New-York tribune., 1918-11-17

than hinted at in the titles given TO
the opening and closing scenes. The
first is "Eunice's Kiss" It's chief dis
closure is the love Of the Grecian
slave, Eunice, Tor her master, Petro-
MUS, who when the play opens is still
arbitey eIegantior1m and the director
Of Nero's pleasures exactly as ne ng-
ures in history. incidentally it In
troduces vinicius, who tells Of his
passion for Lygia and refuses to be
comforted with the gift Of Eunice
which Petronius attempts to force
upon him, all ignorant Of her love FOX
him. That love Is poetically disclosed
at the end Of the act when. being left
alone she embraces the statue Of her
master and presses passionate kisses
upon its marble lips. We are also
introduced to the parsonage who is
most active in promoting the progress
of the drama-Chilo, a busybody and
gossip-monger, dealer in amulets, spy
and mischief-maker generally. There
is much hy1nning of Venus by the two
female slaves, Iras and Eunice, and
exchange of condolences between Vini-
cius and Petronius, at the conclusion
Of which the latter presages the out
come Of the drama so far as he is con-
cerned. Some day, the Arbiter con-
fesses, he will grow weary of life.
Then will he tell Nero the truth about
his artistic performances which now
he is lauding, and die amid scenes of
evening loveliness. Incidentally Chilo
is retained by Vinicius to discover the
meaning of symbol which Lygia had
drawn in the sand--the figure of
fish. The symbol is one with which all
students of classical antiquity are
familiar. What Chilo's inquiries into
the meaning Of this symbol leads to is
disclosed in the second and fourth
acts. The fifth deals again with the
loves Of Eunice for Petronius and
Vinicius for Lygia, and their different
outcomes-the suicide OF the first pair
and the escape and happiness of the
second. In both acts poet and COM
forts, M. Cain by creating an exquis-
ite atmosphere with the aid of poem
by Catullus, and M. Nougues by Great
ing music which, though initiative of
Massenet, languid and sensuous, is
still appropriate, redolent of the
scenes and inoffensive to good taste
and judgment. In other parts of the
opera he is just as eclectic while striv-
ing for greater individuality, but he
does not escape triviality and COM
monplace. Nero's orgies are accom-
panied by the cheapest kind of circus
music. These orgies fill up nearly all
of the second act, the climax of which
IS found in the burning of Rome The
song which Nero wishes to sing is in
terrupted by mob which demands the
death of the tyrant. Nero asks two
Of his sycophants to sacrifice them
selves for his sake, but they refuse
Then Petronius leads out the Prr-
torian Guards and silences the re-
volt, while dancers fill the stage and
wriggle and writhe in futile effort
to represent one of the corybantc
scenes with which the era of Rome's
profligacy is associated,
The third act shows bustling pict-
ure on the banks Of the Tiber. Amid
many incidents Chilo pursues his ef-
fort to learn the meaning of the mystic
symbol, and at length succeeds Vim
icius' hierling, gladiator, attempts to
carry off Lygia, but Ursus, Lygia's
gigantic slave, hurls him into the river.
In this scene the Apostle Peter appears
to the Christian congregation and re-