Thomas G. Moses recorded that he created the production of “Samson” for Robert L. Downing (1857-1944). The play was reported as “rich in noble lines, grand in conception and striking in scenic effectiveness” (Omaha Daily Bee, 26 Nov., 1893, page 13). The first act depicted a high table-land in Zorah, surrounded and shaded by trees, and accessible by a craggy path, where Israelites were assembled around a blazing pyre, in the manner of the ancient sacrifices. Act II took place in the Valley of Timmay, at the foot of Mount Ephraim. Acts III and IV were set in Delilah’s house; a room furnished with luxurious decorations. Act V ended the production in the vestibule under the Temple of Dagon.
The show was to be the first production in English of this heroic biblical tragedy. Written by the Italian author Ippolito d’Aste, the script was commissioned by Tomasso Salvini at the height of his popularity in Naples and became extremely popular in Italy.
It was introduced to the United States in 1873, and again in 1880, during Salvini’s first and last tours in the country. The rights of the play were supposedly secured by Downing who made some changes to the acts in 1893. One alteration departed from Salvini encircling the immense pillars with his arms. Instead, Downing incorporated the idea to push apart the pillars as depicted by the artist Doré, “believing that it would be more dramatic and at the same time more in consonance with the manner in which Samson wrought out his vengeance” (The Omaha Daily Bee, 1 Dec 1893, page 8).
Downing had appeared in minor roles Mary Anderson’s company in New York by 1880. Two years later he was playing leading roles. When Anderson left for London, Downing performed with Joseph Jefferson’s company between 1883 and 1888, playing the role of Spartacus in The Gladiator by 1886. Downing’s basic repertoire in the early 1890s consisted of The Gladiator, Virginius, Ingomar, Damon and Pythias, Julius Caesar, and Richard the Lion-Hearted.
The Daily Leader of Davenport, Iowa, reported that Downing’s “Samson” was a “strong creation” and his “best work” (24 Nov, 1893, page 27). Mrs. Downing (Eugenia Blair) played Delilah. The cast included Downing, Blair, Edmund Collier, Thomas A. Hall, Mary Anderson, Rose Osborne, and Edmund Hayes. The first production in Denver, Colorado, was to be given at the Tabor Grand the week of December 4, 1893. After Denver, Downing’s company was to alternate “Samson” with “Gladiator.”
Interestingly, this play was part of a copyright infringement lawsuit. In “Reports of Cases Adjudged in the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia, Vol. 11,” the event is recorded in detail on pages 100-102 in Koppel vs. Downing. The copyright infringement concerned “Samson, a tragedy in five acts,” the play written by D’Aste and translated by W. D. Howells. The controversy occurred during fall of 1893 when it was produced by Robert Downing and his troupe in St. Louis (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 24 Dec 1893, page 29). This was the same show that Moses painted for and noted in his typed manuscript.
Apparently the script was delivered A. M. Palmer, the owner of Palmer’s Theatre, New York City with instructions to publish and copyright the same. However, Col. Charles R. Pope already owned the copyright and manuscript at the time it was published for Palmer. Pope’s “Samson” had been neither an artistic nor financial success. Pope’s failure was likely exacerbated as newspapers reported how Downing was “well-fitted by physique, voice, mental bias and artistic training for the role” (Omaha Daily Bee, 1 Dec. 1893, page 1893).
To be continued…
