The San Francisco call., 1908-10-12
By Walter Anthony

Between The Sign of the Cross and
The Devil" there is subject matter
for volumes on theology, sociology, his
tory of the drama and the race. The
Valencia theater hasn't hesitated to
toss the student of the drama from
the devils horns into Nero's arena,
where he landed yesterday afternoon
with something resembling a dull and
awful thud. Last week Molnar's THE
Devil" this week THE Sign. of the
Cross" Wilson's play of triumphant
virtue following the Hungarian's tale
OF victorious evil. 1t would have been
better to have sandwiched in between
these startling extremes ''Zaza,' the
hectic, or something else like that.
When Warwick appears resplendent
in glittering armor to succor poor little
Mercia you look instinctively to see
If In the hurry Of the change he has
not forgotten to take off his cloven
footed limp and his red tie. When
Miss Kershaw challenges the luster of
the spotlight, which picks her out by
the whiteness of her gown, you won
der, in spite of yourself, If last week S
letter, red with passion and tinted by
Satan himself. has really been de-
stroyed.
comparisons to the young lady with the
noon TO her devoted friend near me,
"Oh, I think this is ever so much
finer" and let 1T go at that.
Wilson Barrett's drama calls for the
strongest kind of company in these
sophisticated and unbelieving days.
Lady Berenis tells Marcus, you re-
member, how close hate follows after
love; how the line that separates them
is wondrously fine. That speech might
be paraphrased and applied to the fan
ciful territory of tragedy and comedy.
The laugh is precious near the groan
in stageland A tawdry costume or a
stout lady in nymph's gown is all
that IS needed to make us laugh at the
exact moment when we should weep.
We had rather laugh than cry, any
way, and so we eagerly fasten on
anything that brings the relief of a
smile.
In the main the Valencias produc-
tion is praiseworthy and frequently
impressive; but there are moments, too,
when comedy rudely jostles tragedy,
and there is a laugh where there
should be none The suffering of
SL6p0duOss Hls Tie Hlu6OuSnoSS
of the historic cruelties which are
brought on are not always persuading
through faults of presentation and too
earnest desire for realism which is
rarely realistic.
Warwicks Marcus is manly and dig
nif1ed. He has the stride and the VOICE
of classic drama, but is inclined to
overa rticulate, as was the fashion years
ago. He loves his st" too much, j
should say, and emphasizes such words
as want and hate with a clenched
consonant that suggests the comic
papers tragedians. His scene with
Mercia in the third act was forcible
and realistic and won the curtain call
1t received.
Miss Willette Kershaw's Mercia was
calm, serene, almost preternatural. She
falls into the graceful poses of the
tableaux drama with ease and beauty
Her scene at the close of the harrow
ing drama, where she confesses her
love- is sincerely and authentica1ly
womanly. Her Mercia, in short. is ad-
mirable and the best role she has done
since the Valencia opened. Harry
eastman as Nero, Charles Dow Clark
as the drunken Glabio and Miss Blanche
Douglas as Berenis were the best in
the minor roles.