The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-12-16
THREE NEW PLAYS IN NEW YORK
BY FRANKLIN FYLES.

Frank F. Mackay, and inheritor OF ms
voice. His Roman foe in reilglon ana
love is embodied by Malcolm Williams
Thus four PLAYERS get a rest from stock
commotion. with its weekly change OF
role, and find ease in the peacerul CAIN
of a religious drama which seems sure
10 last the season through. They are d
fine ouartette of elocutionists, and are
veritable spellbinders with their ioIe
passage of Christian assertion ana pa
gan contradiction For this Is oe
clamatOry play. all soul IN plous
sense. and no heart in an smorous
sense 1t is a composition OF simple
dignity. and religiously impressive, re-
senohline the recent American plays or
early Christian persecution in the QUO
Vadis" lot. as we'll as the older Eng
iish examples in 1.-THE Sign OF TIC
Cross" class. ,
There is not a novel idea In Inc
Light Eternal" either literary. rel1g-
IONS or even theatric, but it illumines
the old material in the newest manner
of staeecraft, as practiced by Henry
Miller. its producer, with fresh ana
beautiful outfit There is scene OF
wooing of the daughter of Caesar oy
the captain of her guard which, IL the
two participants were absolutely IN
audible. would still be good entertain
ment in living views or a romance
They are picturesquely clothed, their
every stir or attitude Is eloquent, the
garden is moonlit. but with no sugges-
ton Of stage device, and every after
alton of the view makes senSuouS new
picture. There is but single moment
| of lapse into merely theatrical erect.
That is when, the Caesar having cursed
| Christ, there is a loud explosion. and
/ binding blaze of divine wrath, the
! -i1 Ion .
earthquake, all the lamps are extin-
guished. and in the blackness a cross
suddenly shines forth in electric splen7
dor And, of course, that end OF an act
will be more popular than anything else
I in the play. However, concession has
not been made to the common demand
for happy conclusion. The Christian
hero is not saved from torture by some
illogical and belittling expedient, but is
last seen on his way to be devOured by
wild beasts.
Grand opera is i'm another theatrical
field than mine. and / must not let
even the Conried- Hammerstein rivalry
or the Caruso monkeyshine, tempt me
to climb the fence separating II from
drama. But 7 may look over the fence
when a familiar play. Fedora" is
brOuVs't out i'm an operati version for
the first time. Robert 3. Mantell and
Fanny Davenport made a joint leap
into fame in Sardou's melodrama of
Russian plot and passion. Now the
lady of the fercely glowing temper
ament is a Lena Cavalieri, a soprano,
new to us. who sings the role not par
ticularly well lin the judgment of the
, musical critics.. but is such a beauty
as may, if you ever see her, make you
untrue tC Lille LaEgtry and disloyal
to Lillian Russell. No matter that she
isn't a new Patti or Nilsson, she is
Italian hOt-stuff: that is to say. she is
a tranScendentally beauteous human
growth of the land of warming wines
and Outbursting volcanoes. Her face is
like a Madonna of Angelo vitalized
from the spiritual to the carnal; and in
p ball gown she uncovers more than
: Vinci does i'm his paintings of the Ma
, donna ard Child I could fancy that
the low gowned bellies of the boxes, de-
spite the roseate hue impaired by pink
lights, took on a tinge of envious green,
There was Caruso. the monkey-doo-
die, ow-could-you-do-so Caruso, look
ing so fat and squat in Norfolk hunt
ing Jacket that the people, forgetting
for the moment that he was their grand
opera pet. Uttered at the first sight of
him. And then. when he had quelled
the spirit of levity with his marvellous
[ voice, and was at a eliminating high
= c. with the guests of a reception
' grouped around him. waiter with a
[ tray of glasses fell Gathering down q
stairway. That brought on another
L spell of merriment for Caruso to SUBJ
= due before he got sober consideration
a for his performance of FedOra's Loris
s For more than an hour the new opera
was weak reminder of the strong Ole
= play: Cavalier did nothing to justify
I her shift from music hall balladist tC
[ grand opera pTima donna; Caruso haC
been received with chill silence: and
= the evenings outcome looked bad fol
: both the tenor and the soprano-unti
d their passionate duet in the second act
s when Fedora's mad hate Of Lori
= changes to the widest kind of love
: Here was the chance for them to max,
IS the effort of their lives. I don't know
= how much they had rehearsed the seem
: of reconciliation; anyway. it looked i'm
: promptu and impulsive. They were tel
n TO fifteen feet apart when, as per Ii
ID brettO and score, they reached a vOca
e adjustment of their affairs. Then the,
II leaned and bounded together for a.
a embrace. CarUso was i'm the modern
" evening dress Of the beaux of the boxes
It mind you. Cavaleiri wore a gown a
I. decolette as any of the bellies. and whel
l, the shirt front was hot pressed by tn
: flesh front there was shock OF real
e ism. followed by eight curtain calls il
: quick enthusiasm. The Caruso-Cav
It lieri hug saved them and the oper
$ from disaster.
q Clyde Fitch makes Eleanor Robson
II hold out her hand TO a boy, and orde
IL him 10 strike Il with long paper
cutter, because he has lied 70 her. II
gives a gineerly stroke. Harder" sh
J. saws and he puts a little more fore
Ie into a second blow. Harder" she in
d sists; much harder" The third strok
es falls with loud sDat More of ther
IA -faster-harder yet" she commands
l. 81 must be punished for not teachin
IN you not to lie" The lad obeys vigOT
r ously and then fiinging his arm
t around her neck. beRs her to use tn
N rod on him as hitherto. To my minC