Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-10-09

New York oct 6.--If you can I'M
agine one OF the tragedies Of sophocles
being produced at Athens with three
carloads OF scenery" you need not
read this letter to get very fair
idea OF THE Prince OF india" j. l.
G.. Carke's dramatisatlon OF Lew
Wallace's famous novel was revealed
to us last week at the Broadway
theater, and proved to be quite tho
top-notcher OF the long line OF gor-
geous presentations shown In the past
fow years by Klaw h Erlangcr. Mr..
Clarke has followed the Greek idea
so consistently in the form OF his play.
however, that the effect or all TINS
splendor Is well nigh anachronistic.
Broadway theater-goers, never par
ticularly sensitive, saw nothing OK this
In the performance, which may be
set down as a great hit. while there
Is llfer In play there Is hope
"Tha Prince Of India" had its premiere
last season in Chicago, and, though
4, was not set down as rank failure,
there was no conspicuous enthusiasm
among those who had footed the bills
for its production. Rival managers
who had seen the performance In the
west went about town on the light OF
the opening here with sage fingers
laid persplcaciously upon commercial
noses. Yet today The Prince OF In
dia' Is sitting up and giving indica-
lions OF being almost as big money
maker as was ben Hur."
l say almost" because the worst
part OF setting a high-water mark for
theatrical productions in this country
Is that every recurring tide must reach
still higher ben Hur" was revela-
ton OF what could be accomplished
with canvas and scantling and electric
lights. THE Prince OF India" is a
decided scenic advance over Ben
Hur," but IL is not q revelation. Moth
ing can be revelation TO the public
In America. Pretty nearly everything
has already been revealed.
II is safe to say that no such pic
lures as are shown In THE Prince Of
India have ever before been put to-
gether on the stage of theater The
initial setting. showing Constantinople
and the Golden Horn from Galata,
brought applause from seasoned first
nlghters--a thing that no other setting
has done since we say the lettucefield
In Leah Kleschma." In quick success
sion follow six or eight marvellous cre-
atoms OF pictorial art, these reaching
their climax In the panorama showing
the fall OF Constantnople In the last
act OF the play. 1 have witnessed real
battles. stubbornly contested, In var
ious parts OF the world. / saw General
Ezeta fight General Gutierrez for %
hours at Santa Ana, Salvador, and
thought then that nothing could be
more thrilling and exciting than thae
hand-to-hand conflict, But the lattle
In THE Prince OF India" Is more I'M
pressive by half. Klaw & Erlanser
could give Ezeta & Gutierrez a mile
head start and win In a walk. The
fall OF Constantinople was so realistic
that II almost defeated Its own purpose.
Within a minute Of the time when the
city started 10 tumble, the Broaiway
theater was so full OF smoke that Tho
audience couldn't see what was going
on. and couldn't have applauisd II Il
had seen.
One can't have everythlng-even IN a
modern theatrical production. Where
there is ns much scenery and where
there are many people as are used In
The Prince OF India" the play itself is
sure TO suffer. IL ls impossible 10 Judge
Mr.. Clarke's work by the standards one
would make for such n piece az THE
Hypocrltes' or Clothes" Long. but
ne, ess ary, waits between acts Interrupt
the sequence OF the story, and II is DIFF
ficult 10 follow train of thought dr.
fused among 80 or 10 characters
Nevertheless, Mr.. Clarke has done ex-
tremely creditabie work In the dramati-
nation OF "Thc Prince Of India" His
pla9 In poetic, atmospheric. an,L OF
times. intensely dramatic. II Is quite as