New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-01-26
MUSIC AND THE ORA MA.
MARY ANDERsoNs ACTING.


Last night, at the Fifth Avenue theatre, Dis,
Anderson imprrs mated the heroine of 1.-THE Hunch-
backD This is the fourth of the charact RS IN her
epertory that she has acted here since her present
engagement began. The other swere Pauline, Berthe
and GdiGtea. In each of them she has afforded
to sensitive and thoughtful persons the means OF
refined pleasure; because In each Of them she has
made an incidental commentary on human nature,
disclosed more aud of the powers and graces OF
her own mind. and evinced an expert and ever
rpenlng skill in the use OF the methods OF dramatic
art. Neither of these characters to such woman
as Mary Anderson, is massive, dubious or difficult.
There Is nothing in either of them that cOnstrains
her to toll upward; and, accordingly, her acting
of them has been marked by perfect clearness Of
IDEAL and by almost Inyariable precision and grace
Of mechanism. Moments Of her work. to be sure
have been blurred by incerlitude of form and by
vocal excess. Her verbal tornado, for example,
with Pauiines scornful taunt of Heinotte. -"Thisn
your Palace "-and her son0rous ecstasy OF decama-
ton, in uttering GaIatea's delight in life tho igh
strong aud fine In the abstract, are tokens OF 8
hayward or AN undisclplned impulse. such as tends
to the injury of Fanatic proportion. MISS AMBER
son. however is uneven actress, and bleBishes
Of this sort, which may occur in some OF her per-
formances do not occur in others of the same part
Her very defects. Therefore, only make her the
more interestng-for 10 IS not 10 be doubted that
the capabity of occasional irregular execution IN
matters of art is OF the best attributes that an
actor can possess. Yet, allowing Tor all that this
qualification m plies. she has set distinct and beau
tifu ideals boldly ana brilliantly before the eyes
of her AUDIENCE; and when dramatic executant
accompishes this result the audience has reason
to be satisfied and grateful.
With the impoverished mental attitude of that
merely to ascertain whether the performer is
strictly accurate and consistent method it is I'M
possible to sympathize. Lie is short and for most
persons who possess feeling and the power OF
thought, its joys are few and lnirequent. To prowl
around with microscope aud tape-measure IS 10
sauden 1t beyond endurance. Nothing but spiritual
starvation can come of that parsimoniOus waste.
There are times. of course, when the mind must
work with oil its Masonic implements. That is
another matter-the laying Of the toundat rs Of
Judgment, broad and true In exact knowledge and
immutable PRINCIPLES. But. in the presence of ar
tisic works which are gracious and lovely IN
sprit-an therefore filed with hip and cheer for
the mind that is striving to poso itself, in serenity
and hope, amidst the frets aud mutations Of lfe.-
there is no need of the idle and puny pursuit OF
peeplng about for superficial flaws. The perIOrm-
ances that Mary Anderson has given here are not
such as promote controversy over mistaken ideals.
she is not an experimenter upon Hamlet and Kag
Lear. Tho parts that she plays are completely
within her comprehension, and she states their
meaning with inuuOtabe accuracy and unmistaka-
bic force. Still more,and tlis is the really vital
fact in the matter.she invests them with an ire
sstible charm. The hundreds of sbl, writers
scattered throughout America who for SIX or seven
years have been telling her that when she acts
aha he a haffar actress unite safe
that stronghold of opinion. The of voice, the
Of drapery the regulation of ges'u.e
the introduction of pauses such as seem to happen
of their own accord, the emploYmehb
Of attitude, the union OF facial eA-
preston whether with silence or speech the dei''
unconscious but perfectly precise suDor-
ination of theatrical adjuncts TO the spirit Oh
character and the purpose of scene-these anu
many other essential elements Of acting unite "
form a complex system of mechanism III WHICH, ior
all actors inua practice is theon ROAD 10 per
feet proficiency. Persons who choose 10 auuSe
themselves in that way can readily specify, anu
iilate upon, the rough places IN MISS Anuerson
scuton. In the meantime her works. whie "os
deficient in art. remain surcharged with 'he opu0u
yieor of happy. unclouded unsuled youth, the ex'
,lted and lovely statelln IS of noble m'oa' 'u'
Alliance of almost peerless physical beauty, ana tho
glamour of romantic spirit tremulouS III It's sc"'s
,ility 70 the poetic influences OF nature anu ~"
And these are the conquerors. How oi'en "
nusing over the victorious persons of human NO
hs thinker comes back to Emerson's comprehensive
tatemont of the whole truth OF the subject;
"Anotner is born
To make the sun forgotten
hold II Of little matter
Wnetner your Jewel DO of pure water,
A rose diamond or q white.
But whether it dazzle me with light
In the personation of julia which was seen WIN
h.orbsd interest. and O. ton aud copiousiy APP