
admirable art to its fullest extent. The
impersonation was in some ways the very
best she has offered to the theatregoers
of the Capital 1t is the very acme of
histrionic ability to be able to hold an
audience while lying on a sick bed, sur
rounded by q gloom that is almost un-
comfortable at moments. But the actress
splendid elocutionary powers were never
better tested than in this first part of
I1uUidH anu tue
aid of single gesture during the entire
act she made every meaning of the play
wright's lines understandable. So even if
Mrs. Campbell disappointed the matinee
young women she won the admiration of
all lovers of intelligent acting.
MIR. George S. Titheradge, as Pastor
Sang. contributed capital bit of acting.
His makeup is admirable, his voice well
suited TO the character. and he made the
good man yeritable living parsonage.
Daniel Mccarthy as Pastor Bratt in the
second act, gave a good exhibition of his
abilities by holding the rapt attention of
the audience during an uncommcnly long
discourse on religious miracles and be-
liefs.
Stiil. taking into consideration that the
several members Of Mrs. Campbell's com
pany from the star down to the most
unmportant player with but few lines
to speak, gave q remarkably good per-
formance of the Bjornson drama, there is
no denying the fact that yesterday after
Moons audience at the Columbia was a
greatly disappointed lot. but it was the
selection of the play rather than its in
depreciation that came in for the strong
est criticism.
Knocked Down by Bicycle Policeman.
Clarence NJ. Agnew, aged thirty-five
Vars. collded with a bicycle ridden by