The Washington times., 1914-07-07
COLUMBIA

Patrons Of the Columbia Players were
given an entirely new sensation in the
production of The Light Eternal last
night. II might almost be called a
thrill. Producers of spectacles Of this
| sort are usually content to let their ap-
peal for favor rest upon a limpid flow
/ of sonorous rhetoric. the out-of-the-
ordinary investiture of costume and
scenery-or the religious spirit. thing
quite apart from the spirit of the aver
age American theater audience. AS a
| usual thing the gentlemen who adapt
stories of the early struggles Of Christi
| anity to the stage. overwhelm their
audiences with costume and scenery and
| when the interest flags a moment or
two. inject a word picture Of an open
arena with hungry lions. and other
| ferocious beasts waiting for a daily
meal of martyrs that brings a thrill
| because of the horror 1t inspires. With
| these conventions Of the drama before
| them It would not have been odd,
therefore, II the Columbia Players had
let the play carry it's own burdens and
been content with the semblance OF
awe which the religious element usually
| creates.
|
| the Columbia Players did not do-and
! that is why THE Light Eternal Is very
much a thing apart. The person most
particularly responsible for this upset
| ting Of conventions Is Dorthy Bernard
After watching her performance of Ar
| temia II is a candid opinion that this
| little lady could make interesting in the
same refreshing way a number OF oth
| er parts through which actresses have
! been content to walk unconcerned by
a.
| tion of the authors text or the general
effect of their COSTUMES. Miss RerHard
dared to take part written In the
| high fiown language of poetic rsie'
! i6us enthusiast and make II human
| She was a high born Roman maiden
the daughter of an Emperor. Caesar
! and she made the part a flesh and
| blood girl, a girl such as all of us know,
| a girl through whom surged all tne
| emotions that make humanity grave
and gay. and which most OF US 90 no.
realize were just as potent to make
| humanity grave and gay in the days
OF Diocietian as they are today. and
will be 1000 years hence. Maybe wher
| Miss Bernard has played longer and
attained more experience she VIII no.
! order of things. But she did DO 1t last
I light. and for the doing a largo audi
ence is in her debt to the extnt Of a
most delightful evening Her Artemla
WAS artistic In tne eNucIue, HScIiUOuS'
svmpathetic and wholesomely human
! Az Marcus Valerius. the Christian;
1 a. II. Van Rurcn gave careful and
| most interesting performance, his
| mart heirr so saturated with the
usual heroics that it would have been
! difficult to get more out OF II than
| No attained. Everett Butterf-ld made
a highly acceptable minstrel. and his
| defamation OF the story of the Man
Of GaIilee was we'll delivered John
! Kline as Sebastian: George Barber,
as Diocletian; Willard Robertson.
Julia Blanc. Jessie Glendenning. car
; rio Thatcher, and others in an nspec-
| iallv large cast. showed the effect OF
! deep study and faithful Interpretation
| Of the wide variety Of characters as
signed them. rhe scenic display anil
| the costuming were unusual in their
| marnifcence. the entire production
refiectfng much credit on stage Di-
| rector Ritchcr. stage Manager Chase,
| anil Artist Squires. who painted the
| scenes The second act. garden
| sccne in moonlight. was especially ef-
| fectiye, GARDNER MACK.