, 1876-05-14
BOSTON,.
Anna Dickinson on the Stage
as " Anne Boleyn."
Some Literary Celebrities Pres"
ent...A Beautiful First
Appearance.
The Opinion Of One Who Never
Saw Her on the Platform.

no Wit and Vivaoity, but Plenty Of Power
and Passion in the Play. ~:
t%o1a Our o,cn Correspondent.
BosroN, May 10-The first keen edge OF e1-
citemept in the Dickinson furore has Just cal-
minated, and all Boston pretty much is no" en-
gaged in animated discussion upon the sun1ect.
Never before, say the experienced ones, has not
only Boston, but all New England, been IN such
q state OF fever heat as during this week pre-
cediur Miss Dickinson's debut. New YORK ZOO
sent on her interested delegation of friends and
critics, and long before the curtain rose the
house was not merely "packed," according 70
conventional Phrase, but literally Overflow
ing, Truly it seemed as II "eyerybody was
there. Poets, painters, philosophers literary
and professional men, turned out by hunareas'
7. B. Aldrtch, w. D. Howells, and Mark Twain
were conspicuous in one OF the stage oo1cs'
: That canstic critic, Frank sanbor1', OIL tne
Springfield Republican, who Is SO well Known ~
q literary scholar il Boston, and who Is ulena!
Of Miss Dickinson's, was centrally placed III
the audience, while another friend, who en-
couraged her in both her early career and thls'
WENDELL PHILLIPS, OVERLOOKED THE AUDI
from one Of the balconies With those Keen blue
ewes of his. As the minutes fed by before the
rising Of the curtain, which was little delayed,
the buzz Of speculation and prophecy ran wild
uOf course her wardrobe is superb, but she
can't make very fine appearance with that fig
ure-stoops, round d-shouldered, you KNOW"
0And her voice; that will be against her."
"But her earnestuess Will carry great deai!
These were few Of the comments that
reached my ears. But presently tne eomnsIe 1na1
upon the mimic royal gardens where WotSey,
| tie vily Cardinal (Ir. J. G. CowPer, who mus
| been noted this winter as the Baronet n ~ onf
Boys appears IN conversation WIN - ctc"'ges. 70,
| We sec that Mr.. CoWper Is prepared TO 90 Jus
| tice to his part. That his makeup l. good with
the exception Of the lines painted too heavily
| about the mouth, which give little grotesque
ness to the attempted expression OF Seorn nnu
| hauteur, and We see also that tTo7nHe4 Is q very
poorly gotten-up gentleman,
t WHO LooKs v1ILAINou5 ENOUGH FOR ANY
/ THING;
hut lust then we don't care much for al this:
We are looking beyond, waiting eagerly !or r,i 9hf
we wait awhile longer, and greet Lord He,4rY
Percv-young Murdnck7 who always looks well,
and who looEs very handsome fellow just now,
md who speaks With bis accustomed spirit ;.: 60
Sir Hsnry Norreys is demonstrating with him
and tells him OF the Kings infatuation 1or nus
adored one, to all Of which Percy returns =,
the vehement answer, loye @ hsr1, ,
the5s odss is surs 5us1Is 1sny q oshsd sk Is seea @
| coming round the garden walk Fo: moment
there 6 pause OF hesitation With tie audience.
The bowed golden-haircd head conceals the
features Of the face ~
TUE NEXT MOMENT THE APPLAUSE BURSTS
FORTH.
Yes, this Is our eagerly-watched-1or den1-
tante. And this first glimpse Is surprise we
had not expected such oeautVMM AZ appearance.
For in this moment ana as she t laS eef haT 1aSe
We We SEE see really beautiful object The
dress Of cream hrocade and ruby
velvet, with gold trimmings, was e; eS.
ouisite in combination and fashioning. ine t
transformed Miss Dickinson. For the time she
| ionIed The lovely girl whose character she was
nortrayins. rsU @ As s6e came forward, followed By
Inc King, Percy is dragged aWay by 9ys+;n@ ehy1 1r9n
Miss Dickinson in the brief scene Of gallantr,
+ insnired nuT G Us, but her voice! Can anything
beauty or dramatic ettset1earry US snt;rsf 1ye
that ,trsn9ss xsss' to F9d Kiss n{Ss4 % pase
, or heard her upon the platform, there
fore IN entirely y1 taken 5sn f:n 6y sq5RFss 95p ss
t chestra, ana can hear every tone and whisper
But the voice is SO Light, with 30 nttle powel W.
and strength. so little penetration, that | Zee
| then and there certain that she cannot pc heafc
much beyond my range vas amazeu a 1s+a 70 nt ~
: norttons Of the house, though there were those
RTho complained Of its reaching them but faint
ly. As the play went on, as re'ey re.entels s
While she is alone and reading ms 4eateL ol @ 1ose
If tones. But there seems to be an eflort IN IT,
+ it fails thinly and without resonance.
1r "a 4 HEtp VOICE AND NOT 4 CHEST VOICE
and is never effeetual Of 5e1 pat la a%aHs oHsr
!, as thc plot thickens by the Vaccinations O
| Irolsey. and we come to the loye-scene between
Anne and Lord Percy, where fSTev aenounce t
her as untrue to him, and shows her Tor PROOF
, tS where - Anns discovers to him that this is tn
Cariinale work and not hers-as We COM
to this point, Miss Dfckinson's personal power
| her earnestness Of purpose and character, pesll
be- sensibly ts tsl lee yaEF aRP7ESs 4EiSs S ertt
calls acting from the mind instead 81 tne aeaae a
-1her emotion was that Of the mind and no
of the heart, Twas, feel sure, the EesaN
newuess to the stage she Ws KS oRpredss staton
4 and, determined to master this, her T1u Iva wa
naramount instead Of her heart ;! feel conf
dent that as time goes On tbs ss master aat;e[
E be e as natBgle 5 hane tuIsl is p ee
3 The scenes following this with her lover, Wnes
: thew ind themlves tricked by 'olxy and sep: 81
}. rated By his cunning forgery,-tor Percy, belle,
q Ing himself deceived and betrayed oJ the n1ng
. vanton, hastily marries anothe1,-
= MSS DICKINSON GROWS MoRR AND MORE VII
J: though she appears to less advantage PERSONAL
'- as wife and Queen, her dress being q
less becoming, and her her,, stih ,nd 5nfoao sonti
taking away tsanoh notn oe,gas Mss ,noaIeut @ ant
: had It not been Tor the long-dlawn intonation
: The thin voice, and the Agidity Of the faci.