Los Angeles herald., 1905-04-25
BELASCO COMPANY
SCORES SUCCESS
ETERNAL CITY GIVEN ARTISTIC
PRESENTATION
PRODUCE GAINES GREAT PLAY
Stock Actors Are Seen to Good Ad-
vantage-Work Of Stage Director
Barnum Is Noticeable
Throughout

The abilities of the several members
Of the Belasco theater stock company
were more than ordinarily taxed last
night when they played Hall Gaines
"The Eternal city" 1t is a play well
calculated TO test the strength of any
band of players, and that the Belasco
people came out with colors flying is
greatly to their credit. The presenta-
tion was surprisingly smooth, and the
little rough spots so common to first
night stock performances were con-
spicuous on account of their absence.
The play was excessively long, how
ever, and by the time the last curtain
had fallen it was midnight.
1.-THE Eternal City" is a prolix affair
melodramatic at moments-though, be
1t understood, melodrama of the high
class--but interesting and picturesque
always. The production given by the
Belasco company would do credit to a
travelling combination, and the little de-
tails of the performance were all there,
much after the Belasco fashion.
Hall Caine has not written a better
play than "The Eternal City" His
Christian" is less plausible, THE
Manxman" is more popular, but in
many respects The Eternal City is
the best of the Hall Caine list of plays.
There are a quintet of strongly drawn
characters, a woman and four men,
while enough auxiliary personages are
introduced to create an artificial i'm
preston of impressiveness.
Los Angeles theater goers were made
acquainted with the story of David
Rossi, the young Roman agitator;
Donna Roma. the ward of the Italian
dictator: his holiness, Leo XIV, and the
others of "The Eternal City" when E.
]. Morgan played the piece here year
or more ago. Morgan and his asso-
ciates had the benefit of the personal
direction of Caine and year and
halfs experience in their roles before
they reached this CITY, Last night, how
ever, the Belasco stage director, George
W. Barnum, made known quite a new
Eternal City" The scenes and the
dialogue were much the same as in the
the business of the drama. was all
new but none the less effective. And in
the case of most of the chief players,
too, the Belasco players lost nothing
by comparison with their predecessors
in the different roles. Miss Amelia
Gardner has never given a more fin
ished, artistic or intelligent effort since
her Los Angeles debut than in the role
of Roma Volonna, a misjudged young
woman, a woman strong in sympathy
and affection and rich in the possession
of all the qualities that one most ad-
the entire gamut of womanly emotions
skillfully and rapidly and with tre-
mendous effect upon her audience.
Thomas Oberle played the part of
Baron Boneli, the Italian dictator, with
even more finesse and deftness than
usual. 1t was a strong, capital, intelli-
gent creation that Oberle lent to the
performance. Joseph Galbraith was the
David Rossi. Never a really good part
either from the viewpoint of the actor
or the auditor, Galbraith made the hero
of the Caine play as sensible and as
sane a person as was possible. Rossi
is essentially what might be termed a
"chump," and it was only through
actual histrionic skill that Galbraith
kept him from being ridiculously heroic.
George w. Barnum followed E. NJ
Holland in the part of Pope Leo XIV,
and gave a delightful, scholarly, care
fully studied Interpretation. Howard
Scott's Bruno Rocco was virile bit
of characterization, and his realistic
death scene in the trial scene was the
means of lifting the curtain half
dozen times.
1.-The Eternal City" introduced Miss
Margaret Langharn as a new member
OF the Belasco company. Miss Lang
ham did not have great deal to do
last night-in the Caine piece there is
but one feminine role of any import
ance at all-but she evidenced a decid-
edly pleasing personality that recalls
Ethel Barrymore, an uncommonly
musical voice and knowledge of the
technique of the stage that augurs we'll
for her future work with the Belasco
company.
THE Eternal City" is so long play
that the management calls the atten-
ton of prospective patrons to the fact
that the curtain Is raised on the first
act promptly at o'clock in the even
ings and o'clock at the Thursday and
Saturday matinees.