New-York tribune., 1885-02-08
NINE. JANE HADING.
HER HISTORY AND HER FIRST APPEARANCE
IN LONDON AS 1CLAIRE.o


frroM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUSEI
LONDON January IL.
After many months OF heavy English version OF
ale Maitre de Forges" at the St Jamcss grheatre.
the London public has at last had an opportunity OF
seeing the original piece, with two OF its orgnai
interpreters What people cared more abont than
the piece was the first appearance in London OF the
Young actress who has been the talk OF Paris ior the
| last twelvemonth. Nine. Jane Iiading When first
saw her in Paris some years ago, she used 10 call
| herself Mlle Jeanne Hading, but she has adopted
| the madame since she married the manager OF the
Gymnase Theatre in Paris where she acts though
why Jane for Jeanne Is not SO clear Probably the
English would prefer her as French as possible.
Echoes of her Partisan fame have long since been
heard in London She known to have leapcd
into celebrity by her creation of Claire in NJ Georges
Ohnets now hackneyed play. as the -lamented and
ever-freshly remembered Desclee had years before.
after years of obscurity, become famous by her
Frou-F FrOH.
Not for wears had any new actress made such an
impression on Paris or won such position Oh the
French stage as Mile. Jeanne Hading. But her
apprenticeship had been of the longest. II her
French biographer may be believed. her hrst ap-
pearance on any stage was at the Gymnase III Mar
seilles in 1862 at the age OF three when NJ Holan-
zer conided TO her pIecocious intelligence the part
of doll in lie Bossu" Her father was ali actor OF
X.
born. as the French have it, in the wings Her first
glimpses of life were the footbghts. She was
thought to have a voice, taught to sing. and
recommended her professional at fourteen in
Alters. whence she journeyed not long after to
Cairo Returning to Marseles and singing III oper-
ettas she was discovered by the manager OF the
Pa!as Royal of Paris, engaged by him. played NJ
that theatre with remarkable. success. ana
finally passed to the Renaissance in 1879, then
under the management Of NJ. Victor konng, where
Paris FIRST became really aware of her. She sang in
La Petite Mariee" and other pieces of the kind;
| finally in La Belle Lurette.' the music of which
| Ofenbach wrote expressly for her. Still she had
| created no enthusiasm Mile. Jeanne Grancr was
then the prina donna Of the Renaissance, and the
| hold of that very original and piquant actress on
her public was not to be shaken. In October 1883
| Mlle Hading followed NJ. Victor Koning twhom she
married last June to the Gymnase theatre OF pure
| comedy and appeared in piece. Z" "Autonr du
Marriage which wed all the success Il had TO her
On the 18th December of the same year she created
Claire de Beaulieu and flyore. Paris has been at
her feet ever since the provinces also, and Brussels
| and now London offers her homage which
promises to be not much less fervent than thai OF
| the Boulevards.
| The Madame Jane Hading who walked down TO
the footghts of the Royalty Theatre last Thursday
| night is a well-nade young woman. whose shout
ders ire in no wise burdened with the weight OF the
| five and twenty years 50 many of which have been
passed IN the glare Of the theatres. Her hgure OF
medium height has grown larger since last spring.
| when she could only have been called slight. but
II "a not the figure which fixes your attention 1t is
the face face which you Instantly perceive to be
one of the most sympathetic and singulary attrac-
tive YOU have seen on any stage whatever. Geauti-
| full may be too comprehensive word to apply to It,
| but the elements of beauty are there, and the
fascination of it is irresistible The line eyes, large
dark deep-hashing set wide apart beneath low
broad forehead, the arch ana outline of which. as
they melt into the finely modelled temples. are pure
| in form and powerful with all their delicacy The
features are clearly cut character in every one OF
| them and In the pose OF the wel-balanced hcad,
radiant with of dark auburn hair said Oh good
| authority to be her own. Southern blood runs In
her veins She Is Provencal and something more.
In the rapidity of her movement, IN the ineness OF
the lines of the strong face, in the eager yet con-
| tanned glances, all softness one moment and flame
the next thereis something that recalls the southern
| rather than the northern shore of the Mediter-
| ranean Like most actresses she is too much made
| up" on the stage-too much powder on the face
and too much rouge on the lips. Painting seems to
be like dram-drinking; it grows on the victim. An
actress eye loses its accuracy III such matters and
not the actresses only. But tho triiling excess OK
| color Is a defect you notice later.
What impresses you at first is the individuality OF
this new candidate for English admiration. She is
not the least like Descee in appearance, she is far
handsomer for one thing but you feel that she has
something Of the temperament of that marvellous
artist and temperament Is tie one quality for
want of which most actresses are not
actresses Nine. Jane Hading has 1t.
She has the emotional. impressbo, passionate
nature. capable of impartlng emotions and I'M
pressions to others. She has voice which, without
being powerful is full of vibration with tones Of
tenderness and tones almost metallic in their sharp
clear ring Her gesture is large, varied, too abrupt
at times and occasionally wanting in measure; but
strangely effective with public used for the most
part to actresses whose movements OF the limbs are
either those Of miss In her teens, or those of o
windmill, or both Mme. Hading's arms are well
, shaped and ample in contour, and she knows what
| to do with them An English audience may some
times think she does too much, but even where the
gesture Is redundant It is never aimess, nor mean
, ingless, nor wanting In graceful energy And she
, has above all things, conviction, word which fol
want of better must indicate that Intense and
complete absorption of the actress IN her part wci
Is the indispensable requisite tothe conyinehgoi ho
audience. She has taken NJ. Ohncts stage direc
tons too literally, she Is distinctly too SAD and to'
much absorbed In her longing for her absent ta"o
moro 30 than she was some months ago. IL Ia
| srewn on her. and 1t u not an improvements.