The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-02-19
ADJUSTMENTS.
"oId Heidelberg" at the Jefferson.


Karl Heinrich. Prince. -. Mr.. Mansfield
Staatsminister Won Haugk. ........
...... 1850. ..........A. e. Greenaway
Freiherr Won Passarge.. Henry Wenman
Won Breftenberg. Vim. j. Sorelle
Baron Won Netting. -. Ernest c. Wade
Doctor Juttner, tutor. A G.. Andrews
Chaplain of the Court. ....... H Neuman
Luis, valet to Karl Heinrich.
........ ......... Leslie KENYON
Graf Won Aste1'berg, student. ..
49,. 1919. ............ Francis McGinn
Won Wedell. student. Hamilton Coleman
Kellerman, steward Edward Fitzgerald
Ruder, innkeeper. j.. Constantine
Frau Rudder, his wife. Miss Annie Wood
Frau Dorffel. her aunt........ .....
......Miss Vivian Bernard
Katie ....... ......Miss Irene Prahar
Kari Biz, student. .........H. s. Hadfeld
Kurt Engelbrecht, student. Clement Toole
How slowly the great audience, gather
ed from all parts Of the state arose and
went outl 1t seemed loath to leave. 1t
seemed held to the scene, by the mag
netism and power Of the unhappy prince
An audience that rises gladly and dis
perses quickly is an audience that Is not
deeply impressed. Not so last night. All
felt the magical power of Richard Mans
feld-all had received lesson In human
life they could not readily throw off.
The play as from the German by viii
liam Myer-F oester. and 1t is called a
comedy In five acts. The FIVE do indeed
admit of much comedy, but 1t is in fact a
deep study in which there Is more pathos
than merry making, more tragedy even
than comedy. The transition from the stiff
formality of petty German court to the
jollity and absolute democracy of student
a "a
field fine opportunities to bring out the
loneliness in the life of a hereditary
prince All through the play runs a SUBJ
t1ety that reaches the hearts of the an
dience-a melancholy tenderness that is
never lost sight of.
The first act is placed In the great hall
OF the castle at Karlsberg The Young
prince Is surrounded with form and for
mality. He breathes the air of officialdom.
which he longs to throw off, as does his
aged tutor. He Is to go to Heidelberg and
he welcomes the hour that will shake
from him the shackles to which he was
born.
The second act discovers an inn, and I'D
on the mountainside is the ruined castle.
and down at the foot of the mountain
flows the quiet Neckar. 1t is Heidelberg
and pretty soon Karl Heinrich and his
tutor and valet arrive and are welcomed
by Katie, and by the innkeeper and his
VIE ana aunt ana finally by band of
at least fifty students. The bashfulness
Of Karl Heinrich, especially in the course
Of his first talk with Katie. was artisti-
cally true and wholly admirable. He at
length takes his place in the student
body, and the curtain falls.
In the third act creeps the tragedy
of the play. He Is leading life of free
dom. devil-may-care term in which beer
and songs and love for Katie are inter-
mingled when SUDDENLY the prime minister
arrives from Karlsberg to announce that
Karl Henrich's uncle, the ruling prince,
lies stricken by paralysis. and that he
must return at once to become the regent
of the principality. In one hour the
train will go, and almost without words
Karl feels his way to his duty and finally
accepts 1t. parting with Katie and with
Heidelberg. The old tutor stays behind
and dies in the dear old town.
In the fourth act Karl becomes the
reigning prince. and state marriage Is
arranged for him. In the two years that
have interviewed he had not been known
to laugh. and at length the steward of
the inn In Heidelberg comes to Karlsberg
to ask the prince to redeem promise he
had made. namely to make him cellarer.
He plies the former steward with ques-
tions. all leading up to Katie. and at