The Washington herald., 1916-01-04
Omar, the Tentnaker,' Brings
Back Oriental Mysticism
Guy Bates Posts Portrayal Of
Title Role in Richard Wal
ton Tully's Magni6cently
Staged Drama Is an Inn
pressive Picture in Total
Harmony with the Spirit Of
the Rubaiyat.
BY JULIA CHANDLER. MANz.

ny JULIA CHANDLER. MANI,
Richard Walton Tully's artistic achieve
ment as author-producer in transferring
the life Story of Omar Khayyam to the
stage was demonstrated again when
Omar the Tentmaker' opened a second
engagement at the Belasco Theater last
evening, with Mr.. Tully a silent auditor.
While Guy Bates Post. in the title role,
visualized the vinous poet of old Persia.
Here with loaf of bread beneath the
bough,
flask OF wine, a book of verse-and
Beside me singing in the wilderness.
And wilderness is Paradise enow."
Thus sang Omar to his lady love in a
rose-bowered. perfumed garden where
nightingales sang; the inverted bowl we
call the sky was of deepest blue; the
moon climbed to high heaven and hung
there ball Of pale gold; where love was
born and joyed and suffered, and where
tne easy philosophy that no tomorrows
should come to steal away the happiness
OF today was promised his beloved.
Such is the scene which Mr.. TuIy has
transplanted from the Persia of the
twelfth century to serve the prologue and
epilogue of his play of exquisite Imagery
and poetry which We needed to see a
second time in order to grasp the full
significance of its pictorial magnificance
picturesque was the garden of Imam,
teacher of the holy word of the prophet;
picturesque was Omar, his student, and
fair indeed was Shireen. the daughter of
Imam, to whom the poet-phiiosopber
made promises which he was unable to
fulfil. for tomorrows came with the swift
ness OF fate-ghastly tragic tomorrows-
when Shireen became the wife OF the
shah with the love of Omar consuming
her heart
The years slip by. one by one, uptli
we lind the tent-maker living in Naisha-
pur. singing loud praises to the joys of
wine. and fouting the narrowness of the
religious teachers Of the city In his
home lives the lovely daughter of Shireen
whom the Shah has cast or Omar be-
friends the Little Shireen believing that
her mother Is dead. and not knowing that
she Is of his own flesh and blood until
once again he finds his lost love.
Ihe epilogue finds Omar. and the love
OF his sprtngtime. once asain in the moon
lit, rose-bowered garden. where, after
torty-tve years, the poet still sings his
faith In love. wine. and fatalism clos
ing series of dramatic Incidents that
are steeped In the sensuous atmospher.
which pervades the Rubaiyat. In the
scenic beauty of Omar the Tentmaker"
Mr.. Tullv has achieved harmony Of
color that is none the less seductive be-
cause II its vividness. Every shade is in
perfect harmony: every scene a master
piece OF art, ranging as they do from
the romantic mysticism OF the Persian
Garden to the fine old temple of Zoroas-
ter, and the prison and Judgment hall
where Omar chants familiar quartrains
from the Rubaiyat itself, and where we
witness his disembodied Journey in search
of the Land Behind the Veil
was none the less impressed last
evening than when I saw "Omar the
Tentmaker a year or more ago with
the tendency of the poetry and imagery
to swamp the dramatic interest of Mr.
Tully's play. although no sense OF loss is
felt In the fact because the incidents
from the life of Omar which make the
piece are threaded with the spirit Of
old Persia to a degree that holds the
complete enchsntment of the audience
throughout the performance
Guy Bates Post plays the dominating
role as before in remarkable harmony
with the poetic quality OF the drama
and its pictorial beauty. His impressive
reading fingers lovingly over the fatalis-
tic PHILOSOPHY of Omar Khayyam
whether in the expression of his passios
for the fair Shireen. or In his praise
of wine, and its blessing to human kind.
play has broadened into a splendidly
sympathetic comprehension of the
character of the man who gave to the
world the easy philosophy of the Rubai-
vat. maintaining the spirit of the poet and
the land in which he sang Throughout
his perfectly balanced performance.
Tuesday, Omar. the Tentmaker." etc
And as in the first performance of
Omar" in this city last season, Mr.. Post
was received with such enthusiasm by
last evenings audience that he expressed
his appreciation in an earnest curtain
speech, in which he informed his auditors
of Mr.. Tu1ly's presence in the theater,
which was sufficient cue for a demand
for the author-producer, who added his
thanks to that Of Mr.. Post.>and suggested
further activities for himself and his star
in the near future.
Mr.. Post is supported by an excellent
company. including Louise Grassler,
whose INSTALLATION of Shireen rings
splendidly true; Mable Emerson, as Little
Shireen; Selmar Romaine, as Imam;
William r. Randall and Gerald Pring, as
omar's fellow-students of the prologue,
risen to governor and visier in the play
proper; Milano Tilden. as the Christian
slave, and large cast. of other thor
oughly capable folk.