The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-04-20

GREAT PRODUCTION OF wALLACE's
PLAY AT THE DRURY LANE.
A story of the Drama and Its Author
by Rebecca 4. I~nsley, Formerly n
Newspaper Woman of This City.

great stage of the old home of melodrama
is filled with people in the ensemble scenes.
Robert Taber has the part of Ben-Hur, and
J. z. DOdson plays Simonides. The play.
which is rather a spectacle, will be pre-
seRted at English's Opera House, in this
city, for three weeks next fall. The London
Daily Mail. on the day of the production of
"Ben-Hur" in London, printed an interest
ing article about it and its author. written
by Miss Rebecca a. Insley, who was en-
gagged in newspaper work in this city before
she went to Europe two years ago. Miss
Insley's story follows:
"Ben-Hur," which is to be produced at
Drury Lane tonight, has a remarkable
story, both as novel and play.
When the eldest member of the firm of
Harper K Bros. received the manuscript,
he wrote TO the author that the book was
wonderful, that it would be useless to pub
lish it, however, because it would never
sell.
Then Mr.. Harper took ii home and laid it
away In his desk, where his wife found il
and read ii. You must publish that book
she said TO him enthusiastically, IF you
1t was published, and for three years
afterwards it was unknown. Then it began
to sell, and to-day more copies of ii have
been sold than Of any other book ever pub
lished i'm America. The Harpers have sold
in America alone over two million copies,
and in England il has had an enormous
| Sdle-H DlTdltu euillOflS, DN the way.
For twenty years General Wallace was
besieged by wOuld-be dramatists. but the
work had been such a sacred thing 10 him
that he could not be satisfied with q stage
rendition. How to introduce the great sea
fight with the pirates and the chariot race,
how to Dermeate the play with the infiu-
ence and presence of the Christ. and yet
keep His actual presence off the stage were
difficulties not easily overcome.
Mr.. Brooks, an American friend of Gen.
Wallace's. and his representative at Drury
| Lane, tells an interesting story of a week
spent at General Wallace's home four sum-
mers ago with Mr.. Young, the adapter.
There the dramatiZation was roughly
planned; the author cared little about the
profits. and Klaw and Erlanger, on their
part, pledged themselves TO produce the
play with an outlay almost Incredible.
Stage people i'm America said it would be
grand, but it would never pay. However. 1t
trebled the boX-ofhce receipts OF anything
ever given on the American stage; ii ran
for a year and three months. and could
have run another year if the lease of the
theater could have been extended.
TIL play follows closely the lines of the
book with the exception that the person of
the Christ is never seen. His birth is made
known by the first tablcau. in which the
meeting of the three wise men takes place
in the desert, the Greek. the Hindoo and
the Egyptian, all unknown one TO the 9TH
er, but each led by the voice and the star
in the east. His presence is indicated sew
eral times by music. and in the last two
| scenes of the last act the entry into Jerusa-
lem is suggested by the great crowd going
4 ~ IlAAAis oAAA mum ~ - ~ ~
derful scene on Mount Olivet. the miracle
i'm the heavens after the crucifixion. 1t is
shown on the stage by a moving shaft OF
brilliant light.
Ben-Hur, the hero Of the story, is a Jew
ish prince, living at Jerusalem with his
mother and sister Tirzah. and about eight
cen years old when the play begins. The
new procurator of the province. sent from
Rome, is entering the city in naughty tri-
umph amid the angry murmurs of the Jews.
Ben-Hur, from the roof of his mothers
palace, is watching the crowd when a tile
gives way beneath his hand, and, falling
down, knocks the procurator senseless.
The Romans Immediately rush into the pal
ace and seize the boy, As he is being
dragged away he sees his old playmate.
Messiah, a Roman. directing the soldiers lis
their brutal work. Messiah laughs at Ben
Hur's tragic condition, and the story after
this deals principally with the Jews re-
venge upon the Roman. mother
and sister are sent to prison and put into
a leDrous cell. he is committed without
trial 70 the galleys for life, and the prop
erty of the Hurs is confiscated.
Ben-Hur serves three years as a galley
slave, until he is liberated through saving
the life of the tribune Arrius. in a fight
with the pirates off the Euboean coast. Ar
RUS adopts him. and takes him to Rome,
where he is educated in all athletic sports,
and wins the highest prizes offered in the
1 klILuS " ~ pau III
death of Arrius leaves him rich and free TO
set out in search of his mother and sister,
whose fate he does not know.
He discovers in Antioch his fathers old
steward. Simouides, who knows nothing
about his family. but informs him that
MESSIAH, his enemy. is training his horses
i'm the Grove of Daphne for the approach
ing chariot race at the amphitheater. Ben
Hur sees MESSIAH in the grove, and he also
meets the Egyptian BalthaZar. one of the
wise men, and rescues MIN and his daugh-
ter IraS from Messala's chariot wheels.
Iras and her father are guests of the
Sheikh nderim, who is induced TO allow
Ben-Hur to drive his matchless Arabian
steeds in the chariot race. Ben-1ur also
becomes the guest of Ilderim. and thus falls
a victim To the subtle beauty and accomp-
ishments of lras, and fOrgetS the gentle
little Jewish girl, Esther. the daughter Of
Simonides. IraS is secretly in love with
Messiah. and acts as his spy upon Ben-Hur.
Messiah has staked his whole fortune
upon the race, and the proud Romans take
Contemptuously all the wagers offered on
Ben-Hur by the Jews and Arabians. The
Romans cannot believe in the possibility of
Messala's defeat. but Ben-Hur and his Arab
horses win IN the exciting contest. Mes
sala's chariot is overturned, and he is
MANNED for life, as we'll as ruined in for
tune.
His revenge accomplished, Ben-Hur jour
neys TO Jerusalem. where he hopes to find
his mother and Tirzah. There he learns the
treachery OF Iras and offers his love to
Esther. There he hears OF the wonderful
Nazarene. declaring himself TO be the long
expected King of the Jews. one
thought is of the earthly kingdom and Of
revenge upon the Romans. He consecrates
his life and his wealth to the military
service of the Christ: he rejects the idea
Balthazar proclaims of "A spiritual kingdom
ruled by love instead of swords. lie follows
the Christ about from place to place. and
during the entry into Jerusalem he finds his
mother and TirZah among the lepers cured
by the Masters touch. But not until the
terrible day of the crucifiXiOn does Ben
Hur realize the Messiah's mission upon the
earth. Then he becomes His follower, and
casts his lot with the Christians.
The personal story of the author OF Ben
Hur' is very interesting.
When the United States went to war with
Mexico, an Indiana boy OF nineteen. son of
a Governor of the State. was one Of the
first to enlist. He was handsome and tai
ented, his father was rich and of influence
in national affairs. But the boy was singu
larly Woodworking, severely democratic,
alive to the culture of lineage and position,
but profoundly controlled, above all things.
by religion. Religion was presented 10 him
in all the freshness and simplicity OF a
new thing in a new world. for so the Amer
lean Nonconformists of the period knew IL.
The young boy, Lew Wallace. marched into
the battlefield with a Bible in his pocket.
and he read it with delight as we'll as de-
NOfiOU