New-York tribune., 1904-10-08
LONDON DRAMA.
4 Tragedy in Blank Verse at the
.4deEpki, srith Notable Acting.
nndor september q.

s,.nhan nbillips who used to play the Ghost 20
~ Bensous Hamlet. ia indirectly res?oisi0ie
scr the experiment for the source OF c-SI'l'4-
r,en for AT-. FaEan's The Prayer OF the SsToIo
p,.. ,vsdantiy been ''Paolo and Francesca The
tragedy OF the lovers IS staged for neoiseFai
TtaIv ana there are Eve acts. mainly IN b!ank
,a-sa NTH Shakespearian comic relief n the
antics and prattIe OF a court fooi. The verse
s. not 50 musical Mr.. Phillipss poetic drama
and The situations are more theatrical the elo-
rutiona-y passages more didactic and the love
making scenes less sincere. The Bensonlans
ere trained artists. with resonant voices, ana
.hev know how TO recte blanF verse melodlous-
~ They also have strong sense OF character
.rhlch has been developed by their Shakespear-
fan work, and every inlpeTsonation has indiYid-
uality and distinction. There are six OF these
o,dtirae strolling provincial players on the Adel-
rbs stsee-AIr. Oscar Asche, Miss Lily Brayton,
Mr. Lyau swete Nj Alfred Brydone, Mr.. H r
FFiguett and Mr.. Walter Hampden-and every
one labors strenuously and is inspired with
genuine artistic feeling. With earnest, intelli-
gent acting and with picturesque scenes and
beautiful Renaissance costumes. everything Is
done for liz. Fagans romantic melodrama and
II il fails 10 make a permanent impress on it
viii be because he lacks sustained power Of
Imagination and cannot rise above the level OF
overpainted meIodrama.
The scene Of the drama IS Andoa. an inag-
tnarv independent state in the marches OF italy.
and the time is the opening OF the sixteenth cen
tury. when Alexander " was Pope, MaNimilian
I Emperor and Henry VII on the English throne
r was the era OF the Inonastic orders and
cathedral building. when religious faith was
deep and strong. and the children Of the Church
we're trained 10 habits Of unquestioning ohe-
dience- II was not an age when monks made
love 10 du -hesses and carried them in triumph
aFr,1- r1a~
Fagan's and more convincing acting than Miss
BTayton's and Mr.. Hampden's required 70
render this romance credible. II is true that
Filipino Lppi. who was painting frescos in
Florence and In Rome during the period desg-
mated by this play. was the son OF monk and a
nun and that the marriage OF his parents had
been sanctioned after they had been released
from their religious VOWS by Papal bull; but
the father was painter, with Cosimo de Ne
dici as hts patron, and the mother had taken the
veil against her viii and was eager ts escape
from convent life. This romance OF broken
vows was real love affair like the idylI Of
Paolo and Francesca; but there could never
lave been the wooing OF q sovereign duchess
bv q pious monk and her acceptance Of him as
n miraculous deIiverer sent from heaven The
spectator knows IN his heart that the monk
would not have played with his conscience and
convinced himself that il was right for him 70
declare his passion; and that the duchess. reign
ing in state would never have thought OF mar
rage with a renegade friaT. The romance OF
The Prayer OF the Sword" is stage made and
unreal. and the audience Is interested rather
than moved by II.
The first act reveals the gardens OF San Bruno
Monastery, in the Apennines, with young nov
ice Fra Andrea, signing for life OF action.
and doubling whether be has made wise choice
in preparing himself for the priesthood The
Duchess OF Audola, visiting the monastery with
her court. ands the dreamer alone and listens
10 his ardent talk about fighting for q just cause
and becoming her champion; and she leaves him
with the adrnonition that he must use the sword.
II heaven ever sends # into his hand. The
second act opens IN the cloisters Of the monas-
tery. on the eve OF the monks ordination
priest. Six months have passed without sign
for q crusade with the sword, and his mind is at
PEACE. A warrior. who is supposed 10 be life
less is brought in from the road. and the monk
watches over the body while his companions
are at prayers. The soldier, who is master Of
horse at court, suddenly revives and cries out
that the duchess is in deadly peril and needs q
champion He calls upon the monk 10 enlist f.
her cause Go forth, and for thy weapon take
my sword he commands. with his dying breath;
and the monk accepts /. as the long deferred
sign and rushes out % the monastery on
mission Of deliyerance. The scene is shifted 20
the marble loggia Of the ducsl palace. with
expresses and fountains under sunset sky.
Soorla the treacherous gonfalonier. who has
aEsassinated the faithful master OF the horse
has come TO court TO demand marriage with the
great lady. and will not take no for an answer.
The palace 6 attacked by q ragged madman.
with rabhle OF peasants behind him. and the
gates are opened by the court fool. Fra Andrea
singles out Scorla for single combat but the
duchess throws herself between them and
promises the traitor his life IL he will surrender.
scorla is banished and the monk is proclaimed
gonfalonier.
When month has elapsed Fra Andrea makes
q desperate effort to abandon the court and 10
return to the monastery, and the third act IS
mainly occupied with farewell meeting. in
which the lovers fau into each others arms.
The fourth act discloses the interior OF the
Church OF San Giovanni. where the marriage OF
the monk and the duchess is about 10 take place.
scorla meets there Maddalena, the widow OF the
Master Of Horse. and Fra Bartolomeo, a stern
fanatic. bent upon dragging the recreant monk
back into the cloisters. and he prearranges an
interruption Of the wedding and the reception
OF q special envoy from the Vatican. There Is q
brilliant wedding procession. with choristers.
candles incense and mitred bishop. and when
the bride and bridegroom are before the altar
scoria forbids the banns and is supported by
Fra BartolomeO. Fra Andrea tells the story OF
the wounded warrior and the sword sent IN
sWsF 70 prayer. and the bishop accepts it as
heaven seEs miracle ard consents 70 go on with
ne marriage service. AZ this moment the en-
nessy arrives from Rome. and Fra Andrea is
ordered BY the Pope to return at once TO the
elolsasTs under penalty OF accommodation.
The monk refuses to obey. and the curtain falls
With fhe s-c-,sAa Pa IA arFOlrv,aA fsnoD fhe alYop