The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-20
MANSFIELD As DON CARLOS.
GERMAN CLASSICAL SOLEMNTTY
LIT BY ONE FINE MOMENT.
The Effort to Garry q PlayIess Play Brings
Out the Mansfield MRnnerism-Th
Solid Merit Of the Play impaired
nv uttfnR- Credit able Ensemble.

TIT En0rt to Garry q PlayleeB fIay brInBs
Out the Mansfield MRnnerism-The
Solid Merit Of the Play impaired
by Cutting-A CredItable Ensemble.
Mr.. Richard MansHeld's production Of
the Don Carlos" Of Schiller, with which he
Agnalized his return to New York last night
at the New Amsterdam, is apparently the
result of a laudable ambition to give his
public a selection Of the world's great
masterpieces. The present play Is a very
different proposition, however, from last
years offering. THE Misanthrope" OF
Moliere.
That was the masterpiece Of the supreme
master OF comedy; and IL afforded an INTEL
lectual entertainment az rare as 1t was
novel, in spite Of the slenderness OF the
action and the thinness Of the main situa-
ton, when measured by modern standards
don Carlos" is q secondary youthful work
by a classical dramatist Of the second order,
and a dramatist, moreover, whose practical
theatric sense was so deficient that the
piece had to be mercilessly cut before it
could be jammed into even three hours
traffic on the stage.
Add to this the fact that Of all the classics
of the world those Of Germany most nearly
eventuate in boredom and you have the
general measure of Mr.. Mans6eld's success
last night in lifting his audience out OF the
slush. There was only one moment, at
the end Of four Of the five acts, In which
a patient and we'll disposed audience was
fired to the real Mansheldian enthusiasm.
In its entirety "Don Carlos has the virtue
Of a solid and respectable historical canvas
a work that inspires a certain formidable
reverence in the public, though 1t leaves
! the lover Of art rather cold. 1t is b sort
Of picture that might serve to de corate
the cover Of an ice wagon, like Washington
Crossing the Delaware and 10 otherwise
suggestive Of frost. But to wen this fngid
solicit y the cutting incidental In the thea
trio presentation was for the most part
destructive.
Many of the characters, notably Philip n.
and the Marquis of Posa, were reduced
to mere shadows; and the story In which
they are factors appeared a meaningless
| theatric ooncoction at once bare and himsy
always. Don Carlos himself Jared none
too we'll. It Is q Hdmiet-like. character
| notable chiefly for futility, n Mansfield
dressed it and acted 1t in a melancholy
p~rincely manner. But at best 1t was Ham
let without a play.
MI. hIAURIlelu llIbol gill 40
of this, for he labored steadily and hard to
lift the general performance on his In
dividual shoulders. The result was for
the most part to throw into relief his man.
nerisms, which have Of late been less and
less in evidence. His voice had the o,d d
emphatic jerk. His attitudes reminded a
certain irresponsible g~entlewoman in the
audience Of the efforts. Of o graceful SER
pent to stand on its tail, and the least that
can be eaid Of them n that they approached
the Bernhardtesque.
n,it ali this was changed when it came
10 the passage in which Don Carlos con-
fronts the king, his father, over the muir
dered corpse OF his true oomrade, Posd'
Here Richard was himself again, the great
actor, Incompatible FOR msglnas sNd force o. e
m almost three hours Of patient
endurance were rewarded.
The breath Of mighty emotion swept
his frame and trembled In every nerve.
The fire OF a great tragic crisis ilumined
his finely youthful features; and the color
Of eternal, oosmio passions swept through
h ha nobiv tuned. The house leaped from
ita a,,iescence, and with burst after burst
of applause acclaimed the actor Tor what
he is. ... -h,o, n. .ottor
yos Tadnoed were solid and beautiful, in
the manner of all Mr.. Mansield's produo-
lions; and the supporting company. though
in no. wise. distinguished, vas ge5eraay
Queen Elizabeth and Eleanor Barry the
Princess Eboi. Fuller Mellish yas the
King, A. @. Andrews POGO and Leslie Ken
Won Duke Of AIva. On the whole the pro.
duotion Of the play vas p1so q Eco LIT % SiSSS
Is the only local standard Of comparison
h translation was the familiar ,Bohr
version In blank verse, byR. D. Boylan.