New-York tribune., 1903-06-08
LONDON NOTES.
A Commoner's MeLodrama at His
Wajestys.
London. May q

lined early In the first act namely. the in1atua-
/ ton Of a rising young political leader FOR a
heartIess actress and the determined effort OF a
loyal friend to save him. the title. The Gordia7
/ Knot" supplies the cue. and the dUIlest specta-
/ tor knows that the woman is doomed TO die By
/ the hand of the hunchback The end is In
evitabIe. although approached deliberately. witt.
/ intervals OF cynical Partisan talk and roulette
and with amusing byplay BY sandwich eating
/ German grand duke and American million
/ aires vulgar wife. Even with excellent acting
/ and surnptuous staging the play drags heavily
until the last scene is reached; and when the
hunchback is at last alone with the actress IN
her boudof-. it takes long time for him %
make up his mind to XIII her The only novel
feature Of this old fashioned version oc ia
Dame aux CameIllas' is the theatrical method OF
disposiug Of the scarlet woman Not only g
she murdered as Electrically as IN the new
AdeIphi style Of crude realism. but she also
/ makes comedy OF the impending tragedy Ms
taking the avengers purpose when he enters her
boudoir she locks the doors herself and
hearses with him the death scene OF her new
play She tries at first the Ineffective device of
a dagger which he holds with nervsless hand.
and then she lets down her hair coils II into
golden ropes and calls upon him 70 simulate
stranrlfng her: and at last. when her lover IS
humping angrf1y at the door. he kills her IN
earnest It is not good dramatic art since II Is
purely theatrical but II sufnces for the cutting
/ Of the "Gordian Knot" and for bringing the CUT
tain down upon the covering assassin and the
startled lover.
II is not surprising that artificial nueio-
drama strongly colored with "reminiscences %
the younger Dumas's earlier and more neUrOtic
period should have interested Mr. Tree The
author is a Member OF Parliament. who has had
adventures in diplomacy and war, and f1ds n
French dramatic literature relief from the
tedious humdrun Of English politics The first
stage work Of a HstIess Member Of Parliament
naturally piques curiosity, and makes talk IN
drawing rooms and clubs; and with Miss Olga
NethersoIe 10 play the vampire with intense
realism. the acting manager has counted with
confidence upon a large measure OF popular sup
port Moreover there was picturesque and
effective part for him. and he played II well
The deforme6 Roger Martens. hobbling about
the stage with a stick, beating the air with
frenzied gestures reciting weird dreams, railing
against the corruption and injustice OF society.
and converting friendship into an article OF re-
Iigion iTnpersona-ion prs-eminenry
suited 70 his style Of playing. The ingenious
bypIay with which hts representations are en-
riched sometimes dfverts attention from the
essential lines OF the characters. and he appears
seIf-conscious and theatrical Mr. Tree entirely
forgot himself IN the part OF the hunchDack-
The byplay the natural expression OF
frenzied and III balanced nature, the voice
vfbrated with passionate intensity and the grim
face. hardening the murder scene into IN
flexible sterunsss. was that Of an execuc1oner
under the spell OF dream OF vengeance Mr.
Tree is at his best in theatrical parts Ike
FaIstar SvengaH and Roger Martens. which ars
real and vital representations, with the actors
own personality artisticaIly concealed.
The Parliamentary playwright has not cor-
pIetely failed when he has provided Mr. Tree
with picturesque part; and crude as is his play
and clearly defined as Is his Indebtedness to
French nelodrama OF the baser sort, he has also
done something TO employ the energies and
dramatic gifts OF at least two other members OF
the company at His Majesry's Mr.. Robert
Taber was sincere and earnest in his portrayal
Of the infatuated French noblenan. and Miss
Olga Nethersole had the opportunity for aDpea--
ing IN a series Of magnificent costumes and for
impersonatfng the heartless huntress after nsn-
who is described most effectively. perhaps n
literature in Turgenief's Spring Floods" A
greater actress might succeed in tnpartt1s
fascination 10 an unnatural and hideous part
but smile she may IN her languoroUs poses
Miss Nethersole never for moment makes the
character anything but repeIIant- She lacks
charm, and fails TO render the bale1uI fascina-
ton exercised over her lover ineligible; and
this may be one Of the subtle motives OF de-
testabIe drama She has. however. moments OF
genuine power and reveals the training OF an
actress and the instinct OF q caprtcious IRE
sponsibIe woman IN the theatrical murder scene
The remaining characters are figures OF pith
Even so good an actor as Mr. Gilbert Hare
squanders his talent upon a subordinate part
and Mr. Lionel Brough has barely more than
five minutes IN which display real comic
genius as German grand duke
The mystery remains. why should a play OF
this kind be written when there are perfect ex-
ar1pIes OF the scarlet class IN French EteratUre2
No professional English playwright can rival
the younger Dumas and his school IN dramatic
force; and an amateur writer, even II he be a
clever dipIornatist and politician. win inevitably
fail TO render tainted meat palatabIe- A Mem
Der OF Parliament can be confidently expected 70
ill a play with talk and once n a while 70 light
it up with flashes Of wit irony. but what
guarantee can there be for his instructive
Of character or dramatic situation? Mr.. Low
ther may not have understood the fun extent OF
his obligations 10 French drarnatists. but he
ought to have remembered that even Mr.. Ptnero,
with his unrivaIled skill IN construction and dia-
Iogue has not reconciled patrons OF the English
stage 70 what Is described as earnest drama
saIted with social ethics The Gordfan Knot"
does not contain any problem except the the
atricaI expedient Of separating weak
from heartless. immoral woman by fre1zied
act of assassination II exhibits the worst side
Of fast life in Paris. debases both love and
friendship and does not serve any useful pur-
pose intellectual. moral or artistic The best
thing that can De said II is that il makes vice
and indecency so dull and vapid that by con-
trast virtue and respectabiity becorns srinu-
lative and satisfying