The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-14

also travels with good company well trained.
Modjeska's "Cymbeline' is vision OF life
in that beauteous period, half sylvan
wildness, half Roman elegance, when
Rome ruled Britain. Her lmogen Is
the sweetest thingi-ah-as a boy she looks
like boy, as a lady of ancient Britain she is not
rugged up in corsets and high heels, but wears
the divine Roman robes, and seems the welded
lady" of Posthumus The scene where size lies
in high bed, reading by the light OF an antique
lamp, with rich carpets and hangings ABOUT, Is
most beautiful Her cave and valley scene IS
lovely and her rustics are pictorially posed
When one of them cries, ITO the mountains
To the mountains, awayF you think he Is really
gong.
To think of the theater is to fall into reverie
of Irving the greatest actor of the greatest city
in the world. 1t is luxury to remember him
None can compare with him. From the begin
ming to the end of '"The Bells he is Matthias the
burgomaSter; the rest are actors. lie makes
fine appear auce when he first comes on in The
Bells The worn face, the wiping of the brow,
the pleasant ways with neighbors and friend, and
every detail fascinate And when he IS alone
and shows the real character OF Mathlas ne
wins compassionate sympathy His wierd vlsage,
his fine profile, grow on you His cautious, gen
tie way of saying. did you did you hear the
bellsP Is very winning. The expression OF ms
face while listening to the betrotha waltz Is In
teresting At first his look Is resttul and wears
an expression of affection then it settles into
the deep consciousness that he can never more
be happy like the simple innocent people about
him, with all his acute intelligence, and THIS
look wrings the heart and then it changes to
listening look, and then to one of horror as ne
hears the bells
The suffering of Matthias is not remorse, but
long continued anxiety, always growing harder
TO bear and finally becoming inUolerabe. Won
derfuliy does Irving depict nervous strain. He
opens his mouth with a slight gasp; there is
dry swallowing in his throat, his tongue rolls in
his mouth his nerveless hands wander over his
garments Yet Matthias has cheerful thoughts.
''Wlat holes thew will make the
as they go home and u
shall yet die old and respected
says he. Yes, he is Matthias in every particular.
His sleeves are trayed just enough, his shoulders
and his coat just rounded enough to denote
the half invalid. Ali is perfect. Thus. when he
kicks up the curtain of his bed he makes it look
as if his foot still heldit there through the dream
scene.
Any one accustomed to vivid d cams, must be
struck with the naturalness of the dream in
''rhe Bells, in which there is a dream within
dream. The characters speak as In dreams; there
is the momentary relief of finding that 1t is only
a dream and then the relapslng back into the
anguish of the dream; there are the dream eX-
element the dream fright the calling in terror
and in vain, aud then the short calm of deep
sleep, when the dream OF mesmerlzlng beglns,
followed by the continuation of the long agoniz-
ing dream. In seeing it you feel as if you were
having a fearful dream; if your eyes were
CLASSY and hollow, and filled with alarm, and
your forehead wet In the morning, when
Matthias springs from his bed he plainly
shows the marks of his terrible
night; his white and clammy face has
grown thinner. his neck emaciated'
his eyes are faded and settled in his head, his
dry lips have shrunk upon his teeth, and his
mouth has become an expressionless cavity. A
strange thing about the play is that Matthias is
lovable, and the audience is in his secret and in
sympathy with him, while the happy people of
the play never know it.
Irving's English is perfect The word rivulet
is henceforth beautiful after hearing him
pronounce it. One of his most admirable traits
is that he never sees the audience, when
called before the curtain. Another of his aston
ishng peculiaritiess he does not allow his actors
to make hackneyed stage gestures nor does he
permit his actresses to branch out into map
propriate finery.
Ellen Terry is a Florida orange--rich, sprightly
and sweet. She is vivacity and she is ANNA
ton; and her dress is always like a fresh flower.
Such white handkerchiefs she has.
good play increases the pleasantness of life,
1t enriches conversation and foils the cosness Of
rainy day by the fire.
Irving said we are too fond of dog shows.
Does he expect us to stay away from dog showsl
What keep away from the fat Lady, No, faith!
We will see her and the living skeleton-here's
to our further acquaintance-and the poultry
show, and everything else in the show business.