New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-12-14
THE DRAMA.
MODJEsKA AS DANIELA.

MODJESKA AS DANlEbA.
To sipnalize the closing week OF her long engagement
st the Union Square Thcatre-an engagement winch,
rbsn :, terminates. on next Saturday viii have lasted
,h, az ,ots and which has thus far been filed with two
oommendabIe shakespcarian endeavors aud one rather
clumsv melodrama-Mme. Modjeska last night produced
a new pay called Daniela," and therein peFsonaied.
much 20 the satisfaction Of large audience good typo
Of afreetionate fidelity and sclfsacrifiee In woman
Dopa in this DRAMA fair and fond lady the second
wife OF fastdous and resolute gentleman whose heart
"a understood TO be buried In the grave OF MS nrst How
n banpeps that this devoted and disconsolae 0Ter-a
kind OF sublimated NJ. Grares OF the comedy OK
" Money has managed TO form second matrimonial
connection (which he must have deemed entirely super
euous, is not explained but married lie Is 10 woman
hono he does not love- and who knows It. Nor does this
ladys knowledge stop here for she knows"hst he does
his rst wife was false to him, and that he Is ex
pendipg his affectonae grief upon the memory oil an
adnlteress and a traitor. ms lae' however,
abe will keep to herself, and wben NJ Hhsm $40
finds that It Is On its way to him. and mlsf become KNOWN
she inerferes keep IL still secret anu 10 s'" er
adored husband from what she snpposes would proves
n,,ter and terrible aicon Through this Interference
abe becomes involved suspicious circumstances which
appear to compromise her honor she VIII hot ueiehd
herself, though. because entirely Wiling 10 S@'.'s
everything for the man whom she loves ne on mo
other hand speedily determines 10 divorce Eer anu WIN
this amabIe purpose he repairs to noted lawyer VINO
~ M, IN ave been the criminal lover Of his first Wife,
The lawyer is presented an individual possesse Oh
conscience 1t with him that circumstances innocent
themselves have seemed to compromise h"'ed' ana no
will not devote his legal faculties TO the DESTRUCTION oi
her married life and her home tie confesses the VIVID
trth 70 the astonished and Infatuated husband and tho
wife makes the abandonment Of the duel proIecteuy
her husband a condition Of pardon and reconciliation
After this the conduct of Dunea is explained ana her
good name indicated, and finally the husband wnda"s
his affections from the tomb Of spouse number one
and places them upon the living and loving person.
atty Of spouse number two. The double assertion
implied by all this is, that woman VINO Huy
loves man will make any sacrifice OF herself Tor his
sake and that n man who Is infatuated with woman
will recover from his nfatuaton when he becomes con-
WINGED that she has betrayed him. The rst statement
true; the second is not. Half the moral OF Oahei"
accordingly rte while the other half Is erroneous anu
deceptive. All observation showstne eihsns ion""o',
and dumb devotion OF womenOf the sweeter KIND ana
aso II shows that most men, when stipulated ny
nassion for an IDEAL in woman. remain IN abeet bondage
despite all reason and all justice. The SITUATIONS thae
mako m this play OF Danela" however fallacions 10
the reasoning upon which they rest sometimes erect
i've in n dramatic scene Nine. Modjeska can present
herself in them something just little lower thah he
ANGELS and this is what she does as idn'ed
Tho nossouate sincerity of her acting the power that
she nossesses of identifying herself with strong emotional
conditions the grace the smoohness the perfect poSe
Of her art have seldom been well exemped as they
ver last night In her delivery Of tenpestuOus speech
with which the neglected and wrongly accused wife turn
ing AT last upon her and unjust husband asserts
her innocence and cass-hm of The house was deeply
moved by this effort aud at various other kindred points
il recognized the charm OF her temperament ana inc
beauty OF her action But this drama Of " Daneia Is 50
completely saturated with the aborous lnslpdlty ake
of incident and language, characteristic OF German 10
nestle DRAMA that it produces at last an Overwhelming
sense Of fatigue and the observer retres om It's pres
ence regretfu that fine actress as MoesKA should
| he associated with such mavkish twaddle
Incidents such as in this piece could occur no
| rhera except I'm n sentimental German play during
the first act the audience is required to believe that gen
teman will listen TO gross insults TO the VIE whom no
| knows TO he good yiItUous ana aHectlohdc ~ "lu
which are offered in the rudest manner from the hP "a
nnnnv During the second act the audience must accept
a. probabe an interview between the WIFE, VINO mas o'
among her husbands papers loye-etter IL,
ms former cOnnubia partner and the lover OF tpat %
Who the wife's bidding, 10 CONFESS NJ av
To- aud 10 deliver into hands other amat0ry ept
relative to his dead and gone intrigue. III "ovi'
be difficult TO overstate the aps,Iut'S "a H.,
story Probability Is Violated 10 the eAtiho VI -,
Stiffness for the sake of producing striking stt ton
MIR BARRYMORE gave fIIssy and petuant lnpcrsohatlo
of the frigid husband and Mr. Charles andenhon ho
nous both in great and i'm hair, conessed he o'e
giriish caprice was given in mood OF pquant mischief
by Miss Grace Henderson; but the unrcaty OF te otc
characters suced deprive the acting Oh every trace Oh
nature and sgncance Aside from hot0erkit tne repre-
sentatiou was. in the main, Napt ana dulL tiS uos
nleasant To see beautiful and accomplished woman
striving win the love OF commonplace man YET ,
was the picture upon which ModeSkas delicate ART was
wasted The absrity OF the situation was rendered an
the emphatic by the lncentai aisphty Vi i'o' "
OF wife number green and yellow female ID pNs
| (,ainsbOrOugl.