New-York tribune., 1868-05-04

thrilled with pity and admiration for great
nessis encouraged in chershng high ideal of life, and
is thus profoundly and practically benefited Dramatic
art that attains this result accompshes its appointed
work IL IS Ristori's preGmnent excellence that she
trusts to dramatic art and to that alone She answers
every demand Of circumstance and she out every
emotion. There is no shrinking from the truth in her
method; there is hiding Of the face;
there is compromising pretext. The
conception is clear and the execution Is
adequate Sacred themes, in her hands, lose none OF
their sanctity Interpreted by any one else upon the
stage this drama Of Sister Teresa might offend religious
sensibies Interpreted by any else 1t would nfa
by be tame and tedious 1t does not move of its own
accord upon the rapid feet Of incident II only provides
series of emotional scenes-wheren plot is, t were
crysalzed-and 1t leaves the rest for the artist Acting
is the great necessity of almost all the dramas in which
Rstori appears-nOt in Shakespeare the necessity OF
their greatness but Sister Teresa the necessity
of their ltleness Whatever the necessity might be-
however, she would amply satisfy itas she does in the
personatiOn of Isabella SHdez She enters in the second
act She is the Abbcss Of convent in Spanish city
For eighteen years she has been religious
recluse. She is In middle life now; she has
suffered greatly; she is III with latent disease
OF the heart she is bearing her in solitude to the
grave The spirit of passionate womanhood still burns III
her BOSOM though when she remembers the old wrong
suffered in her youth Married, deserted, robbed OF her
infant daughter, she has sought, and fou refuge i'll
the church Chance brings that daughter to be novice
IN her convent. The mothers heart moves toward the
unknown child, and meets kindred response RiSton
has seldom used her art with more consunmate l or
more thrilling effect than in the almost celestial beauty
of oxneson wherewith she intimated In gazing on the
face Of Giermind, the vague stirring OF maternal gad-
All the past Of poor Teresa came into her tace ana
the light in her eyes indescrbaby beautiful II may
readily cOniecured that the Abbess would an see ef
favore happy in love and life rather than forever in the
o1 % Uuf VhpUC
of the daughter Isabella SdTCs recalls her fe re-
members the peIls Of the world, and deems that her
chld's future will be safer and happier In the
convent. To this EJECT she cOunsels the
girl, IN n very touching interview - a scene that
Rstori made almost hearbreadng In her perfect por
raya OF the struggle between maternal tenderness u-
avowed and held in check and the dictates Of her pous
duty. Then comes, for GuiH0Wind the ceremony oi
taking the vail This fully enacted on the stage; ana
in this Risor TO unmatched hight OF pathos
Her sense Of the awfunes OF the sacrifice bowed her 10
the earth II you could the meaning OF the solemn
rite nowhere else, you could IL in her face And
when half dread and half In Joy, she approached the
circle OF who had just clothed the bride OF heaven
In the serge OF their order II Is not too much to say that
she the literal embodiment of sublimy-tle actual
image Of a holy triumph Of the soul all the weak
ness Of human emotion. The climax ~ this scene-tho
best single point in the playwas very finely made As
GuHermna is about be clothed with the black VAIL she
hears the voice her lover speaking IN the church At
once she cries out upon his name. and rushes to
the door. He hears the cry, and rushes TO
meet her. But the Abbey sweeps forward Ike
a fash whir the girl away from him, aud. with glance
and word awes him into stiffness on the Threshold OF
the chapel So closes the third act. In the fourth Ter
esa-caugng her robes FOR the garments Of the
wOrld-ysts her pcrurcd husband, aud compels him 10
relent toward their daughter to release her from con-
vent-c. and 10 agree 10 her marriage with her lover
Donate This scene showed Estors rich beauty and
quccny manners her easy style Of conventional acting
when oonyontionalty is Tequsol, her keen power Of
sarcasm, and her peculiar aptitude for the expression OF
the halfpying halfscornfnl tolerance that great ma
turc has for that Il weak AMI pus!animous In the
NTH act the Abboss more aud had 10 portray
the anguish Of the mothers heart In prospect Of eyea
ing separation from her child II were needless to add
that the acting was perfect One point In particular CON
vulsed the audicncctat of the blessing. Il will bless
! "cu " "-~- -r~-t nv daughter" says this
! poor creature; aud the agony or parting 80
compressed ia one passionate embrace. II WAS
a fcariuly real After that the accidental
explanation, and then tie climax Of death No other
calm, indeed could follow such storm. tumult OF
applause recalled RisOr tho scene.
fan Of the curtain She had already been recalled. ut the
end OF each act The success emphatic. Everybody
who has Ristori m characters should her
In this Her IsaboHd Sres IS greatly better than
her ria de TOiomei and worthy 10 rank with her Mary
Stuart. Contact with such piece Of acting eXas and
chastcns the mind. Happy the man who can thoroughly
appreciate the nature of truly good woman! Such a
woman RstOri depicts, ana such woman neither be
seen often reyercnced too much Ristori will
play Monday, Tuesday, Thursday. and Friday evenings
OF this week. aud MatincCs Wednesdays and satur
day IL TO be hoped that the stage Will be better
aged than II was Saturday night Tedious "waits,"
that occasion, protacied the Performance til mid
1 night The final picture was nearly spoiled by delay
in dropping the curtain. The customary amount Of CAB
bic went behind the scenes and the prompier
uae Ia La, Ina of
vatIOn. As a matter of record append the cast of
parts in Sister Teresa" GdhcTHgiHd, Lu!gla GlcCh:
Sor J0scf Antonetta Cottin S0r Ceoid Ernesna Pee.
chio; DodtO, Giovanni CGIbonl; N CdH', Cesarc Eis-
tori; AHtoHo, Napoieono Mozzoduh; Eugcua Empodd,
Arpta santecchi S0r Maria, Virginia Cusat Gisiaro
EmpoH Gacomo Glech; The0dore. Ludoyico Mancni.
Basdiio, Gullo Butt: Mdrceio Giovanni Tesscro o
Glech's GuH0HiHd there unaffected sweetness and
genuine feeling and notable accuracy In tho portrayal
Of envl0us and malicious age conspicuous in
sgnore Cotlu's Sister Joscpta. The make up Of
the face, however, was oyerdonc. The rest of the
acting offered salient though slguor Cesare
Rlstor's comic outbursts Of queruons excitement
afforded to the audience twOor three occasions for nrth
MRS. KEMBLE's LAST READING.
In spite of the rain, there was Il large audi
at Steinway Hall Saturday afternoons larger
audience than either Of the evening readings OF Mrs
Kembe's present series. The programme offered this
very interesting comprised portion Of Mton's
"COmus," WOrdswors Ruth" extract from scott's
" MarmOn," LOngfellOw's "Bulding of the Ship" a
poem called The Boat Of Grass" aud Nttcr's d" Bar
bara FTcitcie' In this variety Mrs. kemblcs poetic
nature freely rovclcd. Her Imagination in particular
found most ample and effective expression in fc extract
from Scott Tie terrible scene Of the death Of Constance
the inches the monks the blazing torches the ghtlcss
Abbot the pale, dauntlcss face of the victim, up
in picture, under the influence OF her acute
perception Of is poeiIc sprit and It's grim accessories
But the quality that chiefly impressed us ~ the reading
It's innate refinement In such an atmosphere Of
dccacy IL is good to breathe. Mrs kemble has been
OF true and pure intellectual pleasure 10 all think
ing persons aud cordially hope that hcI refining in
hucuce may long be felt the current Of pnblic