The San Francisco call., 1908-12-29
THRILLING CHARIOT RACE

SCenlcdllN ana OTHERWISE 1t Is Splen-
did. The chariot race remains one Of
the most thrilling of staged episodes.
The Van Ness stage. while not so large
as that at the Grand opera house,
where last Ben Hur rode to victory be-
fore a San Francisco audience, is spa
cious enough to permit a fell realiza-
tion of the vision which the press
q gent has inspired. and there is no dis
appointment in the struggle at the cir
Gus outside of Antioch.
The great throng of hosanna sing
ing. people in the scene on Mount Oil
vet is likewise a masterpiece Of stage
grouping and investment. There is
grandeur in the effect wrought by the
suggestion of the presence of the great
Healer which Edgar Stillman Kelly's
music. has caught and which last night
was sung with impressivencss and real
nobility, fitting the theme.
One might reasonably wish that the
scene Immediately preceding this.
wherein the mother and sister of Ben
EIur talk overlong of their af11iction in
the vale of Hinnom, where stink the
unfortunate lepers, with the more for
tunate dead-that this scene We're cut,
for it is narrowing if convincing and
tedious if not
To those who lend themselves easily
to illusion the presence of the leprous
women and the lamentations must
have been distressful; to those hardened
by much theater going the effect was
wearisome because unconvincing. How
ever. it is but a minor spot, not worth
the attention here given it.
BEAUTY OF PRODUCTION
The production as an entirety is all
that could be desired and still surpasses
lin beauty and realism the imagination
of those who have not yet seen the syn
dieate's biggest success, Ben Hur.''
There is the interior of the cabin of
the Roman galley Astrea with it's score
of bending. sweating galley slaves
straining at their oars; there is the
scene in mid sea where Ben Hur and
Arrius, the tribune, are afloat on a spar;
there is the beautiful moonlit area by
the lake with the Egyptian woman and
judah in the barge; there is the masque
Of Eros and the dancing girls beauti-
fully costumed the mob thronging to
the circus, the betting outside the
track the prelude, which to see YOU
must go carly, and. in short, there is a
picture in every scene.
Ben Hur this time is portrayed by
Conway Tear1e, who has looks and
figure to fit the role. though not
blessed equally with voice He is pic
turesque in his poses and intelligent
in his reading of his flowery lines. and
he has just the right notion of the
proper amount of exaggeration to
bring to the speeches. which are writ
ten on classic model Simonides, the
servant OF the house of Hur, is an ex-
cellent picture. and Iras, who really
has to act, does well with her role OF
the Egyptian temptress of Ben Hur.
But as Ben Hur' Is a production. It
is enough if it's players fit into the
scenic schemes and do not destroy the
illusions which the artists the com
poser, the stage mechanics and the
propertymen have contrived The pres
ent company is discreetly in the beau
tifully framed picture which still is
as fresh and appealing as it was 10
years ago. Few pictures enjoy such
fate.
The audience was large To the
usual Van Ness patrons there were
added faces rarely seen in the theater,
and countenances strange to hired at
tendants at theatrical productions 1t
was an enthusiastic audience