New-York tribune., 1883-06-03
THE LONDON STAGE.
FEDORA AND MRS. BERNARD-BEERE AT THE
HAYMARKET.

LONDON, May q
London has a new sensation In the English YER
sion of NJ Sardou's Fedora" produced at the hay
market on Saturday with Mrs. Bernard-Beere IN tne
title role. 81 went to scof. remained to admire
and applaud" said one fair critic whose opinion
asked in the yestibue sfteritw all over lhat eA
presses we'll enough the general feeling OF the pup.
lie. NJ. Sardous play was written. as all the woriu
knows, for Nine. Sarah Bernhardt-written 10 give
that brilliant actress opportunity OF DONG all
she knows within three hours; Of covering pretty
nearly the whole range of her dramatic art IN that
Il arrow space-and brilliantly did she perform her
part of the task. Love. grief, despair, coquetry'
passion, the grace of the great lady, the savage
hatreds of the Tartar, the sparkle of Partisan
elegance in the drawing-rOom the steathy cum
ming of police spy then finally the terror of COM
ing detection the agony when it arrives. the swift
courage of suicide, the hardly less swift torture OF
death-these are but some of the phases and moods
through which the actress has to pass in the COM
pass of one four-act piece and one evenings enter
tainment ! saw Sarah play the part twice last
winter at the Vaudeville in Paris She was herseif
well satisfied with the character and with her own
rendering of it. Beyond doubt it was her hnest
creation. Never before had she had such a chance,
nor ever before presented herself to a Partisan
audience more coldy critical. Save for one charity
representation it was her first temperance after
her tours about America and Europe, the hFst
time Paris had seen her since she had quilted the
Theatre Frapcais, and Paris was not disposed TO
give a too cordial welcome to its old faVorite.
Spoilt her style abroad" said the gossips OF the
Boulevard "been acting to Americans and Dutch
men, grown vulgar, grown coarse in style"-grownl
know not what else. But when the curtain vent
down on that first night of Fedora" Paris was
once more at the feet of its old idol The ex-
Societare of the FraDcas had reconquered her
public. She played the part nightly for some four
months, and is still playing it somewhere ON the
Continent.
Now what the wise men of the dramatic world In
England said of Fedora" was this: that the play
of itself would never do for the British pub
lie, and that even in Paris it would be
nothing without Sarah Bernhardt. And supposng,
added they the piece could be played at all, or any
version of It made acceptable to London, where is
the English actress who can play FedoraF People
condoed with Mr.. Bancroft in advance on the COM
ing faure At one time Miss Calhoun's name was
mentioned in connection with the character. That
promising young actress happily escaped the ordeal
When it was understood that Mrs. Bernard-Beerc
had been selected there was much shaking Oh
heads. Mrs Beere was known as a courageous
Mr. Tennyson's Promise of May" from its deserved
damnation She had been seen of late IN Messrs
Carr e. Hardy's Far from the Madding Crowd"
and in Mr. Wills's feeble version of Jane Eyre"
There was evidence of some real talent in her work.
bnt of the kind Of talent needed for Fedora little or
no sign.
| suspect Mr.. Bancroft himself was not over
confident of success lie nevertheless did his
laaa "A mis- hpen
produced with more care whether in the mounting
or the general preparation. The very elaborate and
difficult business of the first act was rebearsed till
OH the first night it went with perfect smoothness
and CELEBRITY; and 80 on to the end. There are per-
haps two other theatres in London where plays can
be given with equal excellence the first night !;
two and not more With the exception OF the two
chief parts FEDORA and Loris IpanoG and one other
the piece was better done here than in Paris. In
point of scenery and general finish OF mounting,
Mr.. Bancroft far surpassed his brethren OF
the Vaudeville. A to the difficulties
supposed to lie in the path of the English
translator. Mr.. Herman Mervale had dealt with
them by the simple process Of ignoring them. MT
Bancroft wisely decided, as in the case OF Odette
last year. that the piece must be reproduced sub
stantIally as it stood in French or not at all. Mr.
Meryale had nothing to do, or little To do except
translate NJ Sardou's French into such English as
he Is master of The play loses something IN this
process. as may be supposed, but the framework is
preserved, If NJ. Sardou were stylist like NJ
Alexandra Dumas the younger. the loss would nave
been greater Bat 1t is no easy matter to transfer
into foreign tongue the hghtness, the sharp pre-
cision above all. the rapidity OF style of an ex-
pert French dramatiSt. NJ. Sardou is not great
writer, but he Is most practised playwright, knows
what will tell on the stage and tho crackle
of his dialogue is, to say the least effective ana
continuous. Mr.. Merivae's English is far above the
usual level of dramatic translations. bnt he IS TOO
literal and he has forgotten that 1t Is simply lmpOs
sible to give in English every sentence and phrase
of the original without burdening the movement OF
the scene In the French not sentence is thrown
away. In the English the piece would gam by
throwing away good many.
One and so far as | noticed, one sacrifice only IS
made to English prudery. The Countess Olga as NJ.
Sardou presented her to the world. is woman who
declares with frankness the fact that the WEAKNESS
of her life has been relieved by passing great part
OF it IN the company of successive lovers Her posi-
ton is not explicabe without this confes
sion. But Mr. Merivale dresses up these iiaisons
as engagements" aud it falls to Mrs. Bancroifs
lot to play character which, by dint of this super
auous strainng after morality, becomes absurd.
Mrs Bancroft is so great favorite and so thorough
an artist that she conirives to make this ridiculous
hybrid entertaining playing it with spirit and pun
gency enough to hide the falseness of the situation
from those of the audience who did not know the
original play.
At the beginning Of Fedora" the heroine is
living in Petersburg and betrothed to Gladim'r son
of tho Russian Chief of Police. She comes to his
house to SEQ him only to hear that he has been dan
eerousy wounded, 1t is supposed by Nibilists. He
is brought home, but not into the presence OF the
audience, who allowed however, to
look into the bedroom where he lies. The
police arrive. The story of tho murder
is told in the presence of Fedora. who fastens at
once upon the only cew, a letter left IN drawer
and carried off by the murderer. While the man
she was to marty is diving under the SURGEONS knife