Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-01-12

MIssMAY ANDERSON. This charming young
actress draws nesr The close Of her engagement
at the National Theatre, in Washington. She
has for two weeks kept tho house we'll Tiled
malc hosts Of warm friends and deservedly has
become a Washington favorte Miss Andor-
son, in conversation with the wrltor, expressed
her opinion that her talents were entirely of
tragic order, and that the character which re-
quired the most vivid force, nervous strain, snd
highly wrought power suited her the best. She
makes q great and woeful mistake, and her
vaulting am btion which makes her essay every
difficult role will yet oyereap itself. True crit
icism is kind: unmerIted praise Is the talsest
friend young dubanteo can have. Tho subject
OF this article is young girl OF eighteen years
old, marvolously endowed by . God-glven his.
trionic ability. Some of her characters are Iull
Of tenderness and grace all her own, and il sho
pursues the right path wealth and iame Will
surely be hers, but she attempts too much, snd
rsnges sill the way up from julia in the Hunch-
back TO Lady Macbeth. AS Pauline and Jul
liet she is nearly perfect her wllowy, graceful
figure, her liquid tones and her marvellous &C.
MUS, all combined, make hel the embodiment
Of tie ideal. SO far well, and here she should
stop; when she attempts old age she fails Ia
mentally. There is nothing on earth so difficult
to portray as that. Take the character of Rich
lieu for example. Hundreds, we can almost say
thousands, Of actors, both on this and the other
side of Atlantic, have attempted 10 portray the
wonderful old Frenchman and failed and but
one man among them all, our own Edwin Booth,
with his transcendcnt talent, ever succeeded.
Let Miss Anderson study the history OF tho lyric
stage and she will find tia. in all EngIand's AN
mails there was only one, Peg Wellington, who
could run tho gauntlet from grlish youth 10
palsicd ago TO carry the smile further let her
read the NEUROLOGICAL fable Of Piston, and
draw u moral from il. 1t is true that her Meg
Mer1iles was = wonderful lnetamorpbosis from
the blooming, beautiful juliet to the gypsy
crone but the transformation was moro due To Tue
costumer and tho painter than to anything else.
We venture to say thore was never such Meg
Merrilies as Miss Anderson gives liz on the
earth, under the earth, or on the waters that
cover the earth. Such get up is like the after
dinner dream OF q greedy little boy who has
eat On too much turkey and pudding, and can
only BIO cquslcd by the frighttul creation of
heartless nurse who conjures up ragged, aged
crone to hush frettui child to q shuddering 81
lencc. The writer remembers seeing in the in.
sane asylum OF Williamsburg mad old woman
who imagined herself queen. She was very
old and very intrm, but she was queen 10 the
last, and she was SCOTS Meg Merrlies TO the
ife All her motions had dignity and certain
grace, and she did not skip fifteen feet at
jump, as Miss Anderson did, nor did she wave
the flowing gray hair in frenZied motions. We
havo said enough, and We will end by predict
ing brilliant future to the beautiful Southern
girl, if she confines herself TO q role that SUITS
her youth, her beauty and her style. To-mor-
row afternoon there will be d matinee, when
Miss May will assume the tonder Juliet, who
loved and died for love, and We can assure Gil
who sttend a most pleasant and delightful time.
Those ladies who lave bcauI 10 catch, as well
those who have lovers to hold, can learn great
deal by seeing this fair young gill do the senti-
mental and romantic. NJ iss Anderson is admira.
bly su,.portcd hv Mrs Blanche Ford and NJ.
Stretton.