The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-23
ITALIANS SEE A PASSION PLAY
GIVEN IN THIS CITY on HOLY
THURSDAY EVENING.

n Has Been . Traditional Performance In
Italy for Centurtes-Heard Here With
Reverenoe-JudAs BOundly Hssed-A
Prologue OF Horned Ftends in Red.
Several hundred prosperous looking
Italians saw a Passion play on the eve
Of Good Friday at Manhattan Lyoeum,
In East Fourth street. The title Of the
play was ia Passione Morte di Gesu
Cristo.'
It was given for the first time IN New
York, perhaps for the first time ip this
country. but the play has been a tradi-
tionAl performance on Holy Thursday In
Italy for centuries, back 10 the timeNwhen
the drama was In the hands Of the Church
and used for teaching the New Testament
story.
As given In Italy the Passion play some.
times has odd and startling ACCOMPANY
ments. Even a ballet is occasionally intro
duced, and whatever the actors choose 10
put into the play Is accepted in good faith.
Tradition, however, Is pretty Hgidly
adhered to In the accomplishments Of the
drama. The audience at Manhattan Ly-
oeum accepted the whole thing In good
faith, and the men mostly smoked through
the performance. No drinks however,
came from the barroom hard by.
When the curtain first rose II was upon
the prologue, a scene In which a company
Of horned tends In red rose through the
floor from the traditional place Of their
kind and danced about their internal chief
while he announced with diabolical delight
the details Of tho tragedy about to be per-
formed.
After the tends had disappeared hell
ward amid fireworks and sulfurous smoke
the play went on for ak acts to the evident
satisfaction Of q patient audience. Cdid-
phdS and bis fellows first plotted the arrest
Of Christ.
They came richly dressed 10 Oriental
oolors, and spoke their lines for the most
part with the effect Of practised actors.
A somewhat disturbing incident Of the
play was the unbroken monotonous humble
from the prompter's box just behind the
footlights, whence now and again the
prompter's arm was thrust In a sudden
access Of eloquence.
When Judas came In to bargain for the
betrayal Of his Master he was received with
groans and Kisses all over the house, and
a few enthusiasts were heard 10 muir
muir Ali Giudd, the son Of gun When
the bargain was struck and a fend In red
entered TO dance about Judas and follow
him OF the stage with hand on bis shoulder.
the business was received with applause
and EXPLANATIONS Of Hes got himl He's
got him
Judas, who was one Of the best Of the
actors, received applause only once, and
that was when he paused in the midst Of a
remorseful monologue TO complain aloud
- H.. bet -. -
his lines for the disturbing noise behind
the scenes. After that Judas was inter
rupted no more, and his reading Of the
unpopular part was 80 effective that he
received by way Of reward a storm Of
fervent Kisses.
Judas made hit in the scene Of the Lat
Supper. Christ here stood behind the
table in the traditional red blond hair
Of many Italian pictures, and two queer
little angels with wings like damaged
swimming badders bobbed about on the
outskirts. When the Master announced
the coming betrayal one Disciple after
another inquired sadly 'Sono Io2' 'Sono
Iol' but Judas with conscious look simply
bolted Of the stage amid hisses and groans
Of approval.
Gethsemane was shown with the sleeping
Disciples and Jesus mseling at a sort OF
red covered altar. One Of the little angels
presented 10 him the cross, another the
cup.
Then comes JRddS, with his klss Of be-
trayaL The Roman soldiers fall 10 the
ground twice at a word and a look from
the Master. but then find courage to eeize
him.
81. PstsT, old and bald, draws his sword
and smites the servant Of the High Priest
to warm applause, and then the innocent
prisoner Is buried from the stage. 81
John, with the traditional long. dark hair
and gentle face, pleads with the Scribes
in vain. and then ST. Peter has q word with
them and receives the reward Of vigorous
applause.
Then came the trial before Pildte, and
the soourging. In the latter scene Mary
bdoddlens came In. with a dense mas Of
hair streaming over her shoulders. 10 pro-
test against the cruelty Of the punishment.
Prom that point the play proceeded
rHpidly TO the scene Of Golgotha amid the
increasing interest and attention Of the
audience. who sat for three hours with no
signs Of impatienoe save when the waits
between acts were overlong II was not
q peasant audience nor was Il a very poor
audience, but, in spite Of the fact that the
men smoked and the children slid on the
sawdust floor between the acts. the play
was received with much the simple faith
and enjoyment that characteri8es the
Holy Thursday crowds In Italy.
Nobody was disturbed by The fact that
the background Of the scenes In and about
Jerusalem showed an unmistakAbly
Egyptian foliage with the pyramids in the
distance, and nobody was offended 10 dis
over that the scene Of the Last Supper
was two OF three short Of Disciples.
The Passion Play was given as a benefit
for O. Chiaravallou and O. Pitera, each
Of whom took several roles. Edmondo de
Pascale, q young man with the m0oth face
and Characteristic features Of the comic
actor. was general adviser and also q con-
spicuous participant.