The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1880-11-25
Correspondence of Chicago Times.


New York, November Smile Sara
Bernhardt opened her season in this
country tonight at Booths Theater, in
"Adrienne Lecouvreus." The fame of
the actress has aroused the public Gu
riosity and interest to the highest pitch,
and her entree upon the American
stage was witnessed by an enormous
brilliant and kindly disposed audience.
No such audience has hailed the adj
vent of any foreign artist since the last
appearance here Of Charles Dickens.
The crush in front of the theater was
50 great that hundreds of unfortunate
people who held tickets were not able
to push their way through the throng
into the theatre until long after s
o'clock. All the standing room was sold
within half an hour after the box
office opened, and through bad man.
agement the thousands of disappointed
admittance seekers were allowed to i'm
pede the entrance of the ticket holders.
The curtain, therefore, arose on
house half full. In the audience were
large numbers of the most prominent
people of the city. Clara Morris had
recovered sufficiently from her recent
illness to be present, and she was the
central figure in one of the proscenium
boxes, and was very lavish of her ap-
plause. Mile. Bernhardt could not
have addressed more generous and
hearty audience. It was some mo-
ments after her entree in the second
act before the overlooking enthusiasm
Of the audience subsidized. and the play
was allowed to proceed. The artist &C
knowledged the warm welcome she
received most gracefully, and with q
very prettily assumed air of mingled
gratitude, trepidation and modesty.
Only twice during the play was its ac-
ton interrupted by any considerable
applause, and these occasions were af-
ter the great scene of recrimination
between Adrienne and the Princess de
Bouillon, and the rendering of the
striking passage from Phedre in the
fourth act; but at the end of eac, Mile.
Bernhardt was recalled again and again.
After the fourth act she was called be-
fore the curtain four times, and many
very costly and elaborate floral designs
were then passed to her over the foot
lights. At the end of the play she was
called out four times. Her opening
night was splendid ovation, and what
ever may have been the impression
Mile. Bernhardt made upon her audi
ence as a great artist, they were deter
mined to give her grand welcome,
and to pay all homage to her reputa-
ton and pretensions as an actress. Not
the least notable feature of her appear
ance was what she wore. In "Adriea-
he Lecouvreur' she makes no less than
five changes of costume, which caused
it to be nicknamed "The Play in Five
Dresses" One was described by her
yesterday as the grand jupe in rose-col-
or satin over a chenille gauze embroi-
dered with gold. Another was grand
Turque in white satin embroidered in
variegated colors, very ancient. Then
there was q grand Mauteau of white
MORE with gold bouquets. The chem
isette of Turkish gauze was imported
from Constantinople expressly for her,
and was gathered in at the waist with q
rich girdle of white pearls, turquoises
and other precious stones, presented to
her by the Prince of Wales. In the
same act she also wears ieweled cross
studded with diamonds. Another of
her costumes was rich robe of white
satin, with bouquets of roses and other
ornaments in the style of the Louis
XIV. period. A grand train of cream
cOlOred satin over a tablier of blue sat-
in was the leading feature of another
costume.
The amount of money paid into the
treasury for to-night's performance was
about $4,000. Mile. Bernhardt's first
impression upon her audience was of
II woman who was not beautiful after
the fashion of accepted model, but
was of a gracious and refined presence,
of much amiability and sweetness of
expression, and calm and reposeful of
demeanor. One felt at once Il sense of
pleasure in the grace of her carriage
and movement, and in her voice, its
sympathetic quality, its charming
meditation. The Su,, SAYS of her act
ing:
In the two great scenes in the third
and fourth acts she was simply bewil-
dering, a lurid and amazing phenom-
enon of emotion and passion. It is
impossible to describe the impression
that the scene produced which ends
with the recitation from Phedre. With
each line she seemed to add a cubit to
the stature Of Adrienne, until she tow
cred above her cold and hooking rival,
every fiber trembling at it's own tension,
her face glowing like a fumace-a
very embodiment of consuming hatred
and whitening scorn. TWAS supreme
effort, and overwhelming in its effect.
In the last act her treatment of the
character is a marvellous depletion of
anguish and despair, accumulated and
rendered more poignant by physical
suffering. 1t is history that begins in
sadness, progresses in grief that changes
to rapture, and that ends in inexpress-
ible pain and despair. It was g. deenlv