Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-03-11
Mirth Holds High Carnival
at the Local Theatres
Spectators Are Transported to
Orient by "kismet," at
the Newark.
OTIS SKINNER, AS HAJJ,
BEGGARS DESCRIPTION
Wonderful, Spectacular Play
Brings Fairy-like Bagdad Be-
fore the Astonished Eye.

"Know We the land where the cypress
and myrtle
Are emblems OF deeds that are done In
their cline
Where the rage of the vulture. the love
of the turtle
=a-Now melt into sadness now madden
TO crime = Byron.
The sweet breath of Araby was in
the air as the curtain rose in the
Newark Theatre last evening, dis
closing the mosques and minarets of
Bsgdad that fairy city of the caliphs
of the days when Scheherezada told
the undying tales which for a thou
sand and one nights entertained the
ruler, until his vow to slay had
melted into the softer passion of love
and was forgotten
One OF these tales ii is that has
been cast into a dramatic mould by
Edward Knoblauch, who calls it
"Kismet.' And Otis skinner and a
company so numerous as to seem a
cityful are its performers.
"Kismet'' is Arabic for fate" And
the play, following the story, is de-
signed To show the irony Of fate
which, in the morning takes the beg
gar, Hail. from his seat of mendi-
cancy before the Mosque of the Car
penters, places him, at noon, upon
the seats of the mighty only to hurl
him thence, ut eyentide, into a dun
seon, finally plunging him, at night,
into despair
Riot of Rainbow CoIors.
The rainbow color scheme, the
kaleidoscope scenery. the picturesque
populaee. the splendor of costumes,
the gorgeousness of palaces, the in
toXicating sensuousness of Oriental
dancing, the spectacular glory of the
fairy-like city-these in themselves,
even without the soul-stirring plot of
the play. would suffice to hold ones
interest chained from the first rise
to the final drop of the curtain.
Yet, all these enchanting accesso-
ries are but the frame and back
ground for a story of such surpass-
ing fascination that the spectator is
held riveted to his seat from until
long past II without as much as
thinking of taking advantage of the
brief intermissions between the three
acts.
Hail, the beggar, has but one vir-
tue; that is his daughter, Marsinah
She is as beautiful as a houri and
has the voice of the bulbul. and is a;
innocent and good as she is bewiteh'
ingly fair.
The virtuous young caliph, Abdal'
lah, falls in love with her. He tells
her he is a gardeners son, and, dur
ing his short furtive visits, by way
of the garden wall, he pours such
burning words of love into her ears
that her heart. too, goes out to hin
and she gladly gives her consent tt
be his bride. That very evening he
is to call for her.
Fate Shows Its Force.
Fate meanwhile has elevated Hail
But, comningled with fate was also
bit of knavery on the part of Hail
who is arrested for theft and hale6
before Wazir Mansur, a despotic
cruel magistrate. This Manzur's
prohigacy and other misdeeds have
brought him into disrepute with tho
caliph and he IS cited to answer be-
fore that young monarch. In Hail
Manzur secs a way out of his trouble
He spares Halls life on condition
that Hail. take the life of the caliph
If he succeeds he is to be a wazil
and become the father-in-law OF
Manzur.
In the guise of a juggler, Hail ap'
pears before the caliph and attempts
to stab him. A coat Of mail saves
the young sovereign and Hail is
cast into a dungeon. There he meets
the sheik, Jawap, also a prisoner
who. many years before had slair
Halls son and carried off Hajj's
wife. Now Hail kills him. and, by
jugglery of substitution, gains free
dom.
Craft Aids His yiIlainy.
He hurries to Wazir Manzur'.
laarem, whittier he himself has caused
his own daughter, Marshall, to bt
taken forcibly. With such craft "a
only an Oriental can possess, hf
gains a mastery over Manzur anc
murders him. And the deliberate
brutal, unfeelins joviality with which
he encompasses this end is one OF
those Enthusiastically Oriental cpl
sodes which Lord Byron refers TO as
1.-THE rage of the vulture that mad
dens to crime"
The ealiph arrives too late TO FIND
Marsinah. Hail has had her con
veyed for safe-keeping to a mosque
And it is there, when the beauteous
girl recognizes in the mighty calipi
her beloved gardeners son" thai
the noblest love scene of the entire
play takes place.
Hail is banished. But although his
heart which clings tenderly to Mar
sinah. is breaking at the thought 'oi
separation, he learns the lesson Of
resignation Bowing to the benest OF
fate, he lies down TO take his fina
sleep in Bagdad on the mendicancN
spot which he had quit under such
promising circumstances that very
morning Another. viler beggar hac
taken his place, but Hail, driving hin
thence, declares, Fate may have
made me dirt to q caliph. but it has
made me q caliph to dirt. And pres.
entity he is asleep, and, as the cur
toi,, deecends he shores