The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1876-03-18
AMUSEMEAIA.

The VARIETIES THEATER. -Dumas's cele-
brated play of "Camille" was performed at
this theater last evening with Miss May How
ard in the title role. The plot and incidents
of this drama are familiar to all theater-
goers, and need not here be rehearsed; suffice
it to say the character of Camille is an exceed
ingly difficult one; full Of pathos and power it
makes strong demands upon the ability of an
actress, and we we're much pleased to note the
alacrity and success with which Miss Howard
honored those demands last evening.
We thought Miss Howard quite clever
when she appeared as Mercy Merrick, but we
did not think she had the necessary force
and talent to make q successful Camille. and
the pleasure with which we sat through the
performance was heightened by being unex-
pected. The last three acts of the play are
the ones requiring the greatest display of
acting, and in these Miss Howard evidenced
the possession of some real dramatic power,
and at times rose to the heighth of excellence.
The interview between Camille and Ar
mand's father, in. the third act, was very we'll
done. 1t is here that Camille is asked to
yield the one pure and honorable love of her
life; she is asked to abandon the one joyous
and happy oasis in the desert OF her
life; she must withdraw from the bright
and happy sunshine Of truth and love
misery and sin for the sake of the man she
loves. The depicting Of the struggle through
which Camille has to pass was very ably done
by Miss Howard last evening, and the follow
ing meeting with and parting from Armand
was very effective and finished bit of acting.
The great scene of the fourth act gave this
lady another occasion to make known her true
ability, and she seizsd it with apparent avid
ity and acted it with an appearance of relish;
therefore, of course, she made q success of it,
and deserved the applause lavished upon her
by the audience. The death scene and last
meeting with Armand was very handsomely
accomplished, and there were many among
her auditors who found it impossible to re-
strain theis tears, so wildly was the situation
realized.
There il something quite attractive about
Miss Towards acting, and she is very soon in
full accord with her auditors; she seems
rather to aim at the intense and emotional
than the tragic, and we must accord to her
her full measure of applause for what she &C.
complishes; she has not yet reached the emil
hence as q star which she will yet acquire, but
we have no doubt she will improve speedily
and yet become very eminent actress.
Mr.. Mordaunt played the part of Armand
Duval excellently, fully a. we'll, if not better,
than he has acted any character this season;
love, passion and Jealousy were all admirably
represented by him last evening. Mrs. Van
deren, as Madame Prudence, was also very
clever; indeed, the entire cast was very fine.
"Camille" will be repeated for the matinee
to-day. and this evening the beautiful emo
tional drama Of "East Lynne" will be pre-
scented.
ST. CHARLES THEArER. - Miss Anderson
must have been quite complimented at the
splendid audience present last evening on the
occasion of her benefit It has been long
time since we have seen as large and refined
an audience present in this theater as was
gathered there last evening.
Miss Anderson repeated her performance Of
Juliet and met with another success We
have already spoken at length of the salient
points Of her acting in this character and
need not now repeat them. The scene where
she learns Of the design of her father to
marry her to the Count de Paris was very
we'll done; the terrible situation in which
Julie. is here placed was very elegantly por-
trayed by Miss Anderson; the misery and
anguish of the unfortunate Juliet was splen-
didly interpreted.
The closing scene Of the play afforded he,