New-York tribune., 1882-02-07
MUSIC AND THE DRAMA
oDETTE AT DALYS THEATRE

I,e
nr.,o,d has repudiated for adultery, ana "lo WHO i''
,harofore become a courtesan. Needless sun ''i
.hor 20 odd she winds up long career oi iuN
vice with half an hour of Iemorse' ""O -
;rpions cowardlv and abomlnau'o ''''" -.
eide These are the usual cohu'"o"' - -,
4minine fascination and herolsin anu ',,'' "'o o.
,rlsued bv Mr. Sariou's Odffh II YOU m"'' ms
,,,arora IN shed them now. 10" W., "''u ,'','
9 sacre5 source of sympathetic woe III VIZ lazy >
Theatre where she was reVe"c'' ''S' 49,. ~
great enthusiasm anu n'"''
5be most favorable kihu'
She is indeed a glorious and melting creature
90, - M resem blance whatever to those tire
- fepales who rear their children in virtue and
hooor sonctify life by their goodness, make civil
izad society possible by preserving the beauty and
nurtv OF home. and ut the human soul for that I'M
mortality OF which they themselves are the pre-
f-urenent and token. Never for moment would
she condtscend to he utterly tedious and stupid
as to perform any duty in the world or do service
for any person or bear with patience and fortitude
The sorrows incident to mortality. Not Tor an IN
slant would she be Of the slightest Use to French
dramatist if she were pitiiul being of this hum
drum description Far different was her superior
clav. far loftier her magnificent destiny! She was
bern Bad. She came into the world depraved in
every moral fibre, aud predcstned to sensuallty,
freacnery vanity aud vice. She Is beautiful AMI
NAL. and she goe. straight to the devil. Nothing
could be nobler, nothing more pathetic. And moth
ing. surely. in all this world could have better
claim to engross the sympathy of mankind! NO
foling and deving here No foolish fidelity to the
prosy state OF matrmonyl No pentup Utica! NO
strait-laced nonsense! Custom cannot stale her
variety for she does not give 1t ghost OF a
chance: and age cannot wither her for she.
certainly and beyond all question. is one of the
N1.,f taf hnV IN
haIr-dye.
|, Mr.. Sarlou has depicted this grand female in
four-act comedy. tersey and treuchanty wrtten,-
with All his usual skill and more than his usual
feeling and very impressive and beautiful Is the
spec .acle afforded. when a man OF brilliant and
highly trained intellect brings all lis splendid fac
uties to the suitable celebration OF such an Illus
trlous individual. Were 1t not for the manly zeal
and noble devotion of such great writers as Mr.
Sardou this lofty stripe of herolne-so full OF las
ciyIous seusiblity, beauteous. so a-tasclnatlng
and 30 redolent as a feminine exeHpar OF every
thing that a woman ought to be!-mght cruelty be
debarred from her proper recognition; and that, to
a dead certainty would hang the heavens IN black.
We ought to be very thankful to Mr Sardou' and to
all similar public benefactors that the Odettes Of
our race are held up before our eyes, in all their
heroism and all their pathos. They make lot of
1rouhe these radiant beings for the people around
them; and more than one berighted cync. OF the
common cllv, has been known 10 remark that an
Oietf, i, nothing more than sentimental hlriOt
md q Ui,chiefous Nuisance; but cyuIcS are old
1ogies with unwhCiesOme views and rheumatlc
joints and, to common people what IN the
world are they here tor, except to minister TO the
passions and vaui'ies OF those eclectic and exalted
Organiz intended by lOus Fate to Aodrl>h
in sensual idleuess and vicious NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
or the industry hetraying the faith. and hreaAlag
The heart, of their more ordinary teOw-creatures,
Trouble serves them right. Nobody but fool
would be decent and honest. The really great
women of large and lawless soul, Of whom we never
can see too much. for whom our hearts beat wildly
nnd our tears require a hose. is the woman who be-
trays her husband changes her lovers as often and
a. indidereuty she does her pocket-handkerchlet
lives a long life OF brazen Drodlgacy and heartcss
deceit and. at last, in mOmentary revuislon and
deTIum. prompted by the maternal instinct and
jadcd nerves, swallows an ounce OF laudanum and
goes 10 glory. This is the sweet sister that Mr..
Sardou has drawn-the only difference being that
She Is supposed TO make her illustrous aud self
sacrihc:I9 exit by jumping into a Gsh-pond. But
this l. Olctfe-1ud 10 present this persCnage and
make the spectator weep 10y placing her in
pathetic situation the sole purpose of the re-
nowned author in writing his play. Ii would not
be easy to lind the right words III which TO charae-
terize such purpose the part of intellectual
man.
There are many persons in the piece besides
Oiettc and there is suggestion Of Partisan society
behind IL but these persons and this society are
onlva background. Ojctte Is the play. She stands
in front Of her associates and OyershadOws her cir
cumstanccs and her story Is told, not with refer
ence 20 its effect upon Others, but entirely and ex-
clusiyely with reference to ITS effect upon herself
-. 4ss,r, ~ Il
tonncss She Is shown as a detected and disSraGed
SINNER She Is shown a mother who loves her
child. Aud finally, she is shown as p woman cap
able of m0mcutary remOrse and trenHed act OF
self-muTdcT by way Of explatIon. The resultant
1)recept seems TO he that society l. full OF mlser
able domestic complications, brought about by
inst such gifted women. and that these COmpliCa.
tons are capable of expressing themselves at
times ia strong dramatic situation and incident
The moral seems TO be- pity and forgive. "Much
should be pardOned to women saws teine, " Tor
they love much-and many But tie great, COM
prehensiye lesson, the substance OF the whole
matter lesson taught. and a substance denoted
IN the choice of the subject aud IN the awarding OF
prominence 10 the character, embelllshed as 1t Is
with animal beauty, with the maternal sentiment
and with the g.amOr of pathetic situatOn.-ls the
beatItude of glorious feminine wickedness.
Ode;fe to be sure comes to grief; and those OBJ
servers of her career who wish TO do so gather
III the SUNDAY school cOrOllary that a married
woman ought 10 live with her husband and take
care of her children, If she doesn't want to get
drowned in a tsh-pond. But those who know the
art-nethOds of the astute and wary Mr.. Sardou do
not habItuaily associate him with the sunday
school lie meant TO write brilliant play-and
be has done it the construction and the style Of
OGetIe" are perfect: but. after that, If he had
any intention at all II was to glOrv fascinating
sinner and make the world weep over her ruin. |
Tins as already said, Is a beneiacton well calcu |
lated TO inspire a peculiar KIND o. gratitude.
The plot of Odeite' mas previously been detailed
in tins place. Each of the acts Is neatly proper |
tioned. Each of the persons is clearly discrmi- |
mated. and - made to speak in lndIv dual man
uer The language throughout. is marked by the |
nervous force of sincerity and ot feeling equaby |
sustained al level of ardent warmth Ihe first act |
is exceedingly spirited and is finely rounded. The
Interest accunulates the play progresses At the