New-York tribune., 1905-01-11
THE DRAMA.
THE NEW BELAsC0 PLAY.

III NeW-4 YORK The piece commingleS tragedy with
spectacle. and it ranges in the category Of such
damas 'Sardanapalus'' and The Last Days OF
Pompeii," though il is entirely original. and is
progressive in fresh field.
The action begins in a spacious scene. in front Of
the royal palace OF the monarchs of a kingdom, in
one of the islands of the Mediterranean Sea. The
Princess Adrea is the blind daughter of MenethUs.
King of the Adrean Isles. She is older than her
sister, the Princess Julia, and the death OF
her father she would succeed to the throne. if she
were not blind for the law of Menethus has or
dained that NO sovereign shall wear the crown
who is not both in mind and body. sound" The
play opens the hundredth day after the death OF
Menethus. The King is dead, and the hour has
come for the crowning Of his successor The time Is
about 500 A D. The Princess Julia, Adrea's younger
sister, is holding a reveI. Julia has long been
known the imperial wanton" and, now. with
company of her kind she has festival. kaeso.
born a barbarian, but later pretorian tribune,
having to Adrea. with his troops, intent on
usurping the throne of Menethus. sees a reader
way OF conquest in a marriage with the princess
Julia. soon to be the Queen He has been made
her favortte and the marriage is to follow her cor
onation.
In the course Of the reyel the blind princess,
Adrea, passes, led by an Egyptian named Garda, on
her way to the temple. in which she is to be
secluded. that her presence at court may not
trouble her sister Julia. whom the people Of the
kingdom detest. 1t IS promised that in Already
where Adrea had dwelt with her father, she had
known and loved Kaeso then one OF the KING 5
martial chieftains, and that he had sworn 10 marry
her, but had proved faithless Now, at the Princess
Jula's festival. Kaeso and Adrea meet again. ana
Kaeso greets the blind girl kindly. This enrages
the Princess Julia, who thereEpon commands him 10
declare to Adrea that he does not love her Out
loves her sister julia. This cruelty he must COM
nit, the price Of the kingdom. He submits the
imperious Julia leads her train away; and he Is left
alone with Adrea, to whom he discloses himself, ana
who receives him with the deepest tenderness OF
faithful love To her his presence can enly mean
that he has keep his oath by marrying her.
Kaeso forgets Julia. his ambitions-everythlng but
the woman who has come into his arms. The
watchful Princess Julia, apprised by spy the
Court Fool returns the lovers in their ecstasy
Of reconciliation. and she at once determines on a
terrible vengeance. Kaeso. seeing Julia. starts
away from Adrea, and the fool. who madly loves
the blind princess takes his place This fool hap
pens to be in Ike that Of Kaeso, winch ne
has put in a frolic; and when Adrea reaches to
find Kaeso her hands touch the fool ana she
eagerly claims him. believing him TO be her phghted
lover And you shall marry hTn!' says the
Princess Julia; grinnly adding rs a response 10
Kaeso's look of horror 1T is the price of Adrea.
A lapse of FIVE hours is now supposed. The scene
is the same The time is near dawn. Soldiers are
guard. Challenges pass. RuTnors nave oeeh
heard of i'll to the beloved Princess Adrea- Kaeso's
lieutenant, Arkissus. devoted to Adrea, has heard
these dark rumors. and he demands explanation
of them from the now drunken and frenzed kaeso-
They quarrel and are I'm act to fight, when fear
I full cry is heard and they halt. Then staggering
Z
down the palace steps, moaning in her agony
comes the Princess Adrea. alone. Her prayer, like
that of Ajax is for light She beseeches the gods
to grant her one moment of sight, that she may
the TO whom she has been given The
Fool enters to drag her away,-for the Princess
Julia now queen. has decreed instant banishment
OF Adrea and the Fool and they must leave her
kingdom before the dawn. There is ominous
roll Of thunder. The Fool seizes Adrea- Suddenly
the heavens seem to answer her agonzed supplica-
ton. a bolt Of lightning skaters the altar 10
which she has been clinging, and there is
instant of darkness. When the light is restored.
chaos stands revealed in which Princess and Fool
/ are Frustrated. Adrea revives and, with wild
cry, realizes that she see. Soon she remen-
bers. and gazing down upon painted, hideous
gibbering thing, in red and white" she knows him
for the Fool who has been described to her. She
lifts his limp body and stares at his vacant eyes.
then she drops the corpse and whispers in horror:
Gods! You!'
The action now shifts to a structure called 1.-The
Tower of ForgetfuIness." To this Adrea goes not
thinking to take her throne. but only wishing to
die. and thus bury her shame. The Tower Of For
getfulness is obelisk Of great antiquity, built
half on the land and half on the sea- Its door is
closed. Here the wretch who is weary of life
drink "the cup Of oblivion, and, through
the door Of release" sink into the sea- and be
rest II IS Adreas purpose 10 die. Then, suddenly
she hears the royal trumpets, the marriage song
and Kaeso's song OF battle. At the same moment
her fathers ghost appears and enjOins her TO reign
/ for vengeance Looking down upon the ocean, she
beholds Kaeso and Julia who are returning 10 the
Palace after their marriage. They are in her
fathers royal galley. with his eftigy at the Prov
stop them"' commands Adrea. Bring my fathers
galley here. Say that Queen Adrea rides TO her
coronation. Arkissus appears with his legons, and
executes her viii
The coronation Of Adrea ensues. kaeso IS brought
before her in order that he may sue for pardon
which the heart Of the injured queen Is ready TO
grant. But Kaeso is naughty, and the queen dis
misses her court that she may judge him alone. II
is her first sight Of the man whom she has loved.
She is temperate lenient ana fond. She pours
out all her heart; but it is only TO be dazed by
Kaesos declaration his regret is solely for his
lost ambition. He tells her that he knew OF her
spoliaton and allowed it. The queen recalls her
court "Set him upon horse Of state she says,
''drest in a robe of gold Suew his way with roses
Let heraIds go before him and cry Conqueror!
Imperatorr Let maidens chant songs! And when
he has reached my gates, and his and gaueys
are in sight whip him, Whip him 70 his empty
camp and hold him captive there. till the manner
Of his death IS decided
Tha. scene changes TO the Queens Cabinet. Kaeso
is brought in on the way To execution. 1t is the
sunreme moment OF Adrea's life The she
loves is on the way to death. In spite Of all her
wrongs she will look upon his face again. before
il is mangled by the horses hoofs. Her heart SIN
cries out for him. Even she would save him,
Il she could But frenzied rnultitudes surround the
paIace rnaddened with knowledge of the outrages
that the Queen has suffered; and she Is po"erIess
10 save. And now Queen Adrea must tell kaeso
the manner OF his death. she has reserved this
exquisite vengeance KaesO had thought 70 die as
q soldier shoud-upon his sword; but it is 70 be the
death OF a dog trampled beneath the iron hoofs
OF horses This fate she proclaims; but. when the
first shock OF horror Is past Kaeso cOnfesses that
he deserves his doom and declares that he win die
well: and then he says that he has always loved
Adrea but has put his love aside, for the sake Of
his ambition. Again the Queen relents She Will.
Al least. save him from a death of ignominy. She
tins ToT