New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-04-19
MUSIC AND TIE DRAMA.
REMITTANCE OF SARAH BERNHARDT


can animate dramatic art and this in luxuriant
abundance, il the charm possessed by Mile. Sarah
Benhar1t. 1t was felt and recognized here when
first she among us, and it again acknowl-
edged in the absorbed attention with which, in
Booths Theatre last night. great multitude of the
most fasidous playgocrs of the city followed her
impersonatOn of Sereiae, Princcsse de Birac, and
in the reclamation with which it called
her before The curtain, again and again,
to receive its tribute of aroused feeling and adj
miring favor. The remittance of the famous actress
effected with powerful display of herpeculiar
force and fascination, and with many concurrent
circumstances of brilliant achievement. There
was not indeed the same excitement, nor the same
tremendous crowd that attended her first emergencc
upon the American stage; but the audience. the re-
ccptOn the spirit of the event, and the quality of
the performance united to make Mile. Bernhardts
return one OF tho most brilliant incidents of the
dramatic year. She seemed TO feel, in deep earnest,
the emotion of her auditors and the thrill of an
emergency; and she acted with sustained power
of nervous tension which was beautiful to see and
inspiring to feel Sercrne is not. and could not, IN
any hands De great work but the acting Of Mile.
Bcrnlarlt ass'ircdly fraught with all the in
spratIon Of which her ardent yet sonlless nature Is
capable. II wrought profound effect.
La Princessc GEORGES which is n drama in
three acts. by VI. Alexandra Dumas,-provcd far
Jess welcome than Mile. Brrnhardt herself. The
tine old glmcy flavor of this worH-an 0dor Is OF
birds that have been kept month or 80 too long
may. possibly. be a recommendation to the educated
palate but it did not Oh this occasion. serve to
dee III the enormous tcdiousncSs of the composition.
tn" piece is not only dirty but dull There was
time when the former pccuarity would have suf-
feed to keep il in scclusion from much rcmark-thr
IA 4. L. II ...f,r t..I
sort of worlds fair of the amours Of the gifted Lord
Byron and edited society 10y the display of that
poetic noblcman entertaining three of his mistreN,,s
IN thu presence OF his wife. Taste has changed since
that epoch. and people nowadays can read Mana
in the horsc-cars and steamboats,. and nobody
Is shoe kcd at anything The Princess Srerinc then.
/, n lady who madly loves her husband and is madly
Jealous Of him because she knows that he is living
in adultery with married woman who il one of her
friends. Her resentment however. IN stillcd for a
while. By her husbands falsrhood and by her own
oycrwccning and re,istess passion for him. At
length satisfied Of his duplicty and of his intention
Ia desert her she drives away her rival with almost
public iudignty, and apprises that hated enomy's
husband of the fact that his wife is false 10 HIM.
Finally she tries to buy her false lord out of his in
fatuation 10y Offering 10 pay two millions Of francs 10
his female paTamOur-whom she incidentally dc
nounces as mcrcenary and promiscuous cOur-
tesan Tho effect of this last measure is
to gold the husbands sou-a sufficiently pusillan-
imori- one to he capable of any moanneSs-to dis
traction: and he is about to rush forth upon the
light artillery of the other husbands ambuscade.
when she ,ctains him with frantic grasp and Wild
cries of passion aud terror and saves his life.
- tamc- touJours, she say. "jc lc sens &c nest
pas ia fautc 81 IN eli un" auir" qui Ne tame
pas, - t'anc Licn, moi, malgTc tout Til, re- Is
AN ~ plo,on within. and it turns out that the fun
ous and NigilIut hand of Jealousy has popped of
some other lover instead of the sinful Prince.-who
ihcrrupou with ahJcc head, tc,iies his allegiance
H. his wrongcl and agnnilcd wic. In all this sweet
scented mess there Is not person who has the dig
nity of courage or sinccrIty-cXccpt thi, same
wrctchcd woman. who j. terribly lover that she
viii bear inlany rather than lose the object Of her
love.
1hi, latter remark chances at the opportunity OF
th, drainr for NIL. H'rnhlrdt, and, perhaps sug-
q SIS The dire. zion of passionate utt"rance III which
She improved IT, ", have in the Older Ert III
drama one hcr.inc-B bUca, III Dean Mlman'>
tragedy Of "Fllio'-vhoso experience presents
much tho same dramatic theme. The condition of
>rcrinc. like that Of Biaacd. * al agony of pas
sionatc love, jealous douht. frcuzcl rarc ami
-rlf-cnntrmpt The artr.>, has to pass
through an cNpcricncc # chi surcccding fortunes.
and 10 show the furlom pr0smtion, the Wild fever
and trcmor. anI the ba,oncss Of moral degradation
which can low from the love of a worthless object.
II j.. the opening OF dreadful abyss of mortal
anguish and ever az the bottom OF which Is always
s,ru and always ought To be srcu the grisly pres
cnrc and last relief of death From some of
the great existent troubles of life there l. no Kate of
exit but the grave. 4 theme like this is Therefore
a theme for tragedy, and the INTERVIEWING of If
in he nrshcs of 4 common social intrigue turns the
whole subject to ncilablc mrannc>s and hollow
srntimrmtality There is nothing grand in the love
of >,rcnc nothing cc,ating in the exhibition of her
SORROW and her The best that
bcdonc with the part is to give a study in the vvscc
tion of morbid nervous excitement and suffering.
Mile Hernharlt has never been more beautiful tO
the eye than when she came with mute and awful
fury upon her rival and wrougcr, and Suddenly
launched forth the low hiss of dismissal
" Va-tenl Jc to dis: Na-ten." The part.
Furthermore, IL one that she evidently
understands in every fibre. and she treated II with
conSlmmate ability. Ii does not require tenderness,
for tho love of S,rcriRc is n raycning appetite 1t
does not require majesty, for the anguish and the
struggle Of SerGrne mount only to the height OF
passionate resentment first Of the wrong she suffers
and next of her own nature that cannot shake
off its bonds of passion. But it requires a terrible
sincerity, an unOouhdeu capacity vi 'ehehehc', the
tact of quick suppression aud the recklcssness of
passionate temperament readily whired away onthc
rigging current of its own emotion; and all this must
be slvcred over with the silver frost-work of per-
feet grace Mile. Bernhard made this ideal
reality. We do not remember more splendid per-
formance of IN utterly bad and unsympathctic
part The female OheitO must DO made charming
indeed Ia be thus rescued from downright aversion
and installed In kindly liking and admiration.
The first appearance OF Mile. Jeanne Bcrnharlt,
sister of tho chief actress. was made on this
OCCASION Sylrdplc. COmtsso de T0To-
monde The lady has none of the peculiar
charm of her sister but her voice il rich and strong
.,,I .lo I,unt.J f,rciIlo ,hurart.r auI n unnI