The Wichita daily eagle., 1904-01-05
At GREEK THEATER
How Drama Is Played Right in
the Native Hills.
ACTORS EXTRAORDINARY
The Environments Make the
Scenes Very Realistic

Athens, Greece jan 4.-The perform
ance of Greek dramas by college students
both in America and England. has beconle
quite common thing. Interest is in-
creased ten-fold when the amateur gives
place TO a well trained and experienced
body of actors on the native spot. The
greatest tragedies of Aeschylus. the ac-
knowledged Titan of ancient drama, were
given under these favorable circumstance.
at Athens this season in the Royal thea
ter. One felt the very spirit of old Greece
lighting some parts of the performance
with unique distinction. With certain uni
versal limitations the trilogy of Aeschy-
lus tthe Asamemnon, Choephorae, Eume-
nide9 was as adequately represented as
any national drama in Europe by its own
people. This is not meant in the sense of
the American advance agent. The cast of
/ these performances would seem absurd
! to our managers, and the Royal theater
but a third rate house; but, happily, the
judgments of the plutocrats are not al
ways true.
The Royal theater has Ernest Zilier as
architect and its outer look conforms
to the usual international monstrosity
called splendid house with elegantly
decorated facade" 1t is of the f1orid rem
aissance style with Corinthian columns
and surmountng statues. Once inside one
has pleasant surprise. Perhaps IL is due
TO the low cash box Of the Hellenic state
bat at any rate there is charming SIM
plicity and pleasing use of ornament
There are simply paneled walls with del
icate gold borders red plush seats and
the stage parts adorned with Greek pat
terms, gracefully sparing of color The
dark gold and red alternate with the
sober rich effect of old vases.
One must imagine a motley crowd. ir-
regular, begarlicked. few in carriages,
the many afoot, fastening to the theater.
The ticket window is the scene of little
comedies An impatient late conner veXed
that the ticket man smokes a cigarette
and chats while the line is long, slips
around to the back door of the Office,
perhaps aiding this outfianl1ing naneuer
with a little monetary oil. The line also
has a queer way of getting broken up.
80 that many people get their tickets out
OF turn. Seats are marked wrong on the
plan and laboriously scratched clean
again while Rome burns and time flies.
When actually within the doors. smok-
ing is forbidden by the vigorously smok-
ing officers and ushers; sometimes they
pause in putting while giving this imper-
ative order Hardly half a. dozen women
are present in the upper gallery, but more
below. The performance is set for e:20
p. m, but in spite of the curtain bell
ringing. people keep stumbling over the
seats and nothing happens.
When the orchestra Qess than a score)
at last takes its place and the lights are
turned down, a fair silence is enforced by
loud Kisses at unlucky people who still
persist in barking their shins at entry or
discuss matters of the day with neighbors.
The ticket for the evening, it may be
said is % or 20 cents with slight gov
ernmeRt tax, as is the case with almost
everything in the land. The theater is
much smaller than any American house.
the music of Stanford introduces one to
the classical drama. The choruses are re-
cited as the dialogue, and one has must
cal intermezzo introducrions and a choral
at the end. The execution is excellent.
and one that likes a free imitation of
Wagnerian music is well satisfied. At
the last there is Il charming hymn that
well might conclude some service of the
English church. The poetical feeling OF
Stanford is undeniable. but there is a
question of its special adoption to the
Oresteia. One rather expects a new Ring
OF the Nibelungen on a smaller and SIM
pier scale than what discloses itself as
the curtain rises. The music would be
charming by itself as a composition, free
from its somewhat inconeruous connec-
ton. 1t is a relief. however, 10 have
some music and one can feel the religious
intensity given to the moral questions
involved by Ascnylus through this medi-
um OF melody in the chorals. The promi-
nence or the oboe in parts of Stanford's
score is quite in touch with Greek feeling
for that instrument is the nearest equiv |
alent 10 the ancient flute. Indeed the
flute nowadays heard in little villages
and in old corners of Athens must be
close in spirit TO the ancient. 1t and the (
oboe have the melancholy combined with /
freeheartedness and a sort of uaconQuer- /
able waywardness and caprice that made /
them the Instruments Of Greek tragedy. (
Just as the light Ionian rondo found its 1
best expression in the phorminx.
The stage setting followed the details /
of the much contested notion of DR.. !
Dorpffeld. secretary of the German Ar /
chaeological Institute at Athens In .
former times il was held from Roman I
usage that the actors spoke from raised 4
stage while the chorus danced several /
feet below them in the circular orchestra /
Dr. Dorpfeld has given many examples I
from Greek drama. with other argu
ments. to prove that the actors were on
a Iey=, with the chorus and mingled free
ly with them during the action Of the
piece The truth of this hypothesis seems
almost proved by the Asamennon; at
least IL suits better with the drama than
the other setting. When Agamemnon re-
turns from Troy TO the palace. whose
doors we see at the back OF the stage
raised in three steps. he is at once sur
rounded by his faithful old ministers tthe
chorus who mingle question and earess
while Ciytemnestra joins him from the
palace Everything is as natural as
life. There are similar bits Of proof.
AS TO the altar. II is sinsuiarly unpaint-
ed and weatherheaten. This might be jus
tilted from its outdoor position. but re-
Gently found inscriptions tell us that the
Greeks frequently gave them new coat
OF stucco. especially before festal occa-
sions- II would be subtle to suppose that
the theater manager meant to show the
sud6enness of Agamemnon's return by I
this unkempt state OF the altar.
The dramsturgy is Of especial interest
One feels the fitness and force o, that
with which the Asamemnon
begins. The solitary watchman. so long
gaxing over the mountains for the sig
nal fires telling Agamemnons return
from Troy. is at last rewarded. Fun
~lo,,,ant he NcaNeS with rioh r,.,n..,.