The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1906-08-31
STAGE BECOMES RIVAL OF CHURCH.

The tremendous question of church
and stage is about to be raised, as It
has never been before, in Yale. Cor
don and Benefits company will pro-
duce at Central Hall, on Tuesday, Sep
TENDER III, a play dealing with the life
of our Lord. The play is called THE
Holy City, and is by Clarence Ben
nett, journalist. 1t is in blank verse.
The principal characters are Mary
Magdalen, Barannas, described as a
Jewish patriot, Judas lscariot, Judas
Pontius PLATE, Caiaphas the High
Priest, Peter and John the disciples,
Lazarus and Zacharias, Elizabeth the
mother of John the Baptist, King Her
cd and his daughter the princess Sa-
lone, and twenty other imaginary
characters complete the cast. There
are five acts and total dramatis per-
sonnae of forty people.
Briefly stated, the story of the play
is as follows: Mary Magdalen is beloved
of Barannas, and is also the favOrite OF
Caiaphas.
Act one finds Barannas, who is hunt
ed by the Roman soldiers, Marius, a
Roman captain, Silenus, a dissipated
Roman, Judas Iscariot, and number
of women, all met in Mary's house for
pleasure. The subject is raised of the
wOndrous NaZarene and His reported
miracles. BY accident Mary knocks a
vase into the street where the Lord
and HIS followers are preaching and
healing the sick. Enraged, Simon Pc
ter and mob break into Mary's house
and Peter upbraids her for her evil
life, at the same time telling her of the
death of her brother, Lazarus. The
act closes with the conversion of the
Magdalen, after fierce struggle with
the fascination of her old life. She
looks out-a strong light indicates that
Christ has turned His plying gaze up
on her, and the curtain falls upon her
in prayer.
Act two takes place in the courtyard
of Martha's home. Here within the
house the Lord is visiting Mary poor
ly clad and penitent, returns to her
home and is struck with wOnderment
to find Lazarus raised from the tomb.
She enters the house and anoints the
head of Christ with precious ointment.
Returning, her eXaltatiOn has reached
such heights that she cures Zacharias
of blindness by saying that the Lord
has so commanded her. Hither comes
Barannas who renews his frenzy of
love. He is enraged when Mary tells
him that she will follow the Nazarene
Barannas is taken by the Romans and
the act closes with the betrayal of
Christ.
Act three deals with the judgement
of PLATE, the denial of Peter and the
release of Barannas, and the order for
the CTucifixion.
Act four tells the story of the Lords
death-the thunders and earthquake
and the rending of the veil of the Tenn
pie. Judas goes mad and hangs him
self The curtain falls on the grandest
portrayal of the inspiring spectacle
a complete allegorical reproduction of
the Crucifixion by Michael Angelo.
Act five shows the Garden of Joseph
of Arimathea, and the sacred tomb.
The various characters of the play pass
and repass throughout the scene. The
Great Light shines-the Roman sol
diers fall on their faces; Caiaphas
comes in foreboding and finds the
tomb empty; an angel appears and an
nounces that the Lord is risen; Mary
comes and tells how she has seen
Christ again, and Barannas is convert
ed. The final curtain falls amid the
strains of "The Holy City, and the as
cension of Christ and the angels.