Solomon the Wise
Encyclopedia
Solomon the Wise is a 1906 play by Jacob Gordin, based on French
sources, and loosely based on actual events in 17th century France
, during the reign of Louis XIII
and the ascendancy of Cardinal Richelieu.
Solomon Kaus, the title character, was an actual Jew who lived in Paris
at that time, and believed he could build a machine that could run on water power; it is unclear whether he may have had an early idea along the lines of a steam engine
or if he was simply pursuing an impossibility. He was, indeed, brought before Richelieu at one point for a hearing, and imprisoned among lunatics.
In the play, his invention is a success, but he is the subject of various intrigues; he is driven insane, and his heart gives out.
The title role was originally played by Jacob Adler
. A contemporary critic in the New York Dramatic Mirror wrote of himself in the third person that "in all his years as a theatregoer he has seldom seen a histrionic exhibition equal to the performance of Jacob Adler as Solomon Kaus. In fact, the impersonation will remain imprinted on his mind with very few tragic portrayals he has seen. Until confined to the lunatic asylum Adler played the part as an intellectual dreamer... his dignity heightened by his emotional restraint... The culmination of the third act was infinitely more stupendous after this quiet, normal beginning... [O]ne could see the light of understanding fade from his eyes. Then came the delirium and the pity of it. Though the last act was enough to agonize the soul of an Egyptian sphinx, it was, artistically speaking, always within bounds."
In the third act, as Lulla Rosenfeld describes it in her commentary to Adler's memoir, Kaus "gives way to madness with the wild cry, 'Solomon Kaus now rides his fiery steed!' On this line Adler executed a leap that carried him to the brink, and almost over the brink, of the footlights. It never failed to bring a gasp from the audience, a moment of electrifying 'theater' in an otherwise realistic, albeit heightened, performance."
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
sources, and loosely based on actual events in 17th century France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, during the reign of Louis XIII
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority...
and the ascendancy of Cardinal Richelieu.
Solomon Kaus, the title character, was an actual Jew who lived in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
at that time, and believed he could build a machine that could run on water power; it is unclear whether he may have had an early idea along the lines of a steam engine
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
or if he was simply pursuing an impossibility. He was, indeed, brought before Richelieu at one point for a hearing, and imprisoned among lunatics.
In the play, his invention is a success, but he is the subject of various intrigues; he is driven insane, and his heart gives out.
The title role was originally played by Jacob Adler
Jacob Pavlovich Adler
Jacob Pavlovich Adler , born Yankev P. Adler, was a Jewish actor and star of Yiddish theater, first in Odessa, and later in London and New York City....
. A contemporary critic in the New York Dramatic Mirror wrote of himself in the third person that "in all his years as a theatregoer he has seldom seen a histrionic exhibition equal to the performance of Jacob Adler as Solomon Kaus. In fact, the impersonation will remain imprinted on his mind with very few tragic portrayals he has seen. Until confined to the lunatic asylum Adler played the part as an intellectual dreamer... his dignity heightened by his emotional restraint... The culmination of the third act was infinitely more stupendous after this quiet, normal beginning... [O]ne could see the light of understanding fade from his eyes. Then came the delirium and the pity of it. Though the last act was enough to agonize the soul of an Egyptian sphinx, it was, artistically speaking, always within bounds."
In the third act, as Lulla Rosenfeld describes it in her commentary to Adler's memoir, Kaus "gives way to madness with the wild cry, 'Solomon Kaus now rides his fiery steed!' On this line Adler executed a leap that carried him to the brink, and almost over the brink, of the footlights. It never failed to bring a gasp from the audience, a moment of electrifying 'theater' in an otherwise realistic, albeit heightened, performance."