The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-05-31

of writing for England others will soon | follow. Paris Is an exaeting capital Your French dramatist who scores a | great success is never allowed to rest on his laurels. He must top his best or make way for others. He may not, as is the custom here, proceed to palm off on the public the contents of his writing ta- ble drawers, confident that any old effort will float on the tide of his success Lon- don venerates extinct volcanoes. Paris curtly tells it's mountains that they must erupt, and continue to erupt still higher, or-appeal to England. M. Sardou Is an arrogant gentleman. He declared once that English dramatlsts could not con struct plays. I thank heaven they can not, If Dante Is a model of construc- tion.
 M. Sardou takes, pride to himself that he has avoided historical or legendary accuracy. I would forgive him for tam pering with the story of the father of poetry if he had given use a moving drama instead of a disconnected series of incidents, while his imagination has helped him to nothing more striking than the poet a sort of second Paolo in love with the wife of one Nello della Pietra and the father of her child.
 | Sir Henry Irving was born to play Dante-if not this particular Dante. I When he Is on the stage he Is a great poet, politician seer-what you will. Ex- ouisitely tender in the love scenes with his mistress; trenchantly austere when denouncing MT. Mollison, who Is stren- uous and vicious Papal Legate. he holds the hotch-potch together and triumphant- ly justified the reception given him. It is long since I have heard him in better voice or less hammered. But after Irving people will crowd to Drury Lane to see the production.
 Any student of religious controversy will know that they are many, who would far sooner give up their hope of Heaven for themselves than their hope of hell for others, will be deeply interested in the seven grim scenes which show Dante's Virgil-conducted tour through the infer nal regions. It is the pantomine over again-the apotheosis of the demon kitch- en-and I fancy 1t will be just as popu- lar. If I have any preference, 1t Is for the scene showing the frozen suicides, though equally effective were the gentle men in the hot graves who, like Jack-in- the-boxes, lifted up their tombstone lids, and, setting their backs against these to prop them open, recited their woes the while most realistic flames fickered around them.
 
 at the Coronet a few performances of a new play by Charles Ward called "One People" It Is not a work of great merit but it Is quite pleasing, and Mrs. Kendall, as the daughter of a Dutch woman and the betrothed of an English Yeomanry officer, has considerable opportunities. which she uses with her consumate skill. I tremble to think, though, what would have ben the fate of the play without her. She plays the part of spinster lady who runs a farm, apparently with the sole assistance of two lady helps, and she has an old lover, a Boer spy, who has changed his allegiance a quite confusing number of times. Hard pressed by the Yeomanry officer who is, tracking him down, he flies to the ladys room for pro- lection, and the usual misunderstanding which arise out of his discovery there (for the lady Is loyal to both sides and will not betray him). are only dispelled when he is shot while attempting to es- cape. There are some good little comedy touches in the play, which. in an unam- bilious way. is an agreeable little enter tainment.