Los Angeles herald., 1906-01-01
NEW DRAMA IS
GREAT SUCCESS
BIBLICAL PLAY PLEASES ZIG
AUDIENCES
Another California Piece Has lts Try
out at the Burbank Under the
Management Of oliver
Moroseo

AS n discoverer of California genius.
Oliver Morosco has already made a
name for himself. His latest is a bibli-
cal drama, THE Light Eternal which
was written by a Santa Clara college
student Martin V. Merle. The college
youth has Ella Wheeler Wilcox's "Miz-
pah" easily outclassed and with some
older hand at the blue pencil "The
Light Eternal has a good chance for
a New York hearing and long season
of brilliancy.
1t is a gorgeous artistic melodrama
and fits the Burbank company and the
Burbank Sunday audience to perfec-
tion. AS soon as the players learn their
lines better everybody will be salts
fed. There is nothing subtle about Mr..
Merle's story and its development, but
there are many thrills and good old
fashioned poetic love making.
Twelve Curtain Calls
At the end of the fourth act twelve
curtain calls were needed to appeaSe
the enthusiasm of the audience. At
this period of the play Emperor Diocle-
tian bids his soldiers compel Marco
Valerius to kneel to the pagan gods,
This Marco refuses to do and he at
tempts to convince Diocletian and his
court assembled of the errors of pagan
ism. The soldiers force him to his
knees and Marco, bringing his every
dLOI1l VI spiritual Sll Cll6 III W Dthi, CdllS
on heaven. A flash of lightning, deaf
ening roar breaks the stiffness, the
pagan altar crumbles to dust and out
of the intense darkness that ensues
comes the flaming cross.
This was the point that brought the
huge audience almost to it's feet at
both performances yesterday. 1t is
certainly an effect that is entirely diff
ferent from any of n like nature that
has ever been seen in this part of the
country.
Blanche Hall and William Desmond
divided honors. Mr.. Desmond is never
SO entirely happy as when he is garbed
in a Roman toga and Miss Hall fairly
radiates charm in such roles as
Esther and "ArteTnia." Norval Mac
Gregor gave to the role of Sebastian"
a. deft, human touch that Immediately
won sympathy, while H. S. Duffield S
"Damius" was one of his best charac-
terizations since THE Great Interro-
cation"
Phosa McAllister came into the first
real opportunity since her recent va
cation in the role "Luciana," mother
to Marco. Jane Kelton looked well
the role "Nela," his sister.
John W. Burton's Emperor Diocle-
tian' would have been a perfect per-
formance had it not been for an in
tensely disagreeable cultural tone that
he employed throughout his most i'm
portant scene in the fourth act John
is altogether too clever a man to al
low such an obstacle as this to inter-
fere with his portrayals. For the past
few months he has been drifting into a
ha Bit particularly in the more serious
roles OF assuming an unnatural voice
entirely unnecessary in Mr.. Burton S
case. as he is possessed of an unusual
ly fine delivery.
Earle Ryder was not satisfactory as
"Corvinus." MesSrS. Southland, CHM,
Marks and Henderson were remarkably
fine in the roles assigned them. 1t is
seldom that you find in a stock COM
pany so many good actors playing such
small parts. Rose King on an hour S
notice assumed an important role, ow-
ing to the illness of Monda Glendower,
and to her credit may it be said that
she spoke every line with its true mean
ing and gave an all round satisfactory
performances