The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-13
---AT ST.
THEA RES
"A Gentleman Of France" at the Met

| - NS"1iStHaH CT france at tne Wet
er9poiitan.
| To Kyrle Beilew, who reappeared at
| the Metropolitan opera house last
night, after too long an absence: all
admirers of "a finished actor are bound
! to extend a coEdial greeting. To the
| Drama which served him as vehicle
a Gentleman of F'rance'-we can
not extend quite so enthusiastic well
| come. 1t is an instance of the player
| eXcelling the play. Nor does the sup
| porting company commend itself to
the seasoned theatergoer.
Inc dramatization of Stanley Wey-
| mans romance is the work of Harriet
| Ford. In point of the selection of the
! graceful and pungent speeches allotted
| by the author to his hero, CASTOR de
| Marsac, the dramatist, has manifested
| admirable taste and appreciation of
| dramatic values, but considered as a
Whole the dramatic exposition of the
| novel IS fragmentary affair to the
| spectator who has not read the book.
1t assumes a knowledge of the intrigue
| that he cannot otherwise possess. 1t
| leaves too much to the imagination
| of any beholder not intimately con-
versant with French history. For it is
! the duty of play to tell its own story.
There is lurking suspicion that
THIS play was written around SWORD
combat on broad staircase with the
odds to l against the hero. Dramatic
and poetic justice demands that the
| gentleman of France shall vanQuish
his half dozen adversaries, which he
does with lightning-like rapidity. 1t
is thrust and parry, parry and thrust,
to the front of him, the right of him,
the left of him and even behind him.
The Varlets tumble from the stairway
In dire confusion, leaving the way
clear for the hero to descend and dis
patch their leader with deadly
thrust.
Deafening applause hailed Mr. Bel
lew as he stood at the foot of those
stairs with his last enemy stretched
at his feet, his barred arm sustaining
his napier aloft, his handsome face
pale with the eXultation of victory. It
was good for four curtains.
But this scene was not Kyrle Bel
LEWIS real triumph 1t was merely an
exemplification of extreme melodrama
too eXtravagant, to be impressive.
Mr.. BelleW,' as already asserted, is a
finished actor, worthy of a better me-
dunn through which to display his SUI
per1or ability. Possessing a singular
ly attractive personality, a handsome
! and expressive countenance, lin form
| and moving" so express and admir-
| able" he is also endowed with a keen
| and subtle dramatic instinct. His
| voice may lack in resonance, but it
never strikes a harsh note, and in
| Yariably conveys the full significance
| of every speech. The highly commend
| able virtue of the mans acting is the
| utter absence of the slightest tenden-
| cy to rant-and there is abundant temp
| tation in this sWaShbuckling melo-
| drama.
One cannot but regret the scant OPP
portunities for lovemaking afforded the
hero by this drama, which vouchsafes
M INr14
| scenes of this character, for Bellew is
ideal in the expression of the grand
! sentiment.
The facile grace with which he
moves about the stage, the perfect
command Of a 1.-THE and supple figure,
the freedom from ornate and confusing
gesture, the direct and incisiVe deliv-
cry of every speech, with appropriate
| expression and accent, the avoidance
of palpable theatric artif1ce-these cir
| tues stamp Mr.. BelleW as an actor Of
rare excellence and magnetic power
Miss Gretchen Lyons, an actress Of
! sympathetic quality, was somewhat
overweighted with the role of Mile. de
| la Wire. Her voice was not attuned
to the demands of the role, which
seemingly overtaxed it. Miss Lyons
| is gratefully remembered here for her
| delightful impersonation of Dolly in
| Rosemary
Oscar Eagle gave color to the role Of
| the treacherous braggart, Fresnoy, and
| Frederick Book impaired individuality
to the brief character Of Vicomte Tu-
renne.
-4 Herbert Fortiers Henry Of Navarro
lacked dignity, and Frank Dander, in
the role of the chief villain, M de
Bruhl, savored of a modern, twentieth
century churl, attired in a bal masque
costume of the period of Henry of Ma
Varre. Fred G. Hunt.
Many things conspired to make the
| presentation of Verdi's "Manzoni Re-
quiem' by the Choral club at the
Peoples church last night the success
1t was. There was the inspiration Of
| the day ITSELF The f1utter of flags in
the sharp wind of yesterday could not
fail to be a reminder to those who
| needed it of the significance of the
day-and thoughts of Lincoln would
seem to be the best possible prepara-
ton for the reception of such a work
| as the Requiem"
Then there was the inspiration of
the church itself, an inspiration that
lay as muchg in the auditoriums ade-
| Quacy as in it's beauty. The big audi
ence that filled both the lower floor
and the gallery was necessarily NOV
ed by these things and the atmosphere
thus created reacted on conductor and
singers. Never before has Mr.. Norm
ington had the control of his choir that
he had last night; never before has
he succeeded in drawing from it so
| expressive a volume of tone
But first of the Requiem itself.
Lacking some of the vital parts of a
| mass, it cannot properly be called one
and the fact that it was sung last
night in the English instead of the
Latin seemed further to divorce it from
that unalterable ceremony of the Ro-
man Catholic church. Instead of a
mass the Requiem" is a solemn chant.
an In Memoriam' that does not give
itself up to restless questionings, but.
In sublime acceptance of laws di-
vine, laments and trusts.
The orchestration is beautiful. The
composers love of pure melody is evil
denced throughout. This melody CLEANS
like a thread of pure gold through
the Requiem" and is an emotional de-