The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-27
IRVING IN SARDOU'S DANTE p"
, az ~ >PHTAGLE PROM CED
~ MASTER Ht\D.



l,r.r % three weeks engagement in Sardou
md VI. ro,u- tour act play entitled Dante
Who took has been turned into excellent
Incl,h bv Laurence Irving who was in the
cs the Incidental music is 10y Xavier
IcroA. well known French composer
Mr.. lryirgs triumph was a personal one;
for. despite the gorgeousness of the pro-
ductiou tho piece il disconnected. while the
character OF the Italian bard and patriot ID
almost amot hered in the press of subsidiary
mciderr Irving, not Sardou. was the hero
Of lsst evening
headers of The Sun hardly need be
reminded Of the details Of Dante" 1t
WAS written by the celebrated French
oramati- and his able disciple, M. Moreau,
evidently with an eve more to the hist rionic
CAPABILITIES of Henry Irving than on his
rorIc accuracy. Sar lou has been accused
ofmanIng history in This case, of theatricaly
serving up new and not very plausible
character He insists that il is not the
Danie oi the Divine Comedy" he wishes to
present, but the moral DdnH" whatever
that phra," may mean. As a psychologist
Ssrdou has never shone rather IL he the
lineal descendant of Scribe, cunning
tra,naturge master in the assemblage
ofstuations, highly emotional yet always
suggestive Of theatric artifice.
He gives us DAME as 10 yer, father, patriot
poet warrior. a scorner Of Princes, an ar
lgner of crimes. spiritual and political
fouIurner of Luther viii ch is slightly
dsconcnri ing and "A Icing who sums up
in inset I'll the potential forces Of medi9vol
Christianity That Is NJ Sardou's pros
grmme rs execution falls far below
H. design
To beein with, there is no play in the
life # Dante His existence not withstand
vas an interior one. He lived more in
the spirit than the flesh. Sardou foresGw
Ills, yet III his prologue he illudes us with
tue hope Of a really strong play We are
surprised hv the dramatic power OF the
gloomy Tower of Hunger episode Ugoiino
for his Infamous crimes Is condemned to
starvation by the Archbishop Ruogiero
With Il miserable wretch are Ills innocon mt
IONS and nephews Dante comes to the
rescue. ed thereto bv Helen OF Slrdbid,
married to one Of goiino's scis
It's capital situation. SusI ense is i'll the
air Conflict ensues. Dante is excom-
fnuricated for touching the cross. His
Inter defiance is superb climax; In this
scere he has met Pia del Toiome, by whom
be is supp, Sed to have had an Legitimate
daughter. Comma by Lame. Irving swept
some surprising chords Of pity and love in
thls Interview One wished that the play
would continue on the same lies. II did
lot.
Act l., charmiDglv painted sceEe. shows
Vi Florence on a festai morning. You
are given no clue Of what is to follow; YOU
must o Ilitcrate from the tablets of your
memory all that has gone before, and this
confusing operation may be repeated after
each act or scene. There is no continuity
Of incident DAME as father seeking lis
daughter is portrayed with tenderness 10y
Irving Then the story Of PaolG and Fran
Cesco is entang lecsin the We bof clrcumst ance.
Dante saves G'mml but s.es the murder of
Fr1ncsscc
so does the wondering audience Pin.
the wife Of 4 villain, is dying in Act II. from
marsh fever. she launches Il curse on
her husband and acknowledges that her
daughter 'smmd1, is faLhered by Dante
He is there ~ catch her last words. You
feel for the missing clues in vain; the play
Is an elirsis.
When in Scene 2. We find Ourselves at
The convent OF San Pietro We feel safer,
for we know then Theodore" was in
s rdou's mind when he contrived this cpl
80 10. II is effective.
Again Dante reScueS Gemmn from the
clutches of her father ard from very
sinister abbess There is plenty Of action
how; melodrama, ii you will Dcnte hides
With Gemnlu behind al altar ard is stabbfd
She is saved; all else is nothiugl' he ex-
claims and falls to EARTH but appears in
Act III, in the best Of health though given
H. visions The act il called "Dante's
Vision" ard is supposed to icture the
Ihierno.
We see some exq'iisitely devised tableauX:
t. campo Santo, Florence; TIE poor Of
he'll, the Bark Of Cl,aSon, the Fiery Graves.
tie Circle Of Ice. the Bridge Of ROCKS, the
Valley Of Asphodels These scenes are
designed by Eugene Ronsin and Emile
Be tin. Some axe ve'y artistic some clap
trap OF the pantomiru!c orde". The bore
pictures falling flakes OF crisp fire, tine
frozen lake. the hot tombs-evOked much
applause
In the fiery graves Canto KIN. of the
Inferno" Pop" Nicholas III. awaits Roni-
lace VIII, but they are called Cardinals
~ Mr. Irving, for fear Of giving offerc',
Rather curious straining at a gnat after
swallowing such rrarosterous camel
- 'no alleged history Of Ddnte's career
4 f. is. as was the prologue. separate
I'll So We are at Avignon. 1t is a scene Of
.-.i,e marbles, A castnlated fortress and
palace of splendid pleasures
'orGlNdt COt0nnd, dfttuched Paral
tega'e according to Sardou and Moreau,
las had a hideOus dream, in which he secs
all hell preparing for his reception. Dante,
- prophet Of wee, very denounoor Of
no stern biblical mould, enters and in
t'rrrets the dream. In fifteen minutes
The C7rdincr~ soul v i'll roast He pcin's
~ a huge pendulum on the stage It
'epiote lime with his scythe. The clock
work ticks The Corfinni wrthes.
The audience recalls Poe's Pit and the
P"rdulIm." Dante IN the r6'o of a religious
r'f"rmer, denounces the abuses of the
Church. He also prophesies He gets
from The dying Cardinnl- really a Pope
n" release from the lnquis.ion Of his
daughter G,mm7 pray for the Cardinal
,,o'o@no; he is dying" and surrounded by
rs corr;esan,, jewellers, monks, famiiars
ana niusreIs, painters -Gi1to is there
' me 'Grdindi gives up his wicked soll
Des i'e the history, which has not gone
..nchaIlen. ed, the scene il a haunting one.
N'Hie IT. not lis chief actor, but the Car
GjlnGi IL lrTersonated in London by
ElI.iar Molf"n, lie made a deep impress
ton, ar ne did here. Laura Burt a familiar
mum, war The HeLen and gave a very
Ashwell "doubIed' the roles of Comma
and PA Here it was not considered ad
nsIhi" and Miss Mabel HGotney was the
rig and Miss Nora Lancaster tie GsHlmn
irving dominated the stage Ever poetic,
VII, decided ecclesiastir basis TO his
oIaracer he looted Ddnte, acted Dante,
seemed Dante Whatever his shortcom-
lhks' thev were becarse Of the amorphous
rA' acler Of the play the loOsest in con-
"srctIon ever turned out by a master
Craftsman ooser ard more feeble in de-
Sgn t,an "Robespierre Both works were
Punt Tor English md American cOnsump-
'".l and not 10 lie tolerated in Paris
AZ DlWf, Irving recalled Rockford more
Ian am Of his old Dies. He acted through.
wN NIu imaginative intensity and emo
H,aI 'Hrsntility in "A word, with all the