The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-17


 the strange omen, yielding alternately to
 religious ferVor and rabid superstition un- 1 til in his heart he reaches the conclusion
 that the star fortells his death. The l prophecy of astrologers confirms this l opinion and Ivan makes his preparations l for the fateful eighteenth day of March, when the last scene in the tragedy of his 1 life is scheduled to take place. He had 1 hoped for more time but the fates have l spoken In the presence of approaching
 death he is quieter, calmer and more l humane, but his brutsh soul is un-
 changed, and the fury of his temper the 1 same.
 The day arrives and finds Ivan in sore
 straits. He is i'll, but still he will not
 give up. A slight improvement encour- 1 ages him to the belief that he will pass
 March IS and live to carry out his plans. l The old tyrant comes forth into his
 apartments to choose gifts for the royalty
 of England, but one can mark the hand
 of death upon him. His mind wanders, ] his steps are more feeble, his language l is at times incoherent and his lapses into silence are frequent. Yet he would go on
 with the mockery. The play must be
 enacted to it's end. While a fool en- deavors to district the clouded mind and
 courters stand about in suspense, Ivan
 plays his last card. He sends a boastful |
 who said he would not live through
 March IS, and awaits their reply. The
 messenger of their evil tidings is Godu-
 noff. "The sun has not yet sci"
 Then the Tzar confronts the urbane l prince realizing that the veil has been
 torn off. He seems the interruptions l courier in his true colors, sees in him
 the successor to the throne of Russia. i Shrieking his maledictions upon the silent l Tod, paff Coll fa1In fa ha
 to be lifted up again, Ivan sinks into his
 chair in the act of pronouncing sentence. | The tragedy is ended
 It was a sincere compliment the au-
 dience paid to MT. Mansfleld's art when
 the curtain descended this last and
 most impressive scene. There was not l a hand clap. People kept their seats in
 silent wonder; some asked if that was |. all, others reached in a confused way l for their hats. There was none of the usual rush to escape and the crowd pass | ed out slowly.
 It was not play that was presented,
 and there was only one fgure-that of l Tar Ivan. The construction of 'Ivan the | Terrible" hardly entities 1t to be called | a drama. There is merely a succession
 of vivid scenes, historically accurate and
 magnifcently staged, that give a glimpse | of one of the most remarkable rulers in | history. There Is nothing to hold the in | terest to stir the emotions or to awaken
 the sympathies save that one character l Ivan The rest is merely background. | both players and scenery. One was fasci-
 mated by the hideous old man and the
 sole interest of the performance lay in
 studying the character that was so graph | ically presented. On the programme MT. l Mansfield announced that he was not
 presenting what is commonly accepted as | d play. He merely depicted an historical | character with marvellous fullness of de- | tail
 l It were hardly necessary to refer to l those who contributed to the perform
 ance with the exception of Mir. Mans | field. There was a numerous company but | all were so overshadowed both by the l character of Ivan and the art of MT l Mansfield that real genius of average
 mediocrity would have passed unnotieed. Ivan the Terrible" is distinctly a play if the term may be permitted-of one l character.
 II is needless to say that MT. Mans fields portrayal of the tzar was mas
 terly. His facial expressions. his shifting
 eye, his uncomfortable bursts of anger,
 his fits and starts and all the unnatural
 tricks of a most unnatural man, were | simulated with keen perception and dra-
 matlc genius His walk, his bearing, every
 move. every gesture and every mood
 was the result of careful study
 | The criticism may be made that Mir Mansfield overwrew the character of Ivan
 that he was too unnatural, too whimsical
 and too violently changeable, but. accord l ing to history, Ivan's character was diff 1 fieult to eXaggerate. and 1t must also be | remembered that the most ordinary des- ! pot of 900 years ago would conduct him 1 self strangely before twentieth century l eyes, There can be little doubt that MT. l Mansfield has seized upon the real traits l of Ivan as related in history and that ihs | Ivan Is not only historically correct. but l Is a triumph for this versatile actor. l