New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-12-06
THE ORA VA.
VANCE oyNEIL AT DALY's THEATRE.
Judith Of Bethulia."

Sp,>-au i-nnersonated lis heroine. THIS IS sep
:, che right direction equally for the PUBIC anu
~. actress NJ AIdrichs tragedy is an lihpressNe
(aI,-ic of English verse.-lofty in concepuoh' pu's
= ,-5+. romantic IN atmosphere: consistently anu
,o-tl-siyfls,- Doetc IN texture, hneIy Hl@s4"''.,
-,r.,ltuot5 with tragic frenzy. at us cllrlaA' a.
athletic With desoale grandeur. at Us cl'ae' -
~ hae. written by Italian poet ana preseii'eD
- - J.ssforf it, probably would have been
rf.5 n once SIS a Iull-srown classic. Inc "a
a. rJav on the theme o. judith, written OS CO.
C,oc-r7etti auJ.--os old play-soeF2 reIieiioe'' p
80 in this city. ~ Eistcr and her coI4I"N''
IT.. oars 20 was hailed in precisely that
=, tT,.- niece almost the same course was
.-rsr nv the Italian aramatI5- that mas oeea i'
- r-- the American poet. III ARRANGING 'e "
- ~ incidents and 81 -tio9-7u inevitable parity
.,ooe seeIrE that both authors were 'uli"i"E "
t basis Of the story of J"dth as told II ne ~,
= ..,-r-vphal Scripture bearing that A1i44'' -'
.-s-icb.s creation however. IS vastly superior -
.s.+ NJ his foreign predecessor. and IaF more
-, Genial acceptance and acclaim. The pIi"CiPa'
characters and the main incidents are taken II IN
- lz3bg narrative. but the development ana 'is
zisrlav O. them are inGeuiously original the ae,
s-e short. the movement IS rapid; the s'aee-p'-
r-es are subordinated 10 the story. are q pa, -
- .-6 h4rn 20 tell il, the coIoquy barring d Nv
-e4d.ess SMILES and flowers o. speech l. huei- az,
s-.--,--fcs71,- effective. and the play Is relIl1Ih
for practical attributes Of direc1 Pu'IoSs
simple expression The use Of climate an
If 63v or night IS especially IeLlcllois' a.
Ia
r2fi7la narrative he has done so 10 inc ma
- - 7-e --s+fc effect. There IS TOO rhuSA IL
vocation Of God though, anc there are LOO ma
7,ra--ere--le one before the INFUSION o. ne ~ ue
and the orc before the doing OF 'he us
..--r,,+iv-e OF the movement and, therefore OUT
Of place 49,, -. -.
Magnetic personal authority. on the part o.
775ft+ herself j. predicted as the cornerstone OF
the structure. The character OF that hefO'i's'-
,rbo according 10 the Scripture. dOurished on her
.-t,,-l-s and -7u~derOus exploit lived to be a
,-7-a4 and four years Old. and ACCEPTED all sorts
? bor0-s with a complacenCy second only TO thaT
-. r-,1f--s C-zzar-ts endowed with rare sens!bNtF
and Is distinctly eunobled- Bogoas. the attendant
,fe-a nj r4oIoferues Immediately on his urst
---,--ac- ~ Judith. IS enthralled by her charms,
aeoorres d traitor 10 his master and presently
furnishes soTo-iAc drug with which the fasclnat-
5.,-s,,r4~ can charge the chieftain's wine. Achor
lie Arnnarfte. whom Holofernes has sent among
re Tsraelitee OF BethuIia as punishment TOT nav
Inc rf,a- good counsel becomes impassioned
sr,lr9r for the love Of Judith and is made 10 fol-
low her in her perious expedition to the Assyrlan
rar7r-tnis expedieat leading to a fine effect Of
dramatic suspense when later, the sinister ttolo-
<--,.s vaguely SUSPECTS Judith and Achior Of q
secret friendship and concerted purpose OF
rreachery. Ozias. Charms. and Chabris, taken
from the rebuIous background Of the original
sr7r- s-e converted into useful, well as ven
cradle pat-iarchs. Various persons, such as Naomi
r4 F1iHs are introduced Naomi having been
me nurse Of Judith and are so MANAGE
rs 10 display the restitution and misery Of
he i7ha bitants Of beeaguered Bethuia, and
70 IMPRESS on the heroine's mind sucn a.
r4sfon Of their anguish as will come %
her IN the supreme moment OF her trial, and make
re- relentless and terrible In posture Of facts an
IN mechanism The piece Is not wholly unlike lingo
mar" since. in both plays a woman issues from =
ralled city and prevails over z sralwart and dan
re-ovs martial chief but Of course there is wide
difference between romance ana tragedy. The
most subtle and novel touch is the ascriDtion TO
Judith = sudden plying impulse, q Tnor1entary
hesitation 20 kill the Bull of Ashur, At last
he les 81 her mercy. because Of the sexual effect
luon he- Of MS heather beauty This may be
natural: Lady Macbeth is actually stayed from
killing Duncan. because the sleeping king resem-
5.es her dead father. but IT viii not seem so TO
e-erv observer. and IS 70 the complex feminine
nature, no prudent man assumes 70 speak with de-
cis:on- That Bible Judith has always been a IA
-o-,te with the poet Aldrich. He wrote long
narrative, blank verse poem about her. more than
forty years ago-from which lines and passages
NOTABLY. the beautiful lyric the Kings Glost)
nave been cGlled for insertion IN his present play
H has thoroughly studied the subject; n.a au-
thor1ty. as 70 the female temperament is as good
Is that OF a1v bard who has tried 10 explain II;
and IN this The mature play. as well IS in the
youthful poem. he has shown his heroine in one
and the same way. Furthermore, he has writ
-e' with a light touch. and. being truly a poet.
has once again proved that the fecitous privilege
y Poetry Is 70 display by means Of electrical sug-
minute particular. and explanatory narrative.
The central and indeed the entire purpose of this
ragged IS 70 project woman Of magnificent
beauty irresistible charm, and tremendous force Of
cha-acter-a blend OF Zenobia and Joan Of Arc
upon an act OF murder done under circumstances
n terrific peril, and triumphantly justified after
an ordeal 81 awful suspense. This has been well
accomplished. In act first The situation of Be
'a1lla is shown. and the purpose Of Judith is de-
CARED just as Macbeth the air-drawn dag
see The mailed hand, pointing her wav TO the
AHsyrian prince. n act second are exhibited her
departure from Bethula and her arrival and re-
cep--oh IN the Assyr1an camp In act third comes
the feast with Holoferues: d tent OF barbartc
spie1cCr; pictorial and vOluDtuolIs accessories. a
pageant OF dancing girls an interlude OF music;
--leh tne woman, radiautly beautiful alone and
unprotected, T-th the impassioned warrior half
A@-iiiols with wine. but also and happily for her
--''zed with opta-e, and slowly iapsing into help
-@Ss sleep Al LAST The crisIs-and the fatal blowi
al '-S is wrought pD with expert skill to a culmj-
LAM eject 81 terror. but also Of triumph and of
s-s-@--i relief She put of the garments Of her
~-1o"hood.' Gays the Bible historian '.for the
e1alSatlJu Of those that We're oppressed IN Israel
lnc ano;n1ed her face with ointment and bouno
~ Me- haLs ~ & coil and took linen garment 10
iecelFe hin: her slippers rayished his ewes: her
Beauty took his mind prtzorer:-and rne fauIcbion
PASSED through his neck" The end. in the origi-
nal e JCdrhs sqotheosis and her contented accent
ance q H. The end in the drama Is Z festival in
rescued Betaul!a;-the Widows resumption of her
SoH'UE7 weeds, her abnegaton Of homage her de-
seen, rom throne; and. finally. her Isolation Of
heIse-- a. hcnceforrh being set apart from the
Nori0 and dedicated 20 loneliness and devotion
--a-se ihere Is blood upon her hands, and because
sAe has been chosen and ordained as the fateguI
sangu.aary executsnt OF Divine VIII
me play IS. distinctly. valuable addition to
'Fa1as &c literature The acting OF IT, on this occa-
A-o-- presented no extraordinary merit The most
.1pisheo actor IT the company is Charles Mill
ward. aAG Ee. as the captive. Bogoas. largely con-