New-York tribune., 1906-03-27
THE DRAMA.
v.xsF1ELD AS DIMKESDALE.
New Amsterdam Theatre.

a-- r--e-v important person in IL is miserable.
t..,51 in it does anything. Hester Prynne Is
So lovely. noble woman, whom passion and
- brought 10 degradation and shame. AT
e -,f--rsslale. her lover clergyman. in a
rrruurity.-is good but weak man,
F---'- ,vr-5.-s c0ustrains 10 keep "a narrowing
N .-5 WHO suffers and dies OF rem0rse. Roger
t-.-v-o-tr. beg husband scholar, defoTmed,
,-5 raIruan-,-is. perhaps. the greatest
-- Of al. because not only bereft Of peace,
-s-o-o-ed euaittered and presently con-
- "a devote himself 20 an Internal scheme
ss-re-s.ulinE at the destruction of human
those persons observe each other and. in a
ssr sense. they affect each other. but there
~ increment among them. Hester and Dimmes-
--a res1lGte 10 keep their secret Chilling
- IS determined 10 discover r.. The minister
---ss suffers. siEhs, endures. and occasionally
--s Tire disguised husband steaIthiIy observes
- cautiously probes his wound; furtively yivi-
- bis nervous system: steadfastly pUrsues the
- ~ Dis mystery The unhappy Hester patient
= .rrs her stigma 0f public disgrace and her
rrr burden os private grieS and ever-growing
s-s 80 eEr-r-uess Of constructive skin could
-s.s HAT posture OF circumstances, so as 10
-.s IL with convincing dramatic vitality. The
- and les- trat can be done is 20 make q
--,ss cs TIE novel, IN a series Of pictures. and
---- las been wei accomplished Indeed, since this
-.-. vas t-=t made known here. about fourteen
.s-. ar5 at DaIy.s Theatre where Mr.. Mansfield
--.rsly produced ir,-changes have been made in
s-- ths better but now, as then, such action as
contains has been, for the most part, effected
a--gl -le Introduction OF alien expedents.
Tie main incidents oC the story are iucor-
----e1 il the piece: Hesters penance. on
t5s 7-lo-y -hlLrgworth's discovery, when his
sf--r IS unaware. OF the scarlet letter that
r--ssla-s wears hidden Oh his heart; the defeat
t as plan. that the desperate lovers have made,
@ escape. and the minister's ultimate confession
f-r4 re-r I'd and S1~- mall l~-
-.--as--la delicate. ETHEREAL. evanesceut touches
tHaW-l---t dark, br0Odiug, introspective genius.
reproduced and cannot be. Hester's first
-s.1-s -rrra prlou ~ the presence of Chilling
r-l. when. standing on the piIlOry, she looks
-7- tle solemn multitude; the effect OF Dimmes-
a-ss voice. when lie adtures Hester 10 name her
E.-T Ta-au0lr and when the little infant looks
@ ar him and stretches forth it's arms; the horror
e C-il.E-V-1-t-s collly cruel yiviseC-i0u Of the
Ezr-s- minister's heart. when speaking To him OF
~ rank grasses thar have grown upon a grave.
-a Pa-l1s Cf Eester's bleak loneliness. when she
-s upon -le scaCoid. listens 10 The voice OF
-.-nes-s-a. who IS preaching his last sermon In
-s church. and hears his tones but not his words
-os= are among the many subtle beauties OF the
V11is-f-L romance that elude dramatic art.
E-o-E- however. has been extricated from the
original Fabric % make q vehicle for theatrical eX-
preston and AIr. Mansfield. IN the character Of
1u-es-aIe. presents q pathetic type OF forlorn
.ritude and hopeless sorrov. The love. the grief
-s spiritual conflict OF Dimmesdale are all eX-
pressed tv him, and the fgure IS that OF q heart
t-1ke- man, paIlid, emac.ated, wasting away with
-rr1S.~s sorrow, never for even one instant az
rest The imperial points OF the performance are
-s reruIse Of ChIInEworths oficious intrusion
E5s- once that secret enemy startles him; the mid
-gt- apostrophe delivered on the scafold: and
r. de-iriUn OF the confession IN those moments
~ Eansfeld's superb voice IS used with splendid
sect But The actor Is greater than the part: FOR
a Hawthorns himself has carefully explained
l.nnesdale was a true priest. q true reIigionist
viA The reverentiaI sentiment largely developed.
s,3 a. order o. mind that InpeIled itself powerfully
a-g tie tracks OF a creed and wore its passage
oa-rzrally deeper with the passage OF time In
10 Eate o. society would he have been what IS
cLad man o. liberal views; the actors mental
zE-itlss the other hand, are all with bold
rave, brilliant, and massive views and feel
lgB and with q free and Uuissant express
al Of them IN The original the minister's
-oeal Cf slow aguuy. beneath his to-tur-
Is rals-ole-- care lasts seven years. All that
-ls De IS pretending 70 be g holy man before the
E0rle. while fr secret ne IS all that time with
1g With -Le sgocy Of remorse and wasting with
1s ca-ke- OF grief To think of a wretch thus
Esak and thus 5urdened, dying by inches. beneath
ne cold patient, Eteal-hy, inevitable eye OF a Sc
-s- alEuar-. fatal enemy, IS 10 form an ideal OF
-zf-l suffering and of deadly peril and also e is
r sAu56e- az e. grim image OF depravity. but 10
ns pretending % be calm. lIr. Mansfield has, for
ESgs purposes made as much OF this sufferer as
cd be raLs.-c1~ he displays passionate intensity,
1se1 tenderness and surge OF mental agony, be
1e1tL grave exterior which is maintained with
c-lc1s effort and which often seems 10 tremble
o. TIE verge ~ frenzy. His uortraiture OF Dimmes-
Gales ss-t--1-EIc-. toward the last. is ful o. the
sEEesu1- -s something infinitely pitiable IN human
---lry and s1r-0w5 and his delivery Of the speech
q confession allowing for The paradox Of acting
1 t-s instance. the tremendous strength OF dying
Ha-l had tie Wild. despairing pathetic eloquence
g breaking heart
TIE better part 81 the story is Chillingworth, 70
FLc- Er. andrews. although he has often played
p Is. C9rs-t--r.1lalIv. unequal IN ChLlingwoTth's 8
----rs human resentment against the cruelty Of
-a-e has e1Eeudered the ualiguity OF a hend. His
aspect Is calm hut the fires OF he'll are burning IN
as bosom Es Is prudent, vigilant, self-contained,
t-- he ls restless beneath his mask; he IS forever
weaving his web. forever closing the avenues Of
s5-pet forever preparing 70 strike the anal blow
N-ereo. The consequences are 10 reach beyond the
ssFs He Is Eper.Ous, subtle, deadly. he aims 20
tFelEe himself not by Killing the body. but-if
P'ss5ie-by killing the soul The settled belief that
"eIlal car--a-.Cu awaits the soul Of sinner sent
g MS account with the burden upon him of un-
liesse1 E1- -s The basis OF his conduct, and Il is
essential 70 -he heIish fabric OF his awful dez gn
ne moment when that fatal man uncovers the
l5sast o. the sleeping sufferer. and beholds the
s-Nsst letter that has been hidden there On the
S-1' -s IS a---1-.E made % occur on the scar1o-d
q n-g1t. is moment Of tragedy terrible as Il
Tue and So is a moment that Only tragedlan
oo-- A-un-.Ie and sustain. The character Of Chill
--g"o-l1 is u-syrupathetic- No audience could
s'si De hUusli- fascinated by the image OF de-
-''1-s- fanatic o. Jealousy and hatred, who Is
.l-'-2s 70 augment and prolong the torrnents Of
sinner II this world and 20 procure the damna-
- - o. his sou !u the world 20 come; yet IL IS not
--1--t 70 perceive that u there were an adequate
'-eiae o. action for ChlIlng=orth 10 hustle H. an
- - o. genius r-ight invest that personality with
SEfL
n - personality and the temperament Of Hester
!. NE might be decuced from her cond duct-even
ey had 1o- been clearly denoted By the novelist.