Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1874-11-07
A NEW THEATRICAL STAR.
The Remarkable Manners and APP
peaFances of Mile Tallandeira.
Oo.-osnondance New York World

peaFamceS Oh M'lLe TalIAnueiFh.
Correspondence New York World.l
PARIS, October l6.
All Paris is talking of the new actress
who appeared two night ago at the Gym
nase, and asking whether another Rachel
has been discovered in this somewhat
rude, uncultivated and terribly passion
ate woman. To me she seems more like
Menken than like Rachel, but the ma
jority of voices give her higher praise:
When Mile Desclee died we were told
that the Princesse Georges had died with
aer, and that no other actress could
ever fill that part. But there were two
people who differed from this opinion
one was the author of the play, who nat
urally wished that it should continue to
be performed; the other was the wild
young woman who appeared in the part
on Tuesday night. This woman was
born at Tunis her mother was an Arab,
her father was Frenchman. When she
was child she was brought to Paris,
and was made to earn her living IN an
humble shop where she was known as
Marie Dubreuil. When she grew old
enough she ran away from her father,
and began life for herself, taking the
name of Mile Tallandeira-a name, By
the way, which she seems to have in
vented out OF her own head, as no one
ever heard OF it before. Iti not French
name, and it can scarcely be an Arabic
name. However, that goes for nothing.
her adventures seem to have been nu-
merous, aud she has always been IN
scrape of some kind or other. Her first
lover took her to Russia, where she once
nearly drowned in the Neva, and then
wounded by pistol in fight in the
Newski Prospect. Then she went to
Brussels, and there, too her passion led
her into a combat, in which she was
stabbed. Sometimes she fought with
her nails, sometimes with dagger.
Not long ago, being on one OF her visits
to Paris, she had happy thought. She
would 90 on the stage, aud become a
great actress. She bullied Regnier to
give her few lessons. He taught her
how to moderate her action and to tenn
per her transports little. She is thus
described by a critic: Looking at
her prominent forehead, her cavernous
black eyes flashing fire like demons,
her nose as sharp as dagger, her large,
clean. cut mouth, her white rows of shark
teeth, her supple frame, with its low
Oriental bust, her slight arms that twine
like snakes, you can easily imagine the
tumultuous passions which bubble and
boil in body as it we're made Tor
their play, and the violence which
turks or surges in a thing SO
much like panther One feels at
her first step and first word that she
has never known convent, or even a
school, aud that if all the adventures
ascribed to her are not true, she has at
least all the nature of the adventures.
She has a soaorous diction and ener-
getic pronunciation, but her accents are
occasionally checked for moment In
her narrow throat, to burst forth in cries
almost ferocious. The effect is inco-
herence, with total absence of taste,
and nearly a total absence OF measure.
1t seems as though this jealous Princess
were an eager courtesan in perpetual
fury; she beats her knee like a ish-wfe,
and sits on tables like young lady from
the QUARTER Latin. She neither knows
how to walk nor how to sit; her attitude
is bad, and the movements of her head
and shoulders are bad. In short, she
has nothing of the air of a woman
CONNIE il faut. But she is a woman,
and throws so much abandon into the
expression of the passions that she is as
natural as if she we're not acting but
were dealing with her own love, Jealousy
aud hate. At one time when she seizes
her husband to prevent him from rushing
to death, she is so real that the actor who
PLAYS the Prince de Birague could not
escape if he tried his hardest. She al
most crushes him by her energy. These
true bits Of action, however, which are
the more noticeable because they are i'll
combined, show that il Mile. Tallandelra
had to play parts where passionate
woman, and not Jealous princess, were
required, she would in one way equal
Rachel. Possibly, in bad school, the
education, which she still needs, might
sooiLher special genius, but she is at the
Gvmnase with eonsummate masters, and
it is unlikely that NJ. Regnier will, all at
once. abandon his rebellious pupil. She
is pov twenty.four or twenty-five years
of age. and In possession of an acute in-
tellect, which must be capable of gui-
dance. Her unruly nature need not go
SO far as to deaden the aptitude OF her
mind. What she he's done already from
instinct she can improve upon with ex'
perience, and, having everything to
learn, she may shine in the first rank of
actresses if she will but be content to be
taught, The public would be only, too
= upy to hail ber as q new Phedre.