Evening star., 1924-11-04
Poi's-'Cyrano de Bergerac'

| Walter Hampdens revival of role
created by the genius of Coquelin
and heired by the master-art OF
Mansfield, gave an audience at Polls
| last night q very real understanding
of New York's belated recognition
| of that actor as supreme figure
Of the American stage.
Rostand- having resurrected the his
toric Cyrano de Bergerac from for
! gotten page Of the seventeenth CEN
| tury, was so impressed by the dra-
! matte incarnation of that hero that
he dedicated his work to Constant
Coquelin-"since the soul Of Cyrano
has passed into you"
1t is well for those who have their
memories of past greatness, but one
need never to have seen Mansfield,
| nor read Rostand, nor heard of
Coquelin. to have sensed. last night.
| that here was a mana poet and
soldier, equally versed in pen and
| sword-who wore his distorted face
| with a careless dash of philosophy
| that gave no hint of the torment
within. His self-derision of the
monstrosity Of affiiction with which
nature had mockingly branded him
could be poignantly understood by
| any spectator with bodily defect of
| his own. Since to openely grant
that defect is a weapon of defense
| from the crueller ridicule of others,
it is not simple thing for youth
| to laugh away love, and one could
! feel the usefulness that went with
each nonchalant quip-voiced with a
melody of tone that for all it's roll
| licking lightness had in it something
| spiritual of "The Servant Of the
| House" 1t is this inscrutable pres
| ence Of that thing which an ignorant
! world calls magnetism, without know
| ing just what magnetism means, that
makes of Hampdens Cyrano de
| Bergerac a characterization that
must have been a part Of that slashing,
dashing cavalier who once lined-and of
| the quality of suffering that was his
tragic ending.
| In compensation to his bodily being
| nature gives to Cyrano the soul of an
| idealist and the honor of a man WHOSE
| plume has never touched the
| ground" 1t looks like a mess OF
! feathers until Cyrano pays tribute to
/ its stainlessness, and then one under
/ stands. 1t is a plume; white plume
that has never been dishonored. One
| does not laugh at his boast. He
| makes it splendid fact.
! The first of the five acts has its
setting in a medieval hotel There is
! a stage for performers, a vast floor
| for comradeship and scrimmage and
! high-up boxes for court. And in its
flag hung center is the cardinal, who
! beams down on the reckless Cyrano
who is his youthful kinsman and
whose soul he has learned to know
The atmosphere of the period is
carried out by scenic detail and by
customs and costumes of citizens
! musk keteers, Spanish soldiers, chill
! dren, thieves, musicians, pastry cooks
! and later by gray-robed nuns in a
! convent garden, who weave in and
/ out of the story with a prodigality
! of numbers that would do justice 10
| the population" of the ultra motion
! production.
In contrast to the Drawings and
| sword play of the story, the nobility
| of the inward Cyrano is made beauti-
fully convincing by the sacrifice of his
| love for Roxane in behalf of his
friend Christian. good-natured dull
lard who can only repeat Il love you
| and love you" but who. coached by the
| poetry passion of Cyrano, wins hei
admiration and her hand Nothing
, more human in it's suffering or god
! like in its effacement could be giver
| to man than Cyrano's courage when
hidden behind Christian in the moon
| light. lie prompts the love passage
| between Christian and Roxane. who
| cony above.
To reap full enjoyment of the play
| one, OF course, should see 1t, since
no mere word could convey the sub
lime beauty of the text or the dra
matte splendor of it's voicing. The
cast-an unusually large one-is
made up of several who have beer
with Mr.. Hampden for many seasons
| which gives reason for it's individual
| and collective worth Jeanette Sher.
| win is girlishly sweet in her old-time
costume and very new and pretty
| charm. Others of notable excellence
| are Charles Francis, Baliol Holloway
Cecil Yapp and Ruth Chorpenning.