The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1870-09-24
hMusrmrKrs.


Madame Marie seebach, who made her FIRST
appearance on Thursday evening al the Fourteenth
street Theatre has az once, and beyond oil doubt,
asserted herself as great tragic actress. And this,
too. in spite OF many hindrances. The play Itself
was IN some ways an unfortunate ono. II opens
with long and elaborate disuuisions from faust
interesting enough in the text, but tedious TO an
audience. The devil then enters, and he, too, be-
comes exceedingly prolix, a most tirosomo 0end
There arc frequent changes OF scenc, and between
each Of them that dramatic nualiiy, the green cur
tain comes down 1t rails frequently as to break
the play up into some twenty fragments, with weary
wnts between that distract the mind Of the nearer,
destroy the continuity OF interest, and become ex
ceedinsly annoying. The audience, meantime, have
20 wait full hour before Marguerite enters, and
during that time the other actors who are but ordl
narily good have not the power Of holding the at
tention OF their bearers In fact the play
does not get on. 1t was not intended to.
As "IIamlet" is the great masterpiece
play Of tie English stage. so Faust" is Of the Ger
man, but unlike Hamlet" Faust" is not ef-
fectye on the STAGE. Goethe wrote 1t for the closet
For thirty years 1t grew slowly into shape in his
mind, thrown together almost without sequence in
his travel and study, gradual and progressive ut
terauce OF his own culture and inner growth. The
result was tile most wonderful and absorbing dra
matte work Of modern times. There are In 81 Faust
two distinct themes We have the mctiphy sizes, and
we have the love episode. and the latter occupies FIR
less than half Of the original poem. or course, the
general theatre going public but slightly inter
ested in the eternal problem Of our intellectual
istence," while they rave very earnest sympathy
| with the suEcrings and struggle Of the SHINING. yet
| loving and lovely Marguerite Thus, in actual re.
piese nton thnt large pat Of the poem which makes
It Interesting the merely reflective taste OF
sty falls away. TIE two pro'oEuee, the Walpurgia
pacht and Oboron's w edding together with many OF
tf,a anat aarttn
scenes OF course omitted and severe rs Is tho
| cutting the piece undereoes IN Germany where TIE
eleven 10 has to suffer still further clipping here,
| not merely Tor the infatience of car more volatile
audiences, but to give tie desired prominence TO Tue
1he character OF Gfetcisn Is oae Of the lovellest
in diamatic literature and ore which, as hardly asy
| but a German could have written 1t, none but
German could perhaps perfectly Interpret. To pre-
sent US with tire scene OF womans ial, yet lose no
| jOt of our symVathy ut excite almost our rcvcron
tal admiration Tor the simple swsetness, the also.
Lutte purity OF se.abaEdonment through her great
affection which leads to tie catastrophe and thea
to supplement, this by the ngonizng picture Of fen
zied despair, frightening into the calm self sacrifice
OF repentance and awakened purity. In the last net
all this, as T. is the work Of master hand In the
| composition, demands equal Tuas'ory In tie later
probation; MADAME seebach is fully equal 10 the
| task, and the performance tf Thursday evening;
| leaves ia WITH tic nvicton thlt Nc have
| to recognize In her ole OF the greatest tragic
| actresses We have seen M America since Rachel.
1 Her Gctiug comes from tro soul quito US much as
from the school, II IL given to her to represent the
|
sCones tie depth OF womanly tenderness IN the gar.
| den scene, anu tic narrowing but sublime realism
| Of madness In the ClCf act; and In oil, Aud
| through all, Nine. Scebscl was.the consummate and
flushed and sensitive actress, alive With the emo
| uons that she was presenting.
| In the expression Of perfect innocence, the sim
| plicity when knows no guile, md needs no guard
Tut It's own sincerity, Nine. Seebaeh seems to US
surpassed. As IL u marked trait In the German
feminine character II IL natural that " should ind
the fullest expression in an actress who is In ever
tone and movement Ger man. We need not point
out how different nom the conventional. e1usivp.
operate lOvc.inaking Is the picture Of womanly
tenderness given by Mime. SeeOach in tie garden
scenes. Her little pbrare. " Er febt mi,hr' wa,
| the very climax and ecstasy Of affection, TIE
famous scene at the shrine Of tue Makr D0l1fosd
was hearuendine Ia It's Intensity. Equally effective
| was her grief ever the body OF her brother. This
scene Leon Injured By Clipping to suit perhaps
| oyer-'astidious public taste. AID nus lost one Ur
two strong points thereof. OF the mai scene It is
difcult TO speak deliberately, - strong yet pain.
ul ~ the IMPRESSION 1t IrUd ces, and 80 yt-uo u
best Of acting, whtte criticism rges in almost
| qualified commentator. The mere pbysicl exef.
| ton OF earring through sUCi scene would AoLC
| be sufficient 10 almost crush any but lgh.stTun
tered nor erred her acton throughout vas terribly
true and terribly real anu pathetic.
| Herr Doubro 9sky, WAC took the part OF FdHs
az late notice TO replace the premier who had failed
soIentiously, and in the late enecuvCly Hcr
| Harry's uctne Of hIAistolhecs was broad and
| vigorous, but, like the Faust would been bet
| ter for finer and--so TO speak-moru humorous
delicacy in the Interpretation OF the Demon. who
| as we know by the prOverO, "ls centleIna q.
Frau Mgrthe was very truthluly ana humorousl.
given BY Nine. Grain.
| The stage management was faulty, but This w
hope will be at once remediej. This done. an
certain Judicous omissions made the play ~ rui
more smoothly ana Interestingly.