The evening world., 1903-10-27
Audience Greets Him Cordially
When He Appears in Dante"
Which Is NOT Worthy OF His
Powers.
HELL-LIKE HORROR
M DISAPPoINTS.
Il Is Not Convincing in Scene,
and Company, with a Few
Exceptions, Il Not of Great
Force.

Even our grim, caverpous, easy-Soins
subway doesn't contain the terrors OF
Dante" out of which at the Broad
way Theatre last night emerged Sir
Henry Irving.
It was q question at times whether
6ir Henry really did emerge He often
socancd pretty well buried in the meaan-
choiy melodrama of the waning VIC
torten Sardou and Emile Moreau.
II seemed as II the long-departed but
acknowledgements Dante must turn
IN hin grave and cry out for a Belasco
or some one with an artistic conoep-
ton OF the neither world to step In and
DO something handsome Tor him.
Whom 1t comes to showing the home
comforts dncluding steam heat and hot
vGter at all hours) of BeelDebuib's win
ter resort, both The Darling Of the
Gods" and Charles Frohman's produc-
efon OF ulysses" mako Dante look
like a ten-cent chamber OF horrors.
In view OF the crude, creaking pio-
lures of the bugaboo place offered on
the Broadway stage. Mr.. Irving's 80
fioitous concern expressed In a curtain
rpoech that the audience might sleep
none h less TRANQUILITY when 1t got
home was quite a. unnecessary as It
was kindly.
Not Taken Serfounly.
Those arrived al years OF discretion
could hardly be expected to take the
scenes Of h lower regions in Dante
seriously. The "hames' which fiared
W out OF h private-boxlike little
hslls turned ones thoughts to Lois Full
lsr's IRE dance, n the only person on
the premises who appeared TO be having
. hell OF q time" was the stage man
ager. He could be heard stamping his
foet and giving vent to stbilant sounds
Of Obstruction throughout every
Change in the ordeal. Allowances
should be made for that distressed
gentleman In the hereafter. Judging
by last nights noises he IL having his
Mr.. Irving was wonderfully placid In
trying TO make the best OF Dante'Al
troubles. Doubtless the applause he re-
eoiysd had much TO 40 with making him
The distinguished English aotor's re-
cepton was cordial beyond suspicion OF
eiaqns HIS entrance was the signal for
oiapping. as warm ana welcome az 81
GUNNER shower, and lasting about as
ong This greeting was the pleasantest
n most satisfying Incident of the
evening. It served to prove the sincere
Affection Americans feel for the English
But. despite his good beginning. Mr..
Irving's Dante was a disappointment.
played the lugubrious poet who gets a
= we'll. perhaps, as any one might have
dome: The trouble In the play Is un-
yForthy his powers. and. what Is worse.
y II wholly unconvtncing.
Like the Pictures.
And though Sir Henry succeeded re-
ma ioossnS VII IKE II the dbi5 ssnts ~ M R5s eS Z
eteel and traditions; his
This fac obtruded itself more par
IKE moments with the .n~congruously
youthfnl PA. II was simply Sir Henry
p~retsnding to make Q Y to his =daugatsss
was q wee bit weird; Another thing
S~sfkehaired parents as Dante and ,Pla
daughter as the Comma Of pretty.
The best part of Sir Henry's perform
ance was when, on Dante's return TO
Florence. he recited the wanderings,
was the only time. in fact, that he had
tine audience completely under the spell
OF his powers. Here the human side OF
sympathy. There was in this narrative,
too, a straightforward style OF simple
Effectiveness which carried its own ap-
peal. II brought the hcpe that Irving.
In the wisdom of his declining years,
had resolved to divest himself of ex-
aggerated mannerisms and free his
tongue of unintelligible mouthings.
Returns to M~annerisms.
However, this hope was short-lived. II
wasn't long before Sir Henry was hav-
tEg bronchial disturbances, before he
wac rolling w his sleeves In a I-have-
nothing~to-ds ~celve-you-wtnh way, andl
waving. his arms Wildly as he tottered
on and of the stage. He was quieter
sion. possibly because he felt II neces-
eary &c give a good share of his atten-
ton TO keeping out of the way OF those
seemingly lost souls, the stage hands.
htr. Irving's support wasn't the strong
est Lawrence 1rving-interesting prin-
elpally because he Is the son OF his
eather-made considerable fuss as Nello,
yet Laura Burt, as the mother of a
gtarying. imprisoned child In the pro-
logue. Bllta-Proctor-Otised every one
when 1t came to heart-rending heroics.
~ mercitul playwright soon put her out
OF her misery, however.
ANOTHER actor who died a hard death
vas William Molllson. who carried the
dera. He died by the olock-a all, won
asrtul clock, with a life-siZe figure OF
Father Time welding his scythe as a
Dqndulum,
Various other persons died with clock
- regularity in every act.
rDante" Is a lovely funeral. c. ID.