The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-16
"THE LYONSMAL"..H
AN ABLE perform NCE FAILS
TO REVIVE SIR HENRY.

Mr. Irving Rest rs the Large Hearted
Lesurques- His DubOsc Ii Vigorous.
hut Lacks GrOteSque Horror Miss
Baird as King Rene's Daughter.
The attempt which Mr.. Henry B.. Irving
Is making at the New Amsterdam 10 revive
certain Of the plays OF his illustrious fathers
repertory il, in the nature Of things, doomed
TO ~disappoint. Even in the most perfect
replica, one suspects, we should all find
something lacking-such IL the glamour
that surrounds the memories Of the illus
trious dead. Mr.. Irving has to lay he
spirit Of Sir Henry before he can revive
It, and that no doubt he would be as I'M
willing as he is unable to do.
His performance last night in the famous
dual role OF The Lyons Mail, : it must be
said in frankness, failed to do either. Physi-
cally the son IL. il anything. more literally
endowed. His voice il clear and strong,
and he speaks with a perfection OF enunoia-
ton and a mastery OF delicate phrasinG
which is beyond praise. But this Is small
compensation for tho lack OF the salient
stroke Of the master painter OF character,
for the vision and the fiSe OF picturesque,
InelodraInatic imagination. IL was an b
performance, but 1t lacked at once the
mellower n more penetrating. notes Of
pa@hos and the curdling touch OF the
grotesque-of horror tinged with satanic
mirth.
1t was as the frank and warmhearted
LesurQues that Mr.. Irving showed to best
advantage. Here he was unaifectedly simple
and natively sympathetic. There we're times
when one forgot the seemingly inevitable
comparison. But In the more trying ole
OF the Dubosc the sense OF shortcoming was
persistent. h details OF the various scenes
were faithfully reproduced, and the actors
likeness to his father, as striking at times
as it is incomplete, haunted one with the
sense OF memories partially revived. One
was carried to the verge OF conviction, but
remained always unconvinced. ~.
In the scene OF the robbery OF the mail
Joachim. Irving wasunac oountably lacking.
There was little Of the effect Of savage
brutality, and of the thrill OF gro
tesque horror there was nothing. IL
seemed the work OF a low
comedy, villain out OF, place. But In
the final scene, in which the drunken bravo
watched from his garnet for the execution
OF his innocent double, Mr.. Irving rose to
: considerable heights. He gloated and he
danced with the glee OF anticipation. he
was racked by doubt, made desperate BY
fear and finally gave way to british despair.
The climax, in which Lesurques appears
triumphantly vindioated, he carried on
with fine sta &c effect.
This, however, was small excuse for the
occasion. The play is at best melodrama,
and though a capital piece OF its kind 1t is
Charles Reade's stagecraft rattled-but not
In the way to make a rafting play.
The performance OF such a piece calls for
the best efforts Of actors of the old school.
The company last night was not without
ability but quite failed to clothe these
antique skeleton characters with flesh and
spirit. The Choppdrd Of Charles Dodsworth
was, however, an honorable exception and
provoked much genuine applause.
The Lyons Mail" was preceded by Sir
Henry IrVinQ'5 arrangement of the Hon.
Edmund Phipps's version Of King Rene's
Daughter" with Miss Dorothea Baird in
the title character. The play has a theatric
appeal which is genuine though slender,
and Miss Baird made a pleasant If not very
noteworthy impression. As the hero Mr.. E.
Harcourt Williams was romantically hand
some and sympathetic.
Mr.. Irving will revive Charles l." next
Thursday and Friday evenings and Satur-
day matinee.