The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1908-04-11
4. pnrRorr OPERA HOUSE.


Ben Hur" which opens a weeks en-
gagement in the Detroit opera house
Monday night. is In many respects the
most remarkable drama OF the age.
Pageantry and pomp there are for the
lovers of those things. religious ferNor
and reverence for holy things Tor the
churchly. excitement and adventure, To-
nance and lovers for the regular pa
irons or the playhouse, and COMBINING
all these things into one harmonious
whole IS the story OF Ben Hurs deyo-
ton TO the cause of righteousness. ms
love of truth and honor and his manly
hight TO maintain his position before
the world. The hatred which springs
upsbetween Ben Hur and MESSIAH. the
man he has befriended, Is a maBnlnccht
passion and grandly is that hatred re-
Quilted in the famous chariot race
where Ben Hur defeats and over
whelms his enemy.
The realism OF the race scene beg
eafs description. The multitude in the
amphttheater, the shouts or the bettors'
The excitement OF the contest itself as
the men fly around the track, eacn
driving four fiery horses, Is enthralilnH
anc makes the blood and breath or the
beholder stop for second while the
interest Is conferred on the battle or
those two strong men and their mighty
. steeds.
Another of the splendid scenes is that
In the Grove OF Daphne, wherein the
Egyptian Iras tries her seductive
him TO forget In the Lethe OF her dark
beauty the charms Of his beloved
Esther In this scene the dancing girls
perform their cvoiutions before the
goddess and seek TO increase the power
OF the enchantness OF Ben Hnr.
And in still another OF the soYnes. the
last OF the play. the whole spirit at
awe and reverence Is brought TO ell
max of exnitatton difficult TO believe
OF the theater. The moment is when
Jesus makes His triumphal entry into
Jerusalem. The populace has gathered
without the gates and await His COM
ing. singing Hosannas, waving palm
branches and casting flowers IN lsls
pathway OF the expected king The ac-
tual person OF Christ IS not represented.
but His presence is indicated by great
white light which falls as II in bene-
diction on the bowed heads OF His
Theater -goers arc cautioned that the
curtain on Ben Hur" performances Is
raised precisely at s o'clock I'm the
Included in the cast this season are
Conway Tearle as Ben Hur; Wilmer
l. walter, Charles NJ. Harris. Alfred
Hollingsworth. Henry Weaver. William
Leyden. Charles Canfield. Daniel Han
Ion, Helen Singer Margaret DIS, Ger,
trude Dalton. Stella II. weaver and
Meta Greene.
LYCEUM.
II Is rare IN any play that there are
two women characters so nearly equal
in strength and versatility as the two
parts assumed by the delightful come
diehnes, kathyrn Osterman ana Anna
Belmont, who will come to the Lyceum
Sunday afternoon for a weeks engage
fnent, I'm the merry gale OF Laughter,
The Girl Who Looks Like Me-" The
tlay. Itself stands alone In the field OF
farce comedy. being infinitely super
Tor with more genuine laughs. more in
tricate situations. which develop in
perfectly natural manner than any
other comedy that has yet been pre-
sented i'm this city with woman stars
Kathryn Osterman Is really clever
coincidence. Those OF the fair sex who
are successful I'm comedy work are