| Show A Revival of Peter the Great Irvings Production In London The Growing Importance of History His-tory In Dramatic Art r Coprrlght 1 I topic of Iho Petr 1M Orcal Is I the eny After the Lincoln tho Napoleon the WotMnitoi crazes and fads there 1 < a itrana pro > ability lhat wo shall to i 0 Peter the Ore It revlvaUn both I terature 1 and drama tlJ art There wai tnough of the sensational in his career to furnish materials for dozens of books ana llluatlom Intensely vivid that u score ot playwrights jens may be employed em-ployed tt r years to come Mr Laurence Irving has written and li now rlayits Uh Ms father Sr Henry Hen-ry Irving at tlie Lyceum theater In London l Ikttcli dealing with the side llclilJ of the1 progressive barbarian At loit I Ine Enfllsh crltles declare that It ll cot a pit Imt a Series of episodes dramatic enough In themselves Imt not ot undent coherence to be called a drama But Irving representation ot tb Im erlll < hMncter I snltl to be 0 loMrrul dellneatlonof hlslrlonle art HI Krsonincatlon of 1eter Is I the mnn no h mar bve bonbrut1 and crul let of ta unsuspected kindness of heart flippant and careless on the urI ur-I Kt lmbud with a devotion to his rula thlt amount to tnlelm 1 an driven blindly hither and thither thij very crealure of circumstance yet ever dominated by nn Inflexible will ind the etern purpose to make all things not even excepting himself and tl blood tubiervlent to his country a deipot of the foulest tpo and a ritrlot of the purest Dime more than hit a madman and at times little lesrt I Ihan divine This bundle of Irreconclla We oppoaltes makes a living breathing tmlureIn I hom now have ralth nd tor whom hcpIIY Tbre re 80m nnnehronlm o Ion Enage In the plaj Biuh as Peter talking talk-ing about Chrlitma presents nnd some very crudely outlined love making The scenario as the drumatlsls would M f Is simple Alexis I a weak shifty studious vlalonary a puppet In the nan Is of those who desire to have Russia Rus-sia 1 once more in lh grasp of a bigoted nd Itnmant church He Is uk n In ly every one about him even his mis tress Furhroslne deceives him In ther niost flagrant fashion This wealiling Ptter wlihei lo make Inlo a mnn nt ton to-n MB tuocesFor though ho was obliged to dt < Ur Catherine n such and had bor puhllily crowned few a months be fore UB death la carry on the great ork nod fondoat dream of his life the leneratlon and nugrandlzemcnt of I Thartd L l y the vacillating nature of Aloxl I and Ihe plins of his MIropt m ok hi ccaTm ± that he or shoul work < 1 II hoel the monklh lICe hut III to Italr With uphrolne lenuadetl Inlo Lrnlsr Alels I tried to tron sd ftr ham trial la oondemned t ornsi It Jar bf wlI to state here that the compaarlng lIIucralion 01 fnmlrll bo how Ih Ilmou ator ror mode upI the I tor or rznr bout W yoa go 11m he playo1 th Inlllni rOI In ulUa LoM not Cry luocetlll 91 > a In Ian < to revl ome of th exact 4 01 th bem monehl i life Ho wan near Ioocow Jllne 10 1672 ami IId In 5t IUb Itroburg Ieb 8 172 111 AII dleel 10 IG76 anti a by roodor who IIvod hut Ix rot Inoe dying wllhollt I 11 hut mlng Itr hra I snooor to the telalo ot Ivan brother tho I rs eldor laa lho WI n Imbeoll outh An Inurrectlon romntod by tholr I I I fnI I t J Och n TI I 01 IoodhH by tho jolnl oorontlon hln 1M I S hla Ieler 10 My 1182 lIh on rgent In 1611 111 mrryhlg Euloxl redo hll t t I utll J rOI ot Innllrll g to whlrh mb1Uon bad Sophl td on9ln1 him and as nlpall r the S UtOtt nd tho Scotchman Oordon aoumd hr conlrol o nrralr H Imprlsonetl bl IH sister In a convent whre he end 01 1 her life In 1701 and banished Prtn Oallltiln her minister It an volunta lly withdrew and Peter thus became jrtually note sovereign Tho former son s-on th occurred In 1696 Peter 01 once organized n newnrmy ntered the ranks himself and rose hrough eery grade This example he r equlred his nobles to follow lr Then followed In rapid succession the fnmatlc Incidents of his life learning umanshlp by cruising on board Dutch nnd English ships at Archangel be leglng nnd taking In 1G93 the Turkish city of Azof on the sea of the same lame repudiating his wife because she opposed hl plans working at Znan l am Incognito as a shipbuilder stud > ng every known scientific branch vls lUng Sweden and Vienna quelling an Insnrreotlon In hl emllre with sne ctuIIY and then lighting the dl tron bnttle ot Nro lie oltrd the olndnr making the year beln with Jan 1 Instead of Sept 1 nnd Instituted I the order of St Andrew ns the patron saint of nussli He regulated the press I built defensive works In his capital 0 tntruotor trlnd proecntor workman emporor nd tyront ull In one In company with the Empreii Catherine Cath-erine his wife formerly his mlstrsss he mad n trond tOllr o rollrors In UI6 and was received at Paris in gret splendor Tnas then occurred that rioted Interview between him und Mme Iolnlnon Hit Hon AlexK the child of his IIrst ilrtfrlage evincing n treasonable spirit I was tried and condemned to death Ate A-te days later July 7 1ltl he died In stnnces prison under highly suspicious cIrcum This latter event 19 the motif of the third net of Irvlnss plir I In thU Alexl and Kuphroslne are discovered by Tolstbt l In their hiding place near Naples and Induced to return to Ruisla I leter 1I1h tho doath wrrnnt and I Alexis goes to his death not however without fully realizing the greatness ot his fathers rurpose This purpose Is I made plain by Mr In Ing Vihat follows Is I Justified by the czars logic Kmperors dont hao sons they hae successors I live for men that 10 nnuh tor m Tho drama Marches on to Its tragic close lint the soliloquy of the father Is Ion I-on at tho strongest efforts of the stage NIIer n man hod hi lIart sero1 UPin a Tlso lite me All their hand lira on the lone handle alt their hand m o on Itturning and tarnlns It Tho Iht drop ot bloOd nnd tho la1 clol ot IIc h re m to hMe ootod ont ot It Thy ian take their handi from the handle their worlc Is done the two Iron aide ho oomo togelher < > r no not quite togctherthe shriveled skin ot hOI wa on joytul humnn hert aWl Just 1eeps them from touching Son I begin to understand It I now 1 hear the trumpets sounding In my heart I am for light and lote Sou nro agilnst It You only see th amputation and he cruel surger I soo UodH light brought buck to the darkened darken-ed eye nnd circulation restored to the Magtmnt blood And etno yoU aru notagolnsl m ou t With n1 Fur light anti loolour own word 111I laid me low flleretore as ou nr tllh me In Ih wlah Lul conaot fullow I I n In Iho moantheonly oy to e u bothI Ignl Oh my on Abaloml O i JtI f T Catll In I ongh lIamond low Lorn land hololrou 0 ol < llers mlI cor Inl < IIUlo tor IIIILllo Oplllioll coars In her humor bllt wltll tho oympathelle hcnrt thnt redecm Ih hructr trom futtnlpery ot the thr Amorlcan In ho call tobert T hor hal tho thaukl on o 111 hlell he mok ultablo ta Mr Irvin 11 Cll1el IIdr rlnoro nndertako the part 01 uphro olnc wlch tho Engh tlo nt proloe and 11I 01 I pthetloall 1laye < l Ly lIos Hockman Mr I tintolh n core t1 oetor orr B nnlhed rndrlns of Couot Totalol tho ca < o orc llIr |
