New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-01-15
A NEW MORALITY PLAY
n Pessimistic Stage Sermon Witbo,.
a BenedictiOn.
London. Jannarua

London. Januarya
Mr.. Mcclellan IS lured into adventrra. =
the variety Of his successes. THE Belle =, ~
York. was so complete a triumph in r,r.,..,
comedy that from feeling Of sheer sat,at,, -
sighed for conquest Of another world. and So
it in melodrama. From Leah KIeschna -..s
It's Tolstoy motive of reformation through :.
turn to the soil. he reverted to comedy IN ~
the Love Path" and now by another Sra
transition he has produced a modern r1orap..
play with fantastic medley of nneIodrams
incarnation and Greek fatalsm UnlfkA o..
majority OF modern playwrights. who lack a.
bition and courage for graphing with va.
themes and are content with repeating thar,
selves. Mr.. Mcclellan in his brooding ensry,,,
and whirling. creative activities needs 10 eva.
else self-restraint in restricting his inven,tv,
power Certainly in The Jury Of Fate" he t,l.,
to do too many things. and dazes and confus..
his audience. A despairing rake's remorsssr,
cry for a new life after the wrecking Of
promising career IS a subject for a nooraI,,,
play as effective as ''EveryYnan," IL anvth,,,
in the conditions Of modern life can be subsr.
tuted for quaint medieval theology and sura-.
natural mechanism. The theme needs to a.
treated If not with austere simplicity at lsss.
with complete lucidity; and in this respec. NJ
McIeilan's ambitious work fails There Is com.
pIexity Of motives in place Of unity OF purpos.
The Greek fates complicate the moral order ot
redemption and make sport OF human destiny
Reincarnation brings IN disturbing psychical f.
sues, semi-consciousness Of previous existence
and weird recognitions Of former companions 4
is a morality play with the uoraiities left ont
and the supernatural effects whinslcay dis.
posed When melodrana ends as It has begun
with flashes of lightning, peals Of thunder,
ghostly faces and mysterious voices from outsr
darkness the sermon illustrated by seven tab
leaus closes without benediction.
It is easy to understand why Mr.. II. B. Irving
has chosen this strange play for costly produc-
ton at the Shaftesbury Theatre. His fathers
reputa ton was made in the first instance by ths
realistic portrayal Of remorse in melodrams
with supernatural effects. and he himself has
reached a point in his stage career where he
needs as striking a part for tours in the prov
tnces and in America. Possibly he has found It.
for apart from the play itself. with its complex
ties of idea and artificial blends Of divergent mo-
tives his own impersonation is powerful, pictu-
rescue and impressive. It has unity and consist
ency. which are lacking in the melodrama. and
his acting will be refined and perfected IN it,
his fathers was in THE Bells" If The Jury Of
kOAAAN@AAoAA~S
theatre The dominant note Of the performance
is struck in the prologue, when Rene Delorme,
shattered by dissipation. embittered by failure
and distracted in his remorse between craven
fear and frenzied eagerness to have a fresh
start and to live his life again staggers into the
Burgundian farmhouse on a stormy night and
In broken sentences and with spectre haunted
face tells his foster mother and brother that he
n1ra stranger with
like Death Left alone in the room, he creeps
to the cupboard for drink and tries TO brace
himself up for the knocking at the door which
he knows will soon be heard. When the spec
trail visitor enters the terror-strcken rake Is on
his knees begging for another life, and while
the lightning flares and the thunder crashes the
prayer is granted. Yet mercy does not 90 with
f. The blind mischief loving Fates ars merely
amusing themselves.
The prologue ended, the new life IS taken Up
after an interval of twenty-five years when
Delorme, a popular French poet and stage
writer is visiting an artist in a. wood near
Paris. He recognizes IN young bridge builder
David MARITIME. the son Of the foster brother
whom he knew IN the previous life. but is not
deferred from falling IN love with Yvonne, who
is betrothed to the engineer. In the next scene
Delorme and Yvonne are having their honey
moon, and I'm the garden Of the inn there is
sudden recognition of Therese, an adventures
who was his neglected wife in his first life. She
also has been reinCarnated, but not reformed III
character. She re-exists for the purpose Of fas'
chatting him and breaking his heart as he ones
broke hers; and, yielding at once 10 an uncon-
trollable infatuation, he repulses the loving
Yvonne and drives h=r away grief-strieken ms
next scene portrays a midnight supper at De-
lor1nes house, where a company of actors an
critics have assembled after the first produenol
Of DeIorme's new play. 1t has been dlIs
failure, and he turns angrily upon his wife ana
guests and reproaches and insults them In@
90 out one by one. the last being Therese- ths
enchantress, who hunliliates and defes him. anu
warns him that he will never see her AGAIN
Left alone and shrinking among the CURTAINS
he sees once more the spectral face OF Dealh'
and IS paralyzed with dread and remorse. IHs
next scene Of the rake's descent is cafe nAsl
with turbulent workmen and socialists. ana "
lorme is their drunken leader. melting them u
an attack upon Marines bridge works. II
followed by an exciting bit of melodrama' IL
which the mob is repulsed from the forge anu
dispersed by soldiers after repeated volleyS anu
at the close Delorme kills by accident his VH''
who has found momentary refuge in the ori0s'
builders office. In the final scene the prohisalo'
second progress ends in a wood, where hs
bewalling the fate of his faithful, Ill used WIS
and dies miserably in a frenzy Of remorse' "H''
the storm RACES and there are mysterious 'oN''
and appartions.
It is meIodrama moving in a single circle, y
ginning and ending with remorse and aug.
failure. The new life is as base and noPe'''
as the old one was. without a touch OF reiV.
matory effort or remedial grace. Inc ~
morality play. instead of repeating Ess Eve.
MANS quaint homiIy of atonement the pui s"'
of sin and the final peace of pardon ana rev.
Citation. inspires nothing but pessimlsin'
McLellan's warning to the deathbed peih'eH'