New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-03-01
DRAM
Son of the People" at the
NesC Theatre.

Because Maet-rIin,Ks sister Beatrice
is not ready for performance, The Ne"
Theatre. which had promised It's subscfip-
ers new production for the present Week.
arranged with Mr.. John Mason to present
last night for the first time in this couh-
try a play called "A Son Of the People,
written by Mr.. Sophus Michaelis, Danish
tramatist No member of The New The
atre company appeared in the play, but
as the parts were well performed the SID
scribers can have no cause for complaint
They have had their new production, their
intermission for the promenade, they nave
seen fair play, some good acting, ana
they are probably content.
The play under another name. has been
seen in Europe, where it was called A
Revolutionary Wedding" name that
would have been quite good enough for II
here: a name far more appropriate thah
the one now attached to it But the spon-
sors have spoken, and there's folly. MAYBE
III questioning their wisdom.
The son of the people is Colonei Marc
AKRON, stationed at Trionville, near Conoe'
in France, in 1893. He commands IN that
district the soldiery Of the Revolution, aho
he is called to arrest and execute young
royaiist an emigre who has come home
from foreign parts to wed the girl VINO
had been betrothed to him in childhood.
the betrothai being the traditional arrange
ment by fond parents who do not foresee
revolutions and such kittle-kattle Alamo
de lEstoile (even the Homer of The New
Theatre programme mods and calls her
"Alaire'), the lone daughter OF an aristo-
cratic house. is the bride, No sooner have
the pair arrived at the chateau from the
church than the royalist bridegroom is ar
rested by the revolutionists- He Is SEN
te1iced TO immediate death. Marc AKRON
intercedes with Montaloup, Commissioners
OF the Convention, and has the execution
postponed until O'Clock the next morning,
so that the unhappy pair may have some
hours together. But Ernest des Tressaflles.
the bridegroom, is the worst of coWaros
and, frightened by his approaching DEATH
thinks only of escaping. Alaine begs Marc
AKRON to save her husband, and offers her
self TO that commander as the price OF the
bridegroom's liberty. She means to TICK
The revolutionist, but instead of that she
falls in love with him, after she has dis
covered that his aid to Ernest, with whom
ne has exchanged uniforms, will compel
him TO take the escaped prisoners place
before the death squad in the morning.
Marc AKRON, in brave contempt OF deatn
falls before mis- own sudden love, takes the
woman. and gives himself 30 his coun-
try" which means that he yields UP his
life in the other mans stead. And so the
story closes.
The best acting in the piece is that of
John Mason, as Marc AKRON, and OF George
Fawcett, as Montaioup. Miss kathryn
kaeIred is pleasing as AIaine.
John Mason's acting is always worth see
ing, even when he has to carry the load
of an unsatisfactory play, as in his recent
venture at. the Hackett Theatre. Last
nights play is not wholly satisfactory, but
John Mason's performance was admirably
conceived and put forward in his best style.
But somehow. in the early part OF the
last act. it seemed for a few moments to
lose its hold upon the audience But this
was rather the fault of the dramatist than
of the actor. The dramatist changes for
while the character of Mare AKRON and
shows him, too, dreading the firing hour
as dawn streams up in the sky. Marc Ar
ron might at least have been consistent
here, but the playwright forbids. And yet
a little later shows again that his con-
tempt is for life, not death: he rejects Glenn
encv and throws himself within the aim Of
the sen1fnels who. mistaking him for the
rovalfst enigre, send half a dozen bullets
into his body 1t may be thought that the
dramatist carried his point too far. Marc
Arrorl's death is quite unnecessary, seeing
that his sentence was revoked because
France needed him" Perhaps the dram
atist feared a happy ending 1t Is
wholesome fear, but he can scarcely es-
cape the accusation that he forced ms
hero to commit suicide Marc AKRON might
have had his life, his career and his lady.
But he had a melodramatic idea of duty,
which does not quite convince any one else
of SIS reasonableneSs.
John Mason is far and away the best
actor who has yet appeared in a produc-
ton at The New Theatre. He was we'll re-
ceived, and so was the play 1t is TRICKY
NAV: the contrasted cowardice OF the
bridegroom and the cool courage OF the
lover being an obvious device not unworthy
of broad-brushed melOdrama in the ola
DAYS when Kirby died" But as the piece
was put on for a stOp-gap, 1t Will propa-
bly, fulfil the purpose of the management
r,c-r on "a son OF THE PEOPLE,