The New York herald., 1921-04-08
Angin Superb
as Clytemestra
of Euripides
Iphigenia i'm Aulis' Produced
With Splendid Effect at the
Manhattan.

Miss Margaret Anglin thrust the
crowded Manhattan Opera House last
night back 5000 years. SO superbly
did she and her company grasp the
Greek tragic spirit In the Oratorio So
eiety's production OF the "Iphigenla in
Auiis" of Euripides that one was carried
back to the dawn OF the world with its
brooding sense of inescapable fate. its
cruel. dark religions and yet its abiding
feeling for beauty and splendid courage.
To most citizens OF a democratic land
kings seem rather boresome material
for plays, but in this performance one
realized profoundly the Greek conception
that royal personages were the only fit
exponents OF tragedy. The actress en-
bodied ideally the majesty of the Greek
masters theme. Playing Ciytemnestrd,
the queen mother, Instead of Iphtgentd
she dominated the scene intensely. Fiery
in denunciation, melting In appeal, stall
wart In defence OF her daughter and
poignantly tender in farewell. she
stamped herself indelibly on the mind
again as Americas greatest tragic act
ress.
Her lines were beautifully read, so
clearly they could be heard even In the
last rows. and yet none OF the finer
shadngs were lost in the huge audi
torium. Rarely has such a moving
scene been witnessed as that in which
she pleads with the aggressive Achilles
10 save her daughters life from the
sacrifice intended by her father to ap-
pease the gods so that they Will send a
favoring breeze and enable the becalmed
Greek hosts to sail from Aulis to Troy
and recover Helen. Even the most inde-
fatigable coughers held their breath
xxha -. HOY
knees before the famous warrior.
She touched. too. with understanding
on those fleeting probings of Euripides
into the mystery OF grim human fate
In her final passages with the daughter
she was TO surrender to the sacrifice
Miss Anglin seemed to be speaking for
all the mothers OF all the ages. Here.
too. Miss Mary Fowler, showed a flash
of genuine power speaking her farewell
to her friends and 70 Greece with the
exquisite spirit OF swansong.
The other players appeared likewise
to have been impeccably schooled in
their performance. Moroni Olsen car
ried the bellicose personality of Achilles
emphatically and voice that reached
resonantly 10 every corner with the
greatest ease. Eugene Powers seemed
included at first as Agunen,1,on to muff
his lines in the royai beard, but he
improved during the evening in what
was at best a thankless role. Sidney
Mather looked every inch king as his
royal brother Meneldus, and Ralph
Roeder spoke his lines as the Messenger
wildly, though sometimes out Of
breath
Maurice Browne staged the production
with striking beauty. with a background
of Agdmeninon s headquarters that sug-
gested the spaciousness of ancient
Athens. Here. admid harmoniously
changing lights, the beautifully arrayed
chorus moved in series of unforget-
table pictures. Walter Damrosch had
woven into the production finely sus-
tanned musical settings which he con-
Quoted with a subtle feeling for the
action.
With its panoply OF ancient costumes
this production, done in the simple
beautiful spirit of the play, is by far
the supreme dramatic achievement Of
the season. and as one spectator re-
marked miss Anglin deserves a medal
for appearing in It,"