New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-01-14
Ry ARTHUR RJHi..

By ARTHCR RJHI.
The elements Of which Mr. Richard Wal
ton Tully's Omar the Tentmaker pre-
scented last evening AT the Lyric Theatre
are constructed. are three.
There is a lavish background OF Persian
color-gardens. temples. dungeons. moons
and nightingales. wailing music and sob
bling tenor voices in the distance. Oriental
robes and hangings blazing in golden
lights and splendid sunset reds-not TO
forget the real horse from somebody s
Desert Arabian horse ranch at Bakers
field. California"
Distributed through this. after the
manner of sudeposts. or solid Islands
in a somewhat tewildering tropical sea
are familiar quatrains from the Rubaiyat
itself Then joining these little bits OF
terra firma- as bridges or somewhat
uncertain ferryboats. are the lines and the
rather incoherent plot devised by Mr.
Tully himself.
lnasmuch as these little islands appear
but now and then. and in comparison with
them Mr. Tully's Introductory dialogue
seems. not unnaturally. more or less topi-
cal and thin. the spectators interest falls
back perforce on the scenery, which is
novel vivid and there all the time.
The new play is not frankly an ORR
entail fantasy. after the fashion OF
"Sumurun. 10 be taken in the spirit in
which one would take the Arabian Nights,
but rather an attempt realistically to re-
produce the atmosphere and certain ros-
sihle events in the life OF man
who actually lived in the twelfth
century. was an accomplished as
tronomcr and mathematician. IN addi-
ton 10 being poet. and very real
person. indeed 1t falls in the class Of
biographical plays. therefore, like the i'll
fated Rachel" OF a few weeks ago-the
many plays written around historical
characters or out OF a novel. and gen
elally reither one thing nor the other IN
the theatre. As such Mr.. Tully's play is
quite as impossible as any of them. II II
is difficult 10 make plays out OF historical
characters of our own race and time, now
many more times more difficult must II
he TO make one out Of a character whose
blood. traditions and whole mode of
thought is different from our own. To be
sure. there are bits Of Omar's philosophy
that find sympathetic echo IN the con-
temporary Western mind, but these are
not the dramatic stuff out OF "hch
plays arc made.
But. although il is a more or less rear
istic biograp hical play. II is not as such
that Il is interesting. II stands or faHs'
not on its story, nor on the occasional
moments in which the author OF the
familiar uuatrains seems TO live again
hut on the amount OF interest which the
spectator may happen 10 have Tor It's
really brilliant scenes. Its Importance III
short is as a spectacle, and not as play
These scenes are In Persian saroeh
AT sunset, in the streets OF Naishapur, III
the temple Of Zoroaster and in prison
cell. Mr.. Wilfred Buckland, long a r1sht
hand OF Mr.. Belasco. and one OF those
who staged the play as well as producsu
f. is doubtless mainly responsible for
the genuine theatrical skill with which
this part OF the evenings entertainment
was done.
The spectator was not only fairly
drenched in wildly constructed color from
the main scene itself. but added life was
given the latter by glimpses through a
gate or door TO the world without. In
the first scene, for instance, when vizier
or some such dignitary arrived with ms
train. we not only saw him and the people
with him on the stage. but through an
omen gateway caught a glimpse OF wom-
an in a palanquin. waiting outside. one
RAJ. NJ light lust revealing her face. There
were many such cleverly calculated uses
of light. and all the scenes were rich and
swimming in interesting color.
The most unusual BIT OF stage manage
ment. the device OF shutting off the lights
while Omar was being bastinadoed. while
they lust revealed his apparently lifeless
face and then having his soul float up
ward in the darkness. mere glmmer OF
human shape, with sort OF star above
his head. Was rather doubtful In It's sue
cess. II was startling. 10 be sure, put
a hard thing to do mechanically-the SOFT
of fork I'm which Omar was swung about
was plainly visible at one time-and the
general effect OF the thing rather more
protesaue than impressive. The best part
~ u was when the lights suddenly went
on again. revealing the stage crowded
as II had been moment before. as II
70 show that il had all been nightmare
vision-and the bastinadoes sun Slowly
and cruelty beating away
Mr. Guy Bates Posts impersonation OF
Omar had vigor. warmth and intelh-
genco. his understanding of the part and
his ability to express his feeling were as
much responsible as the lines themselves
for those interesting moments In wh'ch
the author OF the "Rubaiyat seemed 10
live opain The part Of the Omars lady
love. about whom the somewhat ram
plot revolved was taken by MISS Jane
Salisbury. and Fred Eric as Nizier' Lee