Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1882-11-09

The critic Of the New York Tribune
notice. at much length, in the columns Of
that paper. Mrs. Langtry, in her frst sppear-
snce at wallack's Theatre, Monday evening.
We copy the following:
AZ an actress Mrs. Langtry is uneven
frigid, and in technicalities, sometimes crud..
At mOments-xs in Hester's antaponism of
her female enemy, and in her assumption of
cool indifference toward ArnclifFe-she be-
comes merged in the part. At other moments
she lapees out Of it. She has definite de-
signs and tractable powers; but she has not
yet acquired perfect and unerring control of
either. On the other hand, she has attained
to remarkable experiences, considering the
brevity of her professional experience. She
did not reveal attributes of tragical genius.
There was no hint of imagination. exalted
spiritual passion, or melting tenderness in
any action or word of hers throughout this
performance. Her conduct and her speech
were those of an artist who, thus far. displays
individuality without imparting it. Nor did
her personality, beneath her acting, indicate
that fascinating strangeness and that wildness
OF inspiration which are characteristic of the
exceptional human beings who bear the
sacred IRE. No tragical performance-no
performance to arouse, thrill and overwheim
the souls to be anticipated from this
source. But the rosy gods of mirth, romance,
manners, and capricious feminine character
have a world of their own; and in this
Mrs. Langtry is well fitted to shine Time
will develop her. and will furnish her
with all the equipment that now she LACKS i;
and there is every reason to believe that she
will reach the first rank as dramatic execu-
tant in joyous, glittering, trenchant comedy
khA haa sssrv d. II
afinities are all with mirth and pleasure
Nature has made her a delightful creature,
whether to see or to hear, and temperament
and education, the drift of character and the
force of circumstances have coneurred in
making her q woman for an audience. A
theatrical career to such a person as this is
far less a matter of choice than of fate.
Mrs. Langtry, unconsciOusiy to herself,
happens to represent one of the strongest
movements in the mind Of this age. In all
the arts, and in public tastes for all the arts,
there began some time ago determined re-
action against that strain of sickliness, in
fecting every form of intellectual life. which
comes of over-much modification of the
body and a somewh hat too protracted and ex-
elusive contemplation of the kingdom of
heaven. The literary genius-whose portrait
Dickens somewhere describes as that of "a
and curtain"-went then out of
fashion with many another desiccated
creature Of his kindred - and a
period of muscular Christianity en-
ensued, during which we had bulls painted
by Rosa Bonheur, Berserker novels written
by the author of "Guy Livingstone" and
verses aromatic of animal reek by the valiant
Walt Whitman. This reaction, soon check
ed by its own excess, presently subsidized into
the rational, practical conviction that dvs-
pepsia is not needful to art, and that the
sensual life of man, when duly subordinat-
ed to his spiritual life, is equally
worthy and may be made equally
beautiful. This principal, underlying much
of the thought of recent years, and much of
the art, of every kind, that is now prevalent,
explains both the rise of Mrs. Langtry and
the ready acceptance of her by the public
Because she is handsome woman. because
the sight of her is pleasure and a refresh
ment, because she is possessed of rare quail
fications for theatrical career, and because
her present achievement, though neither in
comparable nor surprising, is good attempt
and full of promise. Mrs. Langtry should be
welcomed to the American stage.