The Washington herald., 1908-02-16
NEW YORK THEATERS.

Patrick Campbell at the Garden Theater
Tuesday night, and by Katherine Grey
at the Madison Square Theater Wednes-
day night. Miss Nethersole presented for
the first time her own new play, THE
Awakening. by Paul Hervieu, author
OF The Labyrinth" which the same
actress introduced 70 the American pub
lie several years ago
It's reception by the press was not cor
dial II was described as artificial and
unsympathetie. foreign in tone, and ques-
good entertainment, in a way, but it did
not go far enough toward satisfying the
demand for powerful sensation in a
dramatic setting. There is a genuine
thrill In the second act and that Incl
dent brought back memories of la
Tosca.' It happens when Therese, al
though she Is a wife and has marriage
able daughter, clandestinely meets Prince
Jean In the little lodge IN Passy, near
Paris, resolved to abandon home and
family and throw herself into the arms
Of her persistent lover.
The lovers have just met when a sound
in the adjoining room dlsturbs their first
transports Of ecstasy Jean goes TO in
quire. Therese appeals TO him TO remain.
She has a vague apprehension of dam
ger He laughs and opens the door He
enters the darkness beyond. Then. sud
denly. the door is thrown shut and lock-
ed. A scuffie, cry OF pain. and then d
Zoo E.N al
woman is distracted. The door viii not
yield There Is "A dead silence. She calls
Jeans name. but there is no answer
What has happened? She beats the door
she dissolves in tears, she laments IoUdiy
The silence Of this lonely place Is dis
turhed by no sound.
The reader who has not seen the play
may think that the betrayed husband has
a hand in this mysterious tragedy. If
he had. what interest the situation might
inspire A married woman meets her lover
al lonely house and the latter is mysteri-
cusly assaulted as he goes into the next
room 60 inquire into the cause Of a dis
turbing noise. The woman hears her
lover murdered and is p0weriess 70 help
him because the doors are locked She
never sees him more. and there. alone
she awaits her doom at the hands Of
her outraged spouse,
But no such potential expedicnts work
their miracles here. Jeans relations to
Therese are known % his father. who is
the dethroned king Of a country iu a
state of revolution. His c0mpatriots are
Ciamoring for Jean 10 accept the lead
ership 50 far conducted by bis father
Jean, however, commits his prospective
throne 90 puTgstory IN order tO devote
himself 70 Therese. Hence. IL Is not the
husband. but jeans father and the fiery
spokesman of the TeVOlutiOnists who are
his assailants. They have simply bound
and gagged him, until Simeon KeG the
reyolutionist has sent Therese. In q
faiutlng state. back 10 her home, with the
assurance that Jean IS dead.
or course, Jean is not dead, bat in lead
ing Therese 10 think he has been assas-
sinated the playwright gives her time to
discover that the young man is not in
dispensabic 10 her life and happiness
She becomes rec0uciled 20 her fate. helped
on by her ability TO solve a problem that
has arisen in regard 20 her chIds mar
r.age, and when Jean appears before her
iu the flesh instead of his ghostly habili-
ments. she admits that one experience of
the kind has been enough The lovers
say g0od-by, TETese TO do her duty as a
wife ard he 10 assume the command Of
his revolutionary lOtheadS.
The Awakening was TIE attraction
all this week. 10 be followed by several
changes Of biIl
On Puesday evening 7 saw Mrs Camp
bell in a novel double bill at the Garden.
II was a free adaptation OF Sophocles'
Electra" by Hugo Won HcfmauusthaL
translated by Arthur Symons. preceded
by an original japanese tragedy "The
Flower OF Yamato." translated boy Comte
Robert d'Humiere. Both deserved atteu-
ton as exceptionally fine scenic produc-
tions. independent of any dramatic or
literary merit The greatest appeal.
though. was their novelty as exOtics.
Mrs. Campbell as the japanese Murasaki
gave negative rendering ia an attempt
ed minor key Of voice. II was principally
in her iutonation that she failed 20 make
the intended impression. As Electra she
was al her best.
She is tragedy 10 her finger tips. she
has dignity. impressive mien, almost
heroic pose and tone. She lowered iH the
role Of the revengeful virgin who lsmeuts
her fathers murder DTaped I'm black.
with bare shoulders and arms, she was at
times maFnificently the picture Sophocles
has drawn
HOfmannsthal has departed widely at
times from the original He has elimi-
mated the chorus. stunted some episode
and elaborated another But he has left
the heroic figure of Electra in all her in
spring grandeur. The play is one con-
tinuous scene, representing the inner
court bounded by the back Of the palace
and by low buildings in which the serv-
ants live. There was a touch Of savage
beauty In the setting.
Some fault was found by the papers
with the liberty the author has taken
with the original. but as this is the only
modern acting version, IL must pass for
that At ali events the young author has
sacrificed little II any Of the poetic dig
nifty and has carried his task through
commercially. AS a novelty, Mrs. Camp
bells Electra" ought TO arouse interest
for it gives her a remarkable acting op-
portunity. With Mrs Beerbohm Tree in
the role Of Clytemnestra, the action was
made doubly impressive. She delivered
the lines in splendid form and depicted
the character with marked energy of ac-
tiOn and expression. In the cast also abt
peared Charles Dalton as Aegisthus, the
king.
The Flower of Yamato" is also in one
scene. a green grass plot in front of a
shou by moonlight. with crystal lake
for background in which the clear out
lines of the distant mountains are re-
hected At one juncture of the little
play a flock of ducks is seen passing
across the disk Of the moon. Murasaki
is happily married to Hiroshima, who is
about to depart on a short journey A
wayfaTer stops at the open shOji. Ii is
Endo, a SamuTai and an outlaw He
starts when he sees the beautiful Mu-
rasaki, the flower of Yamato She gives