The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-01-13
Robert ManteIi In 1.-THE Dagger and the
Cross" at the Bilou.

A study in psychology, clumsily con
cealed in the guise of a play, is, w. A.
Tremayne's drama of '.The Dagger and
| the Cross" Its first local production was
given at the Bijou Sunday by Robert
Mantell and his company. Given a woman
and 1.-TWO men, one her husband and the
other a sutton for her favors, the drama
tist has presupposed the wife's loyalty
and yet has made her foolishly suscept-
ible to the wiles Of her tempter. When
Giovanni. enters the room Francescas
| emotions become sadly mixed. With her
voice she proclaims her hatred, yet her
| eyes speak love. Dutifully she explains
the situation to her husband, assures him
of her constancy, yet admits -Giovanni's
| fascination. Her explanation, though it
may have seemed both halt and blind to
! the audience, is enough for the husband.
| This is the condition at the close Of the
first act, and the subsequent acts are de-
voted to variations upon the same theme.
Francescai and her artist husband go to
| England from Venice. Giovanni follows.
He wins the love- Of an English girl, de-
Eceives her with a mock marriage, and
7 ere his spurious honeymoon has waned,
seeks an designation with his country
woman She agrees to meet him but,
when away from his spell, acquaints her
! hus band with the plan and .he keeps the
tryst in her stead. Ultimately Giovanni
is killed, Francesca dies and her hus-
band' after confessing his crime, is car
ried off by the plague. The play is SOM
Der and it's treatment of the problem in
effective. 1t is, seriously to be doubted
whether such. a subject is suitable for
stage exposition.
The one interesting figure of ''The
Dagger: and the Cross is Francesca,
though the role has been minimfzed for
the benefit of them ale star Giovanni is
wholly conventional character Since
first women were betrayed upon the stage
such creatures have boasted of their
amours, rallied against woman and, at the
last, have come to a sudden and fitting
end just as he does in the Tremayne play.
Nor can the artist-husband command re-
spect. Vacilatfng and weak, he twice
spares the life of his enemy when he
might; in accordance with the views of
the time, have killed with honor; only to
dirk the man at the last under conditions
which result in the arrest, trial and con
victlon of an innocent yeoman. This he
appears to regard rather as happy cir
cumstance, until impelled to confess by
Francesca's dying request.
In this role Robert Mantell succeeds in
pleasing his audience A sturdy matter
of-fact player, many years before the
public, a fine swashbuckler, but an in
different lover, Mr.. Mantell has missed
the more delicate touches: He has made
, the Italian a fine, robust fellow, rattle,
more likable than an analysis Of the role
, might approve, and completely trans
parent.
Miss Marie Booth Russell is the Fran.
cesca, whose Importance has beer
: minimized by the dramatist an6
is not exaggerated by the player. Arthur
V. tombstone, an actor of fine force who
t yet knows the value of repression, is ex
t cellent as the young English yeoman, ant
E A. P. Ylvington, as Giovanni plays 6
conventional part in the conventional
e manner.
e The scenes are laid at Venice and il
, England; the time is medieval, yet tn,
t dialogue, except for an occasional ''sir
rah,' Is modern, and the furniture uset
e looks as though it had come from par
e tial payment plan house. .......
4 j. S, Lawrence