New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-08-02
THE PEVENSEYPAGEANT
4 lNosqwe of Centuries in a SUSSEX
Village.

---syan Norman castle Nlllih q 4NSaA-N-A- -
-,e,,-a IS an ideal open air theatre for pas
- IN a Sussex hamlet The sea has shrunk
.+-orgh the oeaseess action Of the eastward
-, and Perensey with its dribbling rivulet'
a.. Sandwich. winchelsea. RoDney and other
80 Ports lies a long way inland; YET It's
s-,5itions do not hang upon ropes Of sand ou'
= founded upon solid courses OF masonry
s,-b above windswept shingles OF beach Ihere
.s-r,,ft Of flint and brick wall. with nine
.+-srad watch towers TO prove that the no
,s fortified a station 10 command an ezposeu
-. snd within it are the crumbling towers
,-o-,,an castle to bear ont the tradition
sh.+ William the Conqueror. tripping on lhe
- md sprfnging up with handfuls or sand
= ,-ooa luck landed there and avoiding the
.-a marshes of the broad Pevensey level,
"a. --a-riors over The Hastings downs to
-, 20 z-anouish the Saxons less by valor
- - the clever ruse Of feigned retreat
-, .s+ie built by his half brother was doomed
:. four sjeges in many reigns; yet enough
- g left for a stage screen for mimic war
.. snd from the sallyport are seen the mar
- covers which have witnessed wars alarms
,n Napoleonic days
: r2avensev. insignificant as village and aoan-
: s-a5 as z port. has not needed TO hunt about
- = history or q audience for q pageant
- ,-,cb has happened within the circuit Of
-, rail that there is an excess of plot for
s.o-,oon-s entertainment, so that the ma
-, - - he scarlped: and with Eastbourne,
-4+,-ge & I.eonards and Bexhin lying
-,,,,a i audiences for the grandstand have
t..r close at hand, and it has not been neces-
-, n sound the fugleman's trumpet in Lon
80, .or tourist traffic. It has been home
,,a5a rsreant. stage managed and rehearseo
r.,-1,- a Eastbourne. and the story has been
told with unaffected simplicity and illustrated
nth martial spirit and splendor Of color The
- -o,,-a-s Of the castle which have witnessed
r. eiesr Of centuries, have seen anew as in a
dream conflicts Of race and religion. battle
.oe,as and professions Of Druids monks and
-,,-s RIVAL functions and village revelry, the
5---ig7,es Of the rival Roses, the menace OF the
armada. the raids OF smugglers and the pa
+r;otfc defence Of the coast against Napoleon;
and 3 caDcollrse Of seaside saunterers has looked
On in holiday mood, enjoying this easy method
OF examining local history and the novel
perience Of jostling against staggering Ro-
mans white bearded Druids, Norman lords,
medieval knights solemn ecclesiastics and
swarthy pirates behind the scenes at tea time
The grandstand has been erected within the
Enclosure near the ancient Porta Decumana, and
the drawbridge over the moat. which ordinarily
knows no greater strain than the leisurely tread
Of the casual tourist. has been repanke6 and
strengthened 50 as TO allow throngs OF war
riors knights ecclesiastics and courtiers 10 pass
and retire without shifting OF scene There has
not been chorus in singing robes to forecast
and interpret historic events in melancholy
drone, but there has been no lack Of music, for
dialogue and recitative have been varied with
song and there have been stirring lyrics n
neshed In the text Mr.. Kipling's Sussex and
smugglers' carol among them. There has been
medley Of grave and gay as at other pageants.
z-7S Ia hca of
tune and arnor in the mask Of many cen
turies. Mr.. Godfrey Strahan, the master, has
drilled his amateurs effectively, taught them TO
speak I'D so as TO be heard. and rehearsed them
until they feel at home in their clothes
Pagsants have not yet degenerated into musical
comedy, but there is z marked preference for
passages IN lighter vein with rural sports and
amusing byplay. History at seaside resorts is
not 10 be taken too seriously. There must be
fun al the fair, and there must also be rerni-
riscences OF the hippodrone. Brilliant caval-
cades with horsemen dashing in from the wings
al high speed are what the spectators like even
better than beautiful spectacle well drilled
crowds OF performers rushing across the broad
stage with hue and cry.
In place OF the refralns by Druids or ancient
kings before each episode in imitation Of the
Greek chorus there Is a prologue TO the Pevensey
pageant and a poetic one Sussex shepherd
crossing YEARLY the castle grounds glances at
the v1neclad ruins and. throwing himself down
upon the turf. Is soon asleep. out Of the castle
gateway trims the Spirit Of Pevensey. attended
by swarm Of winged little sprites, and they
whisper in his ear the story Of the centuries and
sanbol and dance around him. Awaking sud
deniv he sees the vision and kneeIs before the
gracious Spirit. and she gives him reed pipe
1nd throws over his shoulders a long-hooded
cloak After watching the disappearance OF the
spirit and her attendants within the castle ne
sees group Of ancient Britons lighting FIRE
and warns them Of the coming Of narauders
ron the South and the East, and Of knights
with banners and spears. The savages, taxing
hin for q mailman. draw knives and steal upon
him. but suIlenly retire when he plays upon MS
-eed nine The shepherd sees the white robed
Spirit beckonf4g TO him from the gateway and
vanishes behind the ruined walls The pageant
opens one dream Of the stored past following
another
There &c a. first ? glimpse Of a tribe Of an
Gent Brftons. with women chanting a war song
and Dr,iids conducting barbarous rites with
human sacrifice It is dramatic and realistic,
for mother and child are pinioned together on
heap Of osiers. and the pyre is lighted and the
victims are hidden by a cloud Of smoke when
the Roman warriors rush in and rescue tnenn-
There IS a flight of centuries while the orchestra
is playing and then Auderida- Enclosed by the
Roman wall Is taken and sacked by the savage
ssxons. IN the third episode huge Idol IS
wsntouIv defed by Christian priests and the
natives are converted to a new religion Next
comes rninstreTs song Of another INVASION
and with despairing CRY from Haroids fol-
lowers the Norman host comes from the sea,
with carpenters farriers and smiths in advance,
closely followed by archers and foot soldiers
and long procession Of knights and retainers,
Breton warriors and monks in black With ban