The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-26
ADJUSTMENTS.

$RAND OPERA HOT sI9-RIsToRIs ELIZABETH
brilliant audience, made up of represent
alive people of the city and State, was at the
Grand Opera house last night. TO greet woman
Who, in the prime of her life. was aptly termed
'the tragic queen" and whose renown as the
greatest actress of her day is yet cherished in
stage tradition. She is still great but advancing
years have taken from her the power to so forci-
bly, ard effectively impersonate those characters
with which her name has been identified for
years. 1t is by no means decadence of mental
powers-for they are unimpaired, but her voice
has lost its resonance its flexibility, and there
is at times a noticeable lack of physical ability
to suit the action to the word. After an absence
Of over ten years from the American stage she
has come back to it. and speaks in the native
tongue of her hearers. The mastery of the
English language that she has attained in
comparat lively short time is marvellous and she
reads with intelligence and discrinina nation
that is surprising and unexpected Last night
she played in the version of Queen EIizabethn
written especially for her by Sienor Giaco1n-
uett twenty five years ago, an intensely tragic
and lugubrious drama, whose only IA ison d'etre
would seem TO be that she might appear in it
1t was performance of surprising merit, but
nevertheless it was something Of a disappoint
ment, both to those who had seen her in her
were exalted by her great fame In vehementp pas
sages she seemed TO have the greatest trouble in
readily speaking the words which she had so re-
Gently acquired and considerable difficulty was
experienced at times in following her but to
those who watched her closely the words we're
almost superfuous for her wonderful facial ex-
preston and action supplied the deficiency. 1t
is doubtful whether her acting properly APP
preclated and, If it was, the audience was sineu-
lary cold and unresponsiye. Only once was
there anything like an outburst of genuine en-
thusiasm, and that was at the end of the third
act-the quarrel scene with Essex (Afr Tearle J
when both were called before the curtain He
is a manly forcible actor a trhe self-conscious
and awkward at times, but well suited to the
part. The support otherwise was creditable
and tile performance was an unusually satisfac
tory one. Mr.. Lane, Miss Foster Mr.. Sherley
and Miss Clifton particularly good it
was the only appearance of the company here
this season.
SOMETHING OF MADAME RIsToRTs HISTORY
The story of Nine Ristoris professional career
Is briefly as follows: She was enphatically of
and belonging to the theatre from the beginning.
Her father and mother belonged to a strolhne
company Of players, and she was born IN the
theatre in Venetian Lomoardy. She PLAYED
children's parts with the strolling company until
she was twelve years of age, and was scarcely
fourteen when she appeared ms Francesca da
Rimini in Sivio Pellico's immortal work But
It was at Rome her great talents were fully de-
veoped In the long galleries and vast squares
of the Eternal City, crowded with works Of ge-
MUS she received those impulses which drove
her to the study of the most reconcile mysteries
Of the art by which she acquired her fame
In 1876 she became the Nlarchesa Caprauico
del Grillo. There a spice of romance about
this union. The handsome, high born Marchese
incurred the grave displeasure of his family by
marrying an actress, and it required the most
strenuous exertiors the part of Cardinal
Pecca to bring aroul reconciliation The
marriage took place in =. village church in the
presence only Of the village pastor and some
peasants,
On the 22d of May, 1856 RistOri made her