PRINCESS THEATRE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2287, 30 December 1897, Page 39

PRINCESS THEATRE.

"THE SIGN OF THE CROSS."

The public curiosity that has bean excited concerning Mr Wilson Barrett's drama " The Sign of the Cross " found expression on Monday night j in the overflowing audiencewifch which Messrs Williamson and Mu=grove's Dramatic Company, that makes the production of this drama its chief effort, was greeted at the Princess Theatre on the opening of its New Zealand tour, the "house" being in fact the " record" one for Dunedin co far as "The Firm" are concerned. The novelty in "The Sign of the Cross," which is what has mostly invested the play with interest, CDusists in the fact that it is a presentation on the stage of a scriptural ov religions theme, and it is around, this fact that the controversy aroused by the play.lns fiercely raged. The argument on the one side; of ' cour.se, is that no matter how reverent may be the intention . there must ■ always be something irreverent in the result which is achieved when epistle' and gospel and prayer and hymn ar2 laid under direct and liberal contribution for the nur-p-'se of the playwright. Spectacular mounting, which is a splendid feature of the present production of "Tbe Sign of the Cross," and sensational incident, of which there is not a little in the play, scarcely seem to harmonise with constant references to the Master and with Ihe delivery of a message which is nothing if not holy It is beyond question that the stage ia one of the mo«t.powerf ul instruments ever invented for the moulding and fashioning of what have been called the commonplace idealisms of the multitude. Debatable ground is, however, reached if the liteiature of revulatiou is to be reproduced on the stage, and it is clearly an arguable ynint whether the histrionic and sentimental associations with which the stage will invest this literature is not calculated to extinguish its highest j influence over all but the very best aud purest of the believers in its lessons. Archdeacon Farrar, who has been cited as a witness for the c.ise in i favour of the use of the stage as a vehicle. ! through the medium of "The Sign of the Cross," for the promulgation of 1 ruly moral and Christian Eentime its, appreciated this danger when, j after premising iv a magazine article f.ome years ago that " the clergy, including their highest diguitaries, have heartily welcomed the endeavour to rescue from misuse by the world, the flesh, and th'J devil a form of ret reation which may ia I' self be elevating and salutary," he declared tint "if sacrud personages were to be presented in plays which as a rule could not be in any sense regjnied as hicred, and under conditions which mi.^lit be much the reverse, there aie few earnest Christians who would' not feel themselves debarred from lend iii 4; any countenance to that Which mAny would regard— and in may instances rightly r. gaid — ai a shocking and positive piofanation." In "The Si^n rof r the Cross" there i.«, of course, no stage represent alien •of sacred patsonaKes. such as. there is in the Amiuergau I'assion Play.-bub there are proressi n a of maityrs, theie aie elevations of tha Christian symbo', ail cl tVere are repeated callings upon tbe name cf ths Rtdeemsr, and the principle in both case* is perhaps much the Fame. The limits of the preoent notice preYent#th ; discussion hoic of a question upon which there must almost necessaiily Le considerable conflict of opinion, nor is tbn entirely the place for such a discussion. The quef-t'on is ore upon which each auditor must form his own conclusion. The practical justifica*'ou for what is the onDosite contention to that

which has beeu outlined above is the success that has, so far as on-e can gather, everywhere been gained in securing a perfect reverential hearing for the semi-sacred drama, and, so far as Diinedin is concerned, the absolute enthusiasm with which the first production of the piece was received. The period of the play is the year 64 of tho Christian «ra and the tenth year of the reign of Nero as the Roman Emperor. In that year the capital of the empire was, as is cemruon history, afflicted by a firo which, to use Gibbon's words, " raged beyond the memory or example of former ages." The voice of rumour accused the emperor as the incendiary of his own capital, ani to divert a suspicion, which the power of despotism wa3 unable to suppress, Nero resolved to substitute in his place some fictitious criminal, and thus was iustitutod a furious persecution of the Christians. "With this view he inflicted," Tacitus relates iv his annals, " the most exquisite tortures on those men who under the vulgar appellation of Christians were already branded with deserved infamy. _ They derived their name and origin from Christ, who in the reign of 'J iberius had suffered death, by the sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilate. For a while this dire superstition was checked ; but it again burstYorth, and not only spread itself over Judan, the first seat of this mischievous sect, but was even introduced into Rome, the. common asylum which receives aud protects whatever is impure, whatever is atrocious. The confessions of those who were seized _ discovered a great multitude of their accomplices, and they were all convicted, not so much of the crime of setting fire to the city, as for their hatred of human kind. They died in torments, and their torments were embittered by iueult and derision. Some were nailed on crosses ; others, sewn up in the skins of wild beasts and exposed to the fury of dogs ; others again, smeared over with combustible materials, were used as torches to illuminate the daikness of the uiglit. The gardens of Nero were destined for the melancholy spectacle, which accompanied with a horse race and honoured with the presence of the Jfimperor, who mingled with the populace in the dress and attitude of a charioteer." .Such being the character of the time which the dramatist has chosen for tho pl«y, the stoiy told in "The Sign of the Or< ss" is the tale of the influence exerted by Meicift, a young and beuitiful Christian, over Marcus Superbus, the licentious prefect entrusted l»y Nero 'with the task cf exterminating the Christians in Home.. JMavcuf, insensible to the charms of tho. greatest Iloinan ■ ladies aud impatient of their blandishments, is represented as interfering to save Mercia from the ntffianism to which others of her faith aro subjected by the human bloodhounds licensed by authority, instigated by Tigillinus, the Roman chancellor, and led by cowardly spies. Tbe play tells bow by the toiture on the rack is extorted fioih a lad named Stepbauus the ir.fomjation that the grave by the Ccstian bridge is lha chosen meeting place at night of the Christians, how the service there is interrupted, and how the jealousy of the patrician lady Berenis, who vainly seeks the prefect's love, is kindled by the knowledge that Marcus shelfc' rs Mercia in his palace. It shows bow Marcus, after an ovgic, for which, his yesterday's joj\ he lias now acquired a distaste, proves what common clay lie is '05' making a passionate attack upon the fair Christian's viituc, in which he is defeated by the iuiluence of her supernatnrally illuminated cioss. how what theie is of brute in the man is banished by contact with the purity of her nature, how h* eloquently plead* for her pardon at the har.d? of the Emperor and his merciless spouse, and how, when he fails to induce her to renounce her faith as the price of her life, he lesolves to share her martyrdom with her.

Stripped of its Scriptural surroundings tlie p'.ay as a iiiece of dramatic construction ie, in its first two acts, neither better nor worce than miny plays of the melodramatic class, but its last two acts might filly be regarded as fine examples of tragedy, abounding in noble ppr-sage 3a r-sage3r -sage3 that well ace rd with the character and design of .what must be ackno\vledg d to be a remarkable drama. Added, to.this, hqwever., and independent of the debatable element in tho play, the presentation of the piece'by the company that is now in our midst is noteworthy, and must lonft be memorable, for" its succession of splendid stage pictures. The play is mounted with a magnificence and regardlessness of expense that, while it fc' consistent with .the, reputation of Messrs Williamson 'and Mu&grove for doing nothing by halves but doing everything completely, was yet a revelation. The treatment erf his subject by the dramatist shows that Mr Barrett must have studied the history of the period closely, and the setting which has been given to the play none the Ifss dhows on the part of tho nianageis a recard for historical accuracy. The scenery, which includes some of the best work of the Messrs Gordou and Mr Hennings, is of the most elaborate description, and the cos'umes have been fittingly described as gorgeous. In almost eveiy scene of the play the eye is feasted with the finest spectacular effect, while the car is also delighted with muwic — instrumental and chornl — that is admirably rendered. Tbe cast of the play embraces 29 characters, and each one of these that is of any import.i' cc at allisinorethanadequatelyrepresented. ,Tt is unfortunately not possib'e in the present hurried notice of the production to do justice to the individual performances. Mr Julius Knight's repte-cntation of the prefect stood cor.spicuou-ly out as a well-cocsidered and ab'y-exprefsed embodiment of the character, the tone of classical tragedy heir.g unmißtakably struck by the artist. A remarkably skilful study, also, was that of Nero— the plitsically feeble, inordinately vain emperor— by Mr Caleb Porter, whose actiDg of the part was exceedingly impressive. Mr Gaston Meivale, too, convey.ert with clever force the sinister aspect of Hie character of Tigillinus. The part of the divine Mercia was played by Mi's Ada Ferrnv, who invested it with- that simplicity and trustfulness which it demanded, and who made •a charmingly graceful representative of the character. Tbe' voluptuous Berenia obtained in Mit-s Klliolt Page an exponent Whose charms might well have been expected to be irresistible, and the actress showed' distinct d r amatic power in the scene in which the,., patrician lady stopped to l)pg the 'prefect's love. The only glints of humour that break the sovnbrene?s of the play are supplied by Dacia, a patrician who is a misc.hiev.ous gossip, and in her marital relations typifies the looseness of the morals of the time, and Glabrio, also a patrician, who worships repeatedly at the shrine of Bacchus and whose gibbering constitutes a most incongruous note in the dialogue. The former part was played briskly and successfully hy Mis? Linda Raymond, aud in that of the bibulous Glabvio Mr W. F. Hawtrey created much merriment. Of the other pei formers Mr Hany Hill. Mr N. Griffiths, Mr J. B. Atholwoorl, Mr Glas-ford. MUs Nellie Mortyne. Miss Alma Vaugb.au, and Miss Marie Neilson filled the most rts-pmbible parts, and did so ably, while Miss Mil ie Younpr, in the character of a dancer, both sang and danced nicely. As has been before mentioned, the piece was enthusiastically received. The curtain had to be twice laised at the close of each act, aud the applause throughout was spontaneous and cordial. " The Sign of the Cross" is to be repeated until further notice.