The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1879-12-11
4 New Departure in Dramatic Crit
iciSm.

For two evenings of this week, says
Peck's San, the people of Milwaukee
were favored with tirst-class acting by
Mary Anderson, who has become great
favorite within two years. The Sun
blonde was on hand pretty regular those
two nights, as he always is when a beau
tiful woman is being pursued by villains
on the stage. The first evening the play
of the " Hunchback was given, and
even deaf and dumb and blind person
could not help but be impressed with
the talent and beauty of Mary Ander-
son. She is marvel, and can take on
more emotions and dresses in single
evening than any of them. She is about
six feet in height, when in repose,
but when her frame is charged with
emotion, and she gets mad or excited,
she seems to raise right out of the stage
and telescope up until she is eighteen or
nineteen feet high, and others ON the
stage look like dwarfs. How she does
it the Lord only knows. She is the most
versatile actress we ever sat in front of.
At times she would put on sweet,
lovely look, and you would have to be
held by two persons to keep you from
rushing on the stage and telling her that
you loved her like steam engine, and
then she would put on a dying look,
and a wild, scared, desperate expression
so you would want to rush out after a
doctor. At times we would give mil
lion dollars Gin notes) to be in the place
of Clifford, who didn't seem to know that
she wanted him to hug her, and then
again, when she got sassy at him, and
began to roll her eyes, and her breast
began to heave, and she began to swal-
low something, and look as though she
was dying for drink, we wouldn't t have
been within reach of her for eight hum
dred dollars. 1t was singular study
when her breast got to heaving. She
must have suit of lungs like black
smiths bellows, and when, in her ex-
citement, she would exhaust them, she
would look so thin that you could trace
| her wishbone with the naked eye, but
when, in her passion, her lungs became
inflated, her bust rounded out, and her
dress fitted her like the paper on the
wall, and then all she lacked was her
own natural Mary Anderson smile to
make the average man give a Pacific
Railroad if she was his sister. o, she
beats them all. Mary Anderson does
not rant. Some actresses chew soap to
make them foam at the mouth, and they
tear around the stage as though they
had bees in their clothes. Mary does
not do so. If she has any thing to say
very loud, and it is necessary to become
excited, she does not rant, but just talks
it right off as though she meant it, and
you can tell by the expression of her
face that she means business, just as
well as if soapsuds was flying out of her
mouth, and she was kicking over chairs
Another thing, in the matter of falling
upon the stage, in tableauX, and in faint
ing, she does it so soft and gentle thai
YOU do not shudder for fear she has
broken some bones. -;..,-.f-, =. ....--r----
Now, there was Modjeska. When sht
was here she had to faint away and fal
into an armchair. Not being entirely
familiar with the English language, sh'
sat down hard on one of the arms, ant
had to roll off into the chair. Ever,
body knew by the expression of pain Oh
her face that she had broken bone, ant
they were not surprised to hear that sh
} had also broken an engagement to pla,
somewhere else. A great many actress
. who are compelled to fall upon the stag
use liver-pads in different places on tn
person, to sort of break the fall. b
, practice they know before going upol
, the stage about what portion of tn
, human frame win be most vulnerabl
J when they fall, and by strapping liver
pad on to the proper vicinity they ca
fall with impunity. Occasionally, how
ever, the pad used by an actress who's
weight is over 200 is liable to be buste
J in the fracas, and then there is troubl
| again. Miss Anderson does not find
| necessary to use any pads. The natur;
/ buoyancy of youth and strict attentio
, to business has made her perfect in th
: art of falling, without any OF the &C
. iuncts of the costumer. Again, in tn
4 matter of weeping, Miss Anderso
f holds over all of them. Man
$ actresses in those emotional play
9 are compelled to wear an onion
their bosoms in order to bring even
t semblance of tears to those unaccu
a toned to weeping. The onion schen
e has its advantages, but it is might
t tough on the stage-loyer, who is given
l benefit oftener than his contract cal
e for. And then another disadvantage
5 the constant liability of the onion to re
4 out upon the stage when the actress fal
!, prone upon the floor, which would en-
e barrass any but most hardened actres
: and cause the actress to look for a pee
It of potatoes or a mess of turnips to fc
S low. But Miss Anderson does not net
h any onion to assist her to weep. By
|. simple turn of the wrist she can eau
a natural tears to flow from her beautif
a eyes, most copiously, and sufficient f
g any ordinary emergency. 1t is said tn
|, Mary has never been in love, and knoy
e nothing of that holy passion except VIII
IS she has been told. If such is the ca
i she has had the best teacher in t.
:. world, for her love making is the mo
n perfect ever seen upon the stage. If '
n have said enough to show that we co
l. slider Mary Anderson the best on t
v stage, in our awkward way, then th
&c is all right. That is what we start
d out to do.