The Minneapolis journal., 1903-02-10

"The Prince of the World" at the Ly-
ceum.
A notable phase of the drama to-day is
the crescent popularity of such plays as
'"rhe Prince Of the World" a religious
melodrama produced at the Lyceum this
week for the first time in Minneapolis.
The play presents the story of Christ's last
days upon earth; and gives a glimpse of
Nero's subsequent prosecutions of the
Christians. Its prologue is, in effect, a
dramatization of the incidents of Geth-
semane. Here the playwright introduces
Pontius Plate, Judas Iscariot the Apostle
Peter; Simon, the leper; and Barrabas,
the thief Christ does not appear; yet his
personality dominates, the act.
The story told to plate Of Chrst's]
mira cles, and his teachings; the. bargain
between the Roman and.,Judas for Jesus
betrayal the payment of the thirty pieces;
Peters denial and. the Growing of the
cocktail these incidents are skilfully in,
troduced At the close of the prologue, a
soldier appears bearing the cross. Simon,
the leper, asks permission to carry it.
The boon granted, he grasps the cross and
raising himself upright, cries Il am:
healed This departure from the Biblical
story, is made necessary in order mot to
| introduce the Nazarene as stage char
| acter.. 60 :.
! In its beginnings the English stage was
an offshot from the church. In England
| the first dramatic productions were the
| morality plays given in the churches and
1 by churchnen.s Then. came an estrange-
ment. and church and play were divorced
Just how far the production of religious
dramas will serve to effect a reconcilia-
| tion is uncertain, but this much is sure,
| the reverent treatment of religious themes
in such plays as 1.-THE Sign of the Cross, -
''Ben Hur'' and ''The Prince of the
| World must beget liberation for the
| stage among churchmen.
| After the prologue the biblical story is
abandoned and the scene changes to
Rome where the desire of Nera for Judith,
| daughter of Simon, that leper who bore
the cross, is made the motif, The Caesar
attempts to make Judith his mistress, but
the girl scorns his proposal in a fine out
4 burst and denounces him for his cruelties
until he covers before her Indignation.
/ Recovering from his terror, he orders the
Christian thrown to the lions, and Judith
n is carried away and lowered into cage
i in which are two fine specimens of the
/ king of beasts, the curtain falling as the
lions crouch before her. This scene is
! excellently handled in the Ferris produc-
4 ton, and last night was rewarded with
several curtain calls.
The last act shows still another attempt
of Nero to kill Judith The girl is bound
), to post and her clothing ignited; but rain
falls from heaven and puts out the fire.
| This also is highly effective scene, and
provokes unbounded enthusiasm. The
play is somewhat sensational, but its
treatment of the religious idea is marked
| by reverence, joined with a fine apprecia-
ton of dramatic values
The production is the most pretentious
thing the Ferris company has done here
The staging is good, the costuming effec-
t tive and the company has several new
; members, among them Miss Bertha Belle
| Westbrooke, who plays Judith. Miss
!, Westbrooke is a young woman of pleas.
l ing presence and good ability in emotiona
/ lines. Her work in the prologue was won.
: derfully effective and, in her denuncia.
: tion of Nero, she fairly swept the audi
| ence off it's feet.
} Ben johnson plays Nero and presents
an effective portrait of that ruler. COW.
ardly, egotistical and yet not withou
craft. Miss Maude Gilbert is the Rubria
w. D. Corbett Galba, Judith's lover; ant
, Herbert Brennon Apollos, Roman gal
liant. In the prologue Mr.. Johnson ap
= peared as PLATE. Mr.. Brennon's earlier
{ work as Judas Iscariot, is very good. The
+, part of Simon, the leper, has been entrust
ed to George G. Gunter. Mr.. Gunter how
/ ever, was out of the cast last night ant
: his place was taken by Henry Dumont
; who read the lines with excellent expires
) sion. j. S. Lawrence