"SAMSON AGONISTES."

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13837, 24 February 1909, Page 7

"SAMSON AGONISTES."

MILTON' AND .MODERNITY. >

Before a crowded and extremely distinguished academic audience amuugst which tue Duke of Argyll was preseiit, and a host of well-known prolessional folk —the most vitally significant of all the Milton Tercentenary celebrations took place at Burlington House on December 16th. This was uie production or " tsamsdn Agoiiistes" in the lecture theatre, under Mr William Poel's direction. As it turned out, the place proved almost ideal, both tor tins purpose and for any performance- of the kind. Mr Poel was able to get a stage, draped in purple, jutting right out into sue, semi-circle of front seats in the r*ell of the theatre. He was able to range the few characters upon this round a sort of three-tiered altar, visible equally to evervonc, in the full glare of three limelights, while Samson posed most of the time on the top step, like the figure of Laocoon in the famous statuary group. Unfortunately, however, as m lhe Bacehae." the management of the chorus of '-.Samson's friends" ivas the J fatal blot upon the production. All ! but three were ladies, who were made I to chant and drone, and chop up the lilies among themselves with their backs to the audience, in a way that made all but a word or two of the nuK'niticent speeches written by Jliltoirtur his chorus unintelligible. One cannot impress upon Mr Poel too much that jinv effort after variety or linpressiwness is utterly futile unless evervbodv hears every word. \s to'the body of the play—well, out of respect to the sublime author, who expressly did not intend it lor the stage, one will forbear to confess that it "was for the most part terribly tedious. Mr lan Maclaren was earnest and intelligent and refined—but hardlv as robust as one might have wished. Fie spoke the interminable and whollv undramatie speeches of Samson himself with, an any rate, admirable clearness and an evidently sincere sense ot the pathos and majesty of the thing, while, of course, every- ! one affected to be deeply impressed. i Truth to tell, however, in spite oi ja learned comparison of ''Samson j Agonistes" with the Hellenic drama, which was handed round to every member of the audience, what was really

most interesting and seining was the. delightful modernity of the Diihlnh episode. There was something more about this than the more personal appeal of Dalilah's . evident relationship with the Mrs Milton —the Royalist bride of 17, who was the plague of the poet's early life and left him with three "ungrateful daughters." The little episode is, after all, a piece of perfect comedy in its own way . Dalilah's individual temperament is as surely elaborated, as intimately feminine, as that of any Pinero heroine. Her arguments are as specious, her "sweedling" her trading upon her weakness just as clever; while her .final tirade is a dramatic surprise that might he put into prose in a drawing-room, and would find itself absolutely m its place in any modern problem-play. The Dalilah of Miss Evelyn \\ eeden —who wore a regular Queen Elizabeth costume, "sails filled and streamers waving"—was, perhaps, a little too straightforward in her manner. She hardly suggested Dalilah's subtlety. Yet even so one hardly likes to admit what a refreshment her arrival was Here at last was something in its right place upon a modern stage!