New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-01
NOTES FROM PARIS
NINE. SARAH BERNHARDT IN LA TOSCA"
POIIX CI ARD PIE RElRE

NJ Sardous La Toscar at the Porte st. Martin.
This piece, written to measure for Madame Sarah
Bernhardt, has been running fortnight. All the
world knows all about it, and will only say, so
far as the play itself is concerned, that think the
critics have treated M. Sardou harshly. They con-
demned his work on various grounds. One en-
lightened student of Votarc went so far as to say
that it was almost as barbarous as M. Williams
Shakespeare's Hamlet" 1t was thought too 1ull
Of horrors No dramatst in dress coat. such as
all nineteenth century playwrights are presumed
to wear, had right to try the nerves OF his audi
ence with the fortunes and murders and suicides
which abound in La Tosca."
Perhaps not Perhaps M. Sardou has gone be-
yond the limits. La Tosca" however. does not
profess to be comedy, and is not. 1t is drama
and drama of the most tragic kind. III NJ. Sardou
chooses to write drama, and Madame Sarah Bern
hardt chooses to act drama. what have the critics
to say to their choice? What has become OF the
rule that the critic is not repoach the artist for
undertaking to do this or that particular thing but
Is bound to place himself at the artists point OF
view? His business, the critics business, Is to
say il he can how far the artist, whether painter
writer has succeeded In his object; not that ne
ought to have had different object. The selec-
ton of subject is the artists affair; his treat
ment of it, and that alone, is the critics Such
is the canon which eminent French authorizes have
laid down To great degree modern french
criticism has conformcd to it. But NJ. Sardou's
name is to some Of these gentlemen red rag, and
they have rent and torn him after their manner
La Tosca' is, none the less play Of extraordinary
power constructed with solidity and skill Scene
follows scene with closeness Of connection which
makes the talk Of tablcauX" seem extremely I'M
critical If the dialogue is not the dialogue OF
Dumas, it is the dialogue of Nj. Sardou, ana very
good for its purpose. Remember this. moreover
When M. Sardou wrote Theodore" he sailor is
reported to have said. which in France answers
Just as well-that it would be vain for Madame
Sarah Bernhardt, after playing Theodord. to try 10
create another part. He had given her in that
piece an opportunity of doing every
thing she knew how to do. He had eX-
hausted her range. SO when he wrote La Iosca
the burden fell upon NJ Sardou of falsifying his
own prediction
It fell still more heavily on Nine. Sarah Bern
hardt and still more triumphantly did that aston
fishing actress bear it. The verdict OF Parls was
that " La Tosca' was her success, not NJ Sardous
II ever an actress created" part. Nine Sarah
created this In Theodore" she surpassed every
thing she had previously done In " La losca
she surpasscs Theodore" Perhaps no single
scene in this impersonation Is liner IMAM 'ha'
scene in the earlier one in which she staps inc az
complice of her lover to save her lover. but
The critical part of that scene is played with
rapiditv hardly less remarkable than its intensity
Tn La Tosca, what may be called the correspond
ing scene is remarkable for the suspense amount
ins to slowness which marks tn action 30 oil the
whole or nearly the whole of the last three acts'
The whrlwind of passion is absent, though ho1
the passion. The movement is deliberate through
out The crisis approaches, as well 1t may at
funeral pace. The public is kept on the rack as
well as the lover. Often the words are few IL is
p1x- xpblch
these thousands Of shuddering spectators en-
tbra,,cd And even of action there is at moments
almost nothing There is nothing but Sarah Bern
bardt-moi scule ct cest asses she might well say
almost think the end of the scene after she mas
killed Scarpia her masterpiece. The killing ltseii
recalls the killing in Theodore" not so her rem
dering of it; not in conception, not In Single oe
tail are they even similar The originality
is complete. Scarpia once dead. the resi-
passes mutely; hardly word SAID No
abusinessp to use the technical phrase,
could be more dangerous than the placing OF 'he
candles at the head of the corpse, the crucihx on
his breast In any other hands it would have
been grotesaue; even in hers it could only be In
pressive to an audience of Catholics who not only
understood but felt the solemnity OF the act.
For my part caring nothing for the ecclesias'icai
symbolism, watched each step, each gesture ol
the actres, with the thought: If she can do that
she can do anything Not till it was over ana
she had vanished did the strain relax, or the douo'
whether such pantomime could be carried safety
through to the end disappear. But she held mel
audience in the hollow of her slender manu. ana
not for an infntcsimal instant did she loosen the
grip
This is the gift and grace OF genius, observes the
spcctator: genius only can give this power OF
novelty. this elevation this originality and con-
NJ
over | made some such remark myself to Nine
Sarah She accepted the compliment with gra-
ciOusness, but made answer:
You think have gained since you saw me
last summer in LondonP Possibly, but II have
it is not the genius you are good enough 10 dls
cover in me. 1t is hard work.
Well. we have all heard before now that genius
is the power OF taking great pains. The dominion
is extremely imperfect, spite Of Darwln's example
but thought it most interesting to hear IL con-
fmed. after fashion, by actress now con
fessedly the first of those living. What she SAID
of herself is, in every case, true. Nobody works
harder She herself did not work harder when al
the beginning of her profession and her career thar
now when she is at the summit OF one If not the
other Till this week should have said 1t was
impossible for her to go beyond the IheodoT1
of last summer Now the word impossible has u
be put aside.
The practical Partisan was much struck with tn
fact that during the long Presidential crisis TIT
theatre of the Porte St. Martin was filled nightly
TO OVERLOOKING while every other house In IAN
was half empty, or more than half. lie has re
tracted his opinion that Nine. Sarah's secession
from the Theatre Francois would end her Partisan
success lie has seen her for some years act il
pieces written for her. in theatres leased for or D!
her. with none too good company about her ;'an'
year by year draw fuller houses. He no longe
tells you that the provinces and that unimportan
part of Europe lying outside Paris. and the tw
Americas, have coarsened and vulgarized her art
He respects her superiority to i'll fortune. Whel
she quilted that curious and charming house in tn
Avenue de Villiers he was free with his predlc
tions that all was over lie drew dismal picture